Shops, offices and hospitality
Electrical testing for commercial premises
A shop on the high street, an office above it, a restaurant kitchen or a trade counter on an estate. We test the fixed wiring, hand you the certificate, and price anything that needs putting right. One fixed quote, agreed before we book the day.
Why a business books one
Three different reasons. The same certificate solves all of them.
You have a legal duty
The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 put the duty to maintain the electrical system on the person running the business. Testing is how you show the system is being maintained.
Your insurer asks
More policies now ask when the fixed wiring was last inspected. A dated, satisfactory report is a one line answer at renewal instead of a scramble through the filing cabinet.
Your lease says so
Plenty of commercial leases make the tenant responsible for testing, and plenty of landlords ask for the report before a renewal or a handback. We write it so it can be handed straight over.
What the regulations actually say
Regulation 4(2) of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 is short. Electrical systems must be maintained so far as is reasonably practicable, to prevent danger.
It does not name an interval. What it does mean is that you need evidence the system is in a safe condition, and periodic inspection and testing is the evidence everyone recognises. Five years is the usual interval for most commercial premises. The report itself sets the next date, and it can be sooner where the installation warrants it.
Some premises are checked more often than that by convention. Anywhere with a public bar, a commercial kitchen, wet areas or a lot of portable equipment tends to sit at the shorter end. We tell you which one you are on the day, and we write the reason down.
Testing means switching off
Dead testing needs the power off circuit by circuit. Tell us your trading hours and we plan round them. Early mornings, evenings, closed days and staged testing across two visits are all normal for us.
Premises we test
- Shops and retail units, from a single unit to a small parade.
- Offices, including converted floors above shops with a shared supply.
- Restaurants, cafes and takeaways, where the kitchen is the hardest working part of the installation.
- Salons, barbers and beauty rooms, with heat, water and a lot of plugged in equipment.
- Warehouses and trade counters, including racking lighting and roller shutter supplies.
- Gyms, studios and clinics, where the public are in the building.
- Village halls and community buildings run by volunteers who need the paperwork to be plain.
How the price works
No hourly rate, no surprise on the invoice.
Tell us about the premises
Address, roughly what the building does, and how many boards are in it. A photo of the board with the door open tells us more than a paragraph.
Fixed quote, priced per circuit
Commercial work is priced on the number of circuits, not on a guess about the square footage. You get one figure in writing before anything is booked.
The test
We work round your opening hours and label the boards properly while we are in them. Staff get told which circuit is going off and when.
Certificate the same day
The signed report is emailed as a PDF the day we test. Anything unsatisfactory comes back with a price against it, item by item.
Questions businesses ask
Do we have to close while you test?
Usually not. Most premises stay open and we take one circuit off at a time. Where a whole board has to come off, we agree a slot outside trading hours and price that in from the start.
How long does it take?
It depends on the circuit count, not the floor area. A small shop with one board is often a single day. A restaurant with a kitchen board and a separate landlord supply takes longer, and we tell you which before you book.
Who is responsible, us or the landlord?
Read the lease. As a rule the landlord owns the supply up to the meter and the shared parts, and the tenant owns the installation inside the demise. If it is not clear, send us the wording and we will tell you what we can and cannot test.
Can you fix what the report finds?
Small remedials and board changes, yes, and they are quoted line by line off the report. We do not take on full commercial rewires or new installations, and we will say so plainly rather than patching round the problem.
Do you test portable appliances too?
No. An EICR covers the fixed wiring, which is the part built into the building. Kettles, fryers and computers are separate and we do not offer that.
How far do you travel?
All of Dorset. Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch, out through Wimborne and Ferndown, west to Dorchester, Weymouth and Bridport, and north to Blandford Forum, Sherborne and Shaftesbury.
Get a fixed quote for your premises
Tell us the address and the number of boards. We come back with one price and a date that fits round your trading hours. Nothing is booked until you have the figure.