Commercial Electrician Rates
In the UK, commercial electrical work is priced on survey. Get an Instant Quote. Last updated October 2026.
Commercial electrical work is priced on survey. The price follows the scope, the access, the testing, and whether the work has to happen outside business hours.
What affects the price
- Work extent: list the outlets, lighting, circuits, boards and equipment involved; separate new work from fault finding or inspection
- Materials: agree cable routes, containment and equipment specification, quantities, who supplies them and delivery costs
- Testing: identify the boards and circuits included, the required report or certificate and whether remedial work is separately priced
- Access: working height, locked rooms, parking, site induction and any access equipment or second person needed
- Downtime: identify refrigeration, servers, alarms or production that cannot lose power, and agree isolation windows and any out-of-hours charge
What’s included
- Labour: named number of electricians, hours or day length, minimum visit and any travel or parking charge
- Materials: specified items and quantities, with installation labour distinguished from supply
- Testing and handover: agreed inspection scope, test results, certificate or report, labelling and any drawings
- Total: VAT treatment, exclusions, provisional items and how additional work is approved
Good to know
How long does it take? Ask for labour time and shutdown time separately. A crew may work around an occupied shop while only particular circuits are isolated. The programme should identify the survey, installation, testing and return visits, with the person who can authorise each shutdown.
Do I need one? HSE's guidance on regulation 4(2) of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 says the obligation to maintain arises only if danger would otherwise result, and that maintenance should be sufficient to prevent danger so far as is reasonably practicable. How often inspection and testing are carried out is a matter for the judgement of the dutyholder. HSE's electricity FAQ says the best way to find out if an electrical installation is safe is to have it inspected and tested by a person who has the competence to do so. Part P of the Building Regulations covers notifiable electrical work in dwellings.
Before you book, read how to check an electrician is qualified.
How to pay less
- Send the same written brief, previous report and circuit schedules to every contractor
- Agree access and isolation windows before comparing daytime and out-of-hours prices
- Compare the same number of people, working hours, materials, testing deliverables and VAT basis
- Agree a spending limit for exploratory fault finding and approval for any extra work
From the brief to a comparable quote
Agree site access, approval and handover, and compare the same scope. Describe the electrical work at your premises, including any restriction on shutdowns or operating hours.
Prepare a commercial maintenance brief
Copy this brief before requesting a quote
Premises address and use: __. Work required, with quantities: __. Existing boards/circuit schedules and previous report: __. Equipment that must remain powered: __. Access hours and permitted shutdown windows: __. Materials/specification: __. Required test report or certificate: __. Work approver: __. Access contact: __. Confirmed payer: __. Target date: __. Ask the contractor to return separate labour, materials, testing, access equipment, out-of-hours and VAT lines. Mark each line as fixed or estimated, agree exclusions and require approval for additional work. Keep business interruption in your own comparison even when it is not a contractor invoice line.
