Question 1

Why charge by the hour?

Accepted Answer

At the heart of Livewire, and the drive to retrain, was a constant frustration with local electricians either turning down smaller jobs or price hiking to such an extent that if they think the client is desperate enough they will go for it. I even looked back through old invoices and only 1 from 3 locally even gave a breakdown showing transparently what the hours, rates, and individual parts costed. At Livewire everything is on display – transparency is the moto. Instead of hiding hidden additional costs, or putting a 30% mark up on parts I charge at cost and my rate takes in to account the costs of specialist equipment involved, wear and tear, recalibration costs etc

Question 2

Why the cost bracket?

Accepted Answer

The price bracket is Goldilocks territory. It is not cheap thereby forcing the contractor to work so quickly to recoup losses, or hide prices of materials etc, at risk of quality of final work and trust. It is not so high that it begins to match large electrical contractor firms that charge substantially more fort any job and pay their employees peanuts to compensate for business running costs for a team of contractors.

Question 3

How does call out work?

Accepted Answer

Monday to Friday I will accept daily emergency call outs if diary suffices. This may mean an after hours visit to accommodate. Call outs for Saturday morning are normally through pre-arrangement from a call received Friday.

Question 4

Why can you not simply quote for fault finding?

Accepted Answer

This is easier to explain by example. One example was a contractor who came to replace a burned out socket front (water leak from washing machine). In this case he gleefully accepted to job was gone in five minutes, did not do any electrical testing of replacement, and charged £100 in cash for the ‘work’. In this case because the client was not savvy enough to ask the contractor was happy to exploit. The second case involves my own electrical upgrades when I finally threw a hand at upgrading my own home as part of my training. Then I discovered that a simply socket move was not so simple because the previous sparkie (assuming they were a sparkie) had jerry rigged three different sockets in to the back of the sockets. Old and new coloured wiring, nothing labelled, it was a mess. Understandably it converted a 1 hr job to 2 if not three. This is the situation with fault finding. It is like being a Sherlock Holmes to a crime scene (your home electrics) that is being seen for the first time and which may hide efforts to solve the problem previously (when the home owner or their mate or family member does it and it is simply not up to code).

Question 5

Why are you educating me about, My Home Electrics? – future proofing etc.

Accepted Answer

Because a competent electrician is thinking beyond your current need in to the future. This makes more sense if you are having home upgrades but in your mind are thinking future EV charger, solar panels etc. In such cases the contractor may then opt for a system that can accommodate those changes in the future. This is ‘future proofing’.

Question 6

Why is there so much paperwork to be completed?

Accepted Answer

Basically, it is a legal requirement falling under the Electricity at Work Act and also the Electrical Wiring Regulations BS7671 2022 edition. A condition report has over 7 pages. Even a small addition to your home system should be accompanied by a minor works certificate regardless of invoice and receipt paperwork describing the work done. This paperwork expects the electrical engineer to identify (where possible) the type of electrical system because there are specific values to earthing that must be achieved or your protective devices will not work in time at serious risk to health and property.

Question 7

Why do you need to make an assessment of my existing home electrics before you add a new circuit to my consumer Unit?

Accepted Answer

It is a legal requirement for work to be considered safe and competently carried out. Imagine the scenario: a client wishes a nice set of garden lights installed in to the mains via its own circuit. However, this caballing goes on and around the whole garden. By the time the sparkie tests for the speed of the protective device to disconnect (mimicking you going through the power cable with a spade, a pick axe or digger etc) it may be wholly inadequate. Similarly much older systems may have old ceramic wired fuses etc. These would be inadequate to a new system connected to EV, solar panels, etc etc. The regulations are clear about making an engineering assessment of the existing system before a new should be added. Furthermore, adding a new circuit to your existing system requires building control notification. As such an independent assessor may visit the work and if it is not up to legal code it will be ordered removed.

Question 8

Are you insured?

Accepted Answer

Yes I am insured under Napit, underwritten by HISCOC: Policy number 8483198.

Question 9

Are you a member of any Competent Person Schemes CPS (and what does that mean)?

