How many eicr in a day

[magnoliafan89]

Hi guys whats your take of how many EICRs can be done properly in a day average of 5 to 8 circuits ranging from 1 bed flats to 3 bed houses?? This would also include travel and also doing any repairs whilst there?

 

[Brian Taylor]

Why does someone need to employ you if you're self employed??

I work subcontract for the company ..we are all self employed

 

[Baddegg]

Haha 2k a week, Hereford was about to get an influx of sparks moving to the area

I was just packing me stuff in me van and telling the wife see ya soon love I’ll write ya!.....

 

[Brian Taylor]

Why does someone need to employ you if you're self employed??

I work subcontract for the company ..we are all self employed i must admit it's not been good since March with the current situation as they hadn't had any work for me since the lockdown which has prompted me to seek other work without too much success..hence my surprise at the hourly rates quoted here.

 

[Baddegg]

Its easy to believe Brian is winding us up but i know of a company called CLC electrical who employ sparks and pay them about £40 a test. Needless to say the quality of these tests is utter cow dung! And the electricians themselves are absolutely useless.
I fact I may start a thread on their work.

Brian seriously though with what they're paying you go self employed you'd get paid a lot more. I live in a rural farming town and the rate here is 30 to 40 an hour and those guys aren't short of work.

Please start that thread....you might want to join the arms though mate don’t start it in the public section for gods sake ?

 

[magnoliafan89]

I work subcontract for the company ..we are all self employed i must admit it's not been good since March with the current situation as they hadn't had any work for me since the lockdown which has prompted me to seek other work without too much success..hence my surprise at the hourly rates quoted here.

Sod that! That company are swindling you.

 

[Mike Johnson]

I work subcontract for the company ..we are all self employed

Do you actually have a contract/letter of intent or anything that states your contract terms?

I retired over ten years ago, and at that time I was charging my clients £50.00/hour and only worked enough days to pay the bills and beer, perhaps it was all different then and times have made it harder, but I doubt it.

 

[Brian Taylor]

Do you actually have a contract/letter of intent or anything that states your contract terms?

I retired over ten years ago, and at that time I was charging my clients £50.00/hour and only worked enough days to pay the bills and beer, perhaps it was all different then and times have made it harder, but I doubt it.

Hi no contract or letter of intent.....I'm self employed working on an as required basis so there is no requirement for the outfit i do the work for to provide such things

 

[Mike Johnson]

So you have no agreement on how much you get paid or when?

 

[Dartlec]

I have several landlords as clients who have only just discovered the joys of EICRs so I've been doing several lately, and you really cannot predict how long one will take before you start. I've had studio apartments take all day and houses take 3 hours.

Some things that definitely make an EICR take longer:

1) tenant in residence (even worse if actually present and bonus points for kids) - means you can't leave wires hanging out between testing even if you know they are dead, or turn off and yank every cable out before you start, but have to work circuit by circuit - only bonus is that you might get a cuppa when the kitchen circuit goes back on!

2) Storage heaters/Economy 7 or 10 - Adds extra circuits and complications. In theory they are just single spurs, but there might be 5 extra circuits. I've just had a 10yo flat with 3 storage heaters and top up immersion on some sort of ring circuit with a central wall mounted thermostat to control - no longer works of course and the thermostat is long obselete. Not to mention it takes time to work out which circuit does which heater, and then with some heaters which is the off peak and which is on peak - because they are never labelled!

3) Idiot landlords who get you to do the EICR at the last minute after the place has been decorated, so that every light switch and pendant is painted to the wall/ceiling

4) "ghost" circuits - that either aren't labelled or supplied an immersion that is no longer there - but are still connected, though with no obvious load on testing. You either have to FI them, or disconnect them and hope they aren't doing something crucial.

5) Flats where the supply fuse is in a cupboard 3 floors down, which needs a key, and then the fuses aren't labelled properly anyway.

6) The absolute worst are old wiring ones where things have been 'added' by ambitious DIYers (Kitchens are the best - with split rings or jbs behind plinths ). And the easiest are probably the oldest - 4 or 6 wylex rewireable fuses are so much easier than a 90s 1 RCD on everything for a quick Zs on lights.

The most sensible pricing systems I've seen for EICRs is a fixed base cost, then a fixed amount per circuit - it does at least take into account the difference between 4 and 14 circuits, though harder to explain. Fortunately most of my clients understand when I say it will vary depending on how long it takes.

I did have a landlord expecting me to do 7 flats (all in one building at least) in a day and wasn't impressed when I quoted 3-4 hours per flat and 100-140 per certificate...

 

[Brian Taylor]

So you have no agreement on how much you get paid or when?

Well it's just the way the industry is I think..the client tells me to go to a house and carry out a test,..I do the test..send it to them and issue an invoice, and in the fullness of time...usually 60 days i get paid . As a matter of interest i was reading a thread on this site from a guy in West Wales who was more or less in the same situation as me ...I think he was getting jobs at £10.00 per hour. So it's not just this area that have this level of hourly rate. Can I please ask you guys what level of qualifications you have as these might be seen as advanced and thus warrant the pay difference..maybe mine are not particularly well thought of now

 

[David Prosser]

I'm not self employed and work for a company and take home 2k on a flat week. I get a company van, power tools provided even hand tools if I want them, 30 days holiday, ample overtime, sick pay, healthcare plan, an amazing pension, flexitime if needs be, the whole nine yards....and in my neck of the woods we are seen as not that desirable pay wise!!!

Well it's just the way the industry is I think..the client tells me to go to a house and carry out a test,..I do the test..send it to them and issue an invoice, and in the fullness of time...usually 60 days i get paid . As a matter of interest i was reading a thread on this site from a guy in West Wales who was more or less in the same situation as me ...I think he was getting jobs at £10.00 per hour. So it's not just this area that have this level of hourly rate. Can I please ask you guys what level of qualifications you have as these might be seen as advanced and thus warrant the pay difference..maybe mine are not particularly well thought of now

I'm a bit confused/concerned here, are you saying you get paid £40 for an EICR as a fully qualified electrician? If so that's mad, at the very least you need to value yourself higher. I have no idea how you can afford to work to that level as others have said Tesco pay more.

 

[Baddegg]

60 days for £40!....? no way, what quals do you have? So not only do you have to take ya tools fuel van scheme insurances testers and calibration out of that poultry amount you are probably accruing overdraft charges as well.....if you were over drawn for the 60 days you’d have nearly lost the £40 in charges so have worked at a loss!

 

[Brian Taylor]

I'm a bit confused/concerned here, are you saying you get paid £40 for an EICR as a fully qualified electrician? If so that's mad, at the very least you need to value yourself higher. I have no idea how you can afford to work to that level as others have said Tesco pay more.

Well maybe but at the end of the day it's the customers who determine his much they will pay....and I have no idea how much Tescos pay ..the absolute minimum i guess

 

[Baddegg]

Well maybe but at the end of the day it's the customers who determine his much they will pay....and I have no idea how much Tescos pay ..the absolute minimum i guess

I’m sure my customers would like to pay £40, i wouldn’t be doing it for that so good luck to em....I’m also sure your customers are paying a lot more than £40, you are either insane or are trying to justify paying peanuts to somebody!

 

[123]

Well it's just the way the industry is I think..the client tells me to go to a house and carry out a test,..I do the test..send it to them and issue an invoice, and in the fullness of time...usually 60 days i get paid . As a matter of interest i was reading a thread on this site from a guy in West Wales who was more or less in the same situation as me ...I think he was getting jobs at £10.00 per hour. So it's not just this area that have this level of hourly rate. Can I please ask you guys what level of qualifications you have as these might be seen as advanced and thus warrant the pay difference..maybe mine are not particularly well thought of now

£10 an hour self employed with own van and test kit...wise up. I pay my helper more and he doesn't own as much as a screwdriver, and Northern Ireland is one of the poorest paying areas of the UK. I think 20 years ago when I became time served spark I was cards in and on more money. Maybe even was as an apprentice.