Emergency Lighting question.

[marvin]

Hello there,

I am building manager for a commercial office block and have recieved a quote to replace a 300mm 28w dome emergency light fitting, as far as I am aware it is pretty strait forward to do (like for like) and you can do it off of a pair of steps

The quote I recieved was £156 - £90 of this is the labour cost at 2 hours.

Now the question is; is £90 reasonable? I't been on my mind and after googling I found this forum.

Hope this is the right place to ask,

Marvin.

 

[gamblor6]

rates depend really on your location. i dont think the job would take longer than 30 mins. travel time too and from job has prob been included

 

[marvin]

It would be london rates, If that helps at all.

Thanks.

 

[gamblor6]

its not too high but shop around, phone another company and ask for a quote over the phone. like for like replacement they should be able to quote over the phone. remember to ask for the minor works certificate once complete.

 

[cbw]

Even by my rates, that seems a little steep.

I would charge 1 hrs labour for a like for like change and would not issue minor works certificate for such a job.

 

[marvin]

What is the going rate for london then at the moment?

 

[bugsy]

The quote you received is about right, but make sure they also amend your emergency lighting testing schedule

 

[telectrix]

out in the sticks it would be quite a lot less, but then we don't have to get a mortgage to park the van for an hour or so

 

[spud1]

Seems a bit steep to me. One hours labour plus materials. Ive heard London rates are around the £40.00/hr mark but you can only speculate. Im with telectrix, living in the sticks is great and cheapish... I would nt issue MW cert either but would carry out basic Earth fault loop test and amend emergency lighting repair log

 

[telectrix]

its not too high but shop around, phone another company and ask for a quote over the phone. like for like replacement they should be able to quote over the phone. remember to ask for the minor works certificate once complete.

shop around is good advice. IMO MWCnot reqd. as not modifying circuit, just like for like replace

 

[marnewbold]

I have recently had a similar issue and was wondering if such labour costs are far too exorborant. Does anyone have an idea of the % weighting of London as I have a rough idea of the labour costs outside of this for the hourly rate.

 

[ian.settle1]

The one thing everyone is forgetting here is that it is an EMERGENCY fitting so in reality I would expect to be tested after it had been on charge to ensure that it works correctly.

i have been a C.O.W. on a couple of jobs and have told the contractor that a 3-hour test is required to ensure that they are working OK as have seen a few times where "new" emergency lights are fitted only to fail when tested for the first time after they have been fitted.

 

[accordfire]

If it is a replace like for like, or like for fairly similar fixing method, there's no reason the job would take two hours.

I will say that some companies we know add an hour onto their jobs (especially "little ones") in order to recoup some of the cost of working in places like London - CC Charges, parking (which can easily be £14 an hour or so), not to mention other overheads.

IMO, the certification usually takes longer than the fitting too, and that can contribute to labour times.

All considered, it doesn't seem unreasonable.

One poster asked about "weighting" in and around London - again, that's a subjective question, for many reasons. It's often very difficult to compare labour rates alone, when you get down to it, as one guy in a fifteen year old van, running out of his garage, may be able to make a modest profit on £20 an hour anywhere in the UK - a larger business with an office, vans, tools, certifications, and so on, is almost certainly not going to make a profit at £20 an hour, and maybe not even at a lot more.

For this reason, a lot of companies I've come across will also charge a minimum period of labour of say two hours, rather than hit you with an hourly rate that seems altogether too much - say £60 or £70 an hour. Bear in mind that parking in some parts of London is up to £14 an hour now, plus a CC charge means he can't get to you for less than £22, plus his fuel, time in traffic and even finding a space, etc., etc. Not cheap.

 

[bugsy]

Sorry but emc is required, to update batt replacement schedule unless of you don't bother

 

[mogga]

Im with IAN fitting an Em fitting could possibly require a second visit to make sure it operates at least for half an hour Dont you have a maintenance contract for EM lighting and probably fire alarm n PAT testing ( its common for these 3 to be combined) if not why not? it would save time and money and would also make sure your legal paperwork is correct

 

[wattsup]

Why would 90 quid be too expensive? just do it yourself and when you electricute someone or blow the lighting circuit, just tell the judge the price was too high your honour....your defence lawyer will charge you £500 for 20mins

 

[SPARKY TIM]

I work in London and would charge a similar amount, once I've taken the enquiry, surveyed the job,done the quotation,collected the materials,tested the existing wiring,removed the existing fitting,installed the new fitting,retested,removed rubbish from site,raised an invoice and then waited between 30 and 90 days to be paid. 90 quids starts to look cheap!

 

[accordfire]

I work in London and would charge a similar amount, once I've taken the enquiry, surveyed the job,done the quotation,collected the materials,tested the existing wiring,removed the existing fitting,installed the new fitting,retested,removed rubbish from site,raised an invoice and then waited between 30 and 90 days to be paid. 90 quids starts to look cheap!

True, and agreed.

Not to mention parking, Congestion Charge, etc.

 

[Ponty Massive]

I work in London and would charge a similar amount, once I've taken the enquiry, surveyed the job,done the quotation,collected the materials,tested the existing wiring,removed the existing fitting,installed the new fitting,retested,removed rubbish from site,raised an invoice and then waited between 30 and 90 days to be paid. 90 quids starts to look cheap!

Totally agree with above. At the end of the day your paying £90 to someone who is going to sort a problem out for you. If it was a burst water pipe, with water going everywhere over your commercial premises and you called and emergency plumber out, you would gladdly have paid him £90 just to fit a 15mm compression gland and stop the leak, I'm sure.

£90 I think is a very good price, considering your location!

 

[robsparky1975]

I would say that even at £90 labour for replacing your emergency light,seems very reasonable,especially your location,if its a large firm they can not really make any profit from that,cost of running a van,fuel,road tax.insuarance,public liabilty insurance,congestion charge,parking,time getting materials,getting to site,traffic,all key factors,i cant see you getting a fully qualified electrician to do the job for you any cheaper,and please dont try any of these so called tradesman bidding sites as all you will get is a supposedly qualified bricklayer/builder/plumber/electrician for £20 who will do more damage than good.

 

[tazz]

Many emergency light fittings are realible units, and the only downfall is the Nicd batteries, would suggest if unit is maintained and works ok in normal lighting used change the nicad batteries and tube. Will save paint damage removing the fitting.

 

[Jas0n7]

I work in London and would charge a similar amount, once I've taken the enquiry, surveyed the job,done the quotation,collected the materials,tested the existing wiring,removed the existing fitting,installed the new fitting,retested,removed rubbish from site,raised an invoice and then waited between 30 and 90 days to be paid. 90 quids starts to look cheap!

Agree with all of this.