Fuse box installed for £150 what!!!

[james the spark]

A medium sized electrical company near me is advertising a fuse box swap and testing for 150 its not surprising people constantly try and press you to try and get the job done cheaper when people are advertising that.

 

[SPARTYKUS]

...with two MCBS and two circuits, all bonding already in place in a one bed flat with one socket in each room. and still too cheap

 

[trev]

I think that company is a subsidiary of one that advertises showers for £90 in the same area. No names but they are on the COAST and they fit SHOWERS (Bet you can't figure that out hehe)

Call them out and they give you some guff about your water pressure being too low so they have to fit a special one.

 

[vernam616]

Taking into account that the bonding is up to scratch, that is exactly what i charge for