Accepted Answer

While fully qualified to work as a domestic installer I did not train through the traditional 3 years college route NVQ. I qualified as an adult student via Access Training undertaking both their Level 3 QSQ and NVQ3. The competent person scheme is an independent way to regulate electricians who wish to sign up for this. It is neither necessary or obligatory. As a sparkie, if you are involved in lots of work installing ‘new circuits’ (completely new circuits) then  each time would require notification of Local Authority Building Control (the same people who will order you to pull down a fence which is a cm too high). If I pay the premium to join NAPIT fully then I personally no longer have to notify Building Control as the scheme administrators do this for me. I instead notify my Scheme. I am currently collating my own portfolio of work to achieve the last hurdle of my own membership to NAPIT fully. If I undertake work now, involving installation of new circuit, then the cost of informing building control is passed on to the client. This is normal practice. The Sparkies I have used, who were members of a CPS, simply passed on the cost of their membership to the customer in other ways (no transparency).

Question 10

What other Non-Electrical Services do you offer?

Accepted Answer

If you check my social media you will see reels and images of other work that I am competent to complete. This includes small joinery, domestic plumbing, and domestic tiling. Each of these involved 70 hrs face to face training intensives in training bays at YTA Bradford. I did this because my own children will be looking to become home owners in the near future and I wish to be capable of helping them on to the property ladder by fixing up a cheaper property for example. I can pass these skills over to you. My insurance apportions an expectation that so much contracting will be electrical, the remainder odd jobs, handman, tiling type work. Rather than list them it is easier to enquire.

Question 11

Why do you not focus only on electrical (Jack of All Trades)?

Accepted Answer

The original and complete quote is: "Jack of all trades, master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.". While the shorter version "Jack of all trades, master of none" is often used, the full quote acknowledges that someone with a broad skill set may still be more capable than a specialist in certain situations.

Question 12

If my house electrics fail an EICR what does that mean, what happens next?

Accepted Answer

This was a constant question in sparkie school. Basically, if an aspect of your home electrics leads to a fail C1/C2 codes on your EICR then your Sparkie is not then supposed to fix it so that the EICR becomes a pass. The legal steps are: EICR  pass or fail or recommendations. If it is a fail there should be sufficient information on the report to allow another to fix this. It may be that through prior arrangement you have pre-authorised your Sparkie to fix those aspects that failed (the same way you pre-authorise your mechanic to do whatever necessary to ensure MOT pass). A second condition report is not needed to then demonstrate it is all working. Instead, the fixes are recorded on second Electrical Works Certificate which can capture the remedial work and act as a guarantee that the installation is no longer a fail. In the end you have two certificates: the original EICR and then the remedial Electrical Works Certificate.

Question 13

How often should I have an EICR?

Accepted Answer

If your home is rental as tenant or landlord the regulations specify every 5 years but the rental agency or landlord should be approached if you are uncertain. As a home owner the recommendation is every 10 years.

Question 14

Why is Tiling Carried Out Over Two Days?

Accepted Answer

There are several good reasons why your tiler may visit you on at least two occasions. The first being that once the tiles are fixed to your surface it can take take a number of days before the adhesive cement is strong enough to progress to grouting. On a wall this is less of an issue. The important thing is that the force used to push the grout into the gaps does not pop off a poorly adhered tile.  The longevity of your tile finish can be impacted upon if the bonding agent is not allowed to properly set. This is especially true of floor tiles which, if not properly set, can crack and break let alone 'pop off'. Different adhesives have different qualities. Some more expensive ready mixed adhesives declare fully set within 24 hrs. For powder mixed adhesives the norm is 2-3 days with full strength perhaps 7 days later. The second consideration  is preparation work. If the wall or floor is uneven then it needs preparation. Sometimes this achieved by screwing down a cement board or strong ply to give a flat even surface to wall or floor. An uneven surface on a wall can mean tiles that seem not equally flat, or 'popping off'. On a floor it can contribute to cracking when weight is placed on it. This is why some work will be done in preparation, then tiling, followed by a short period to allow it to cure. Finally, grouting and polishing.

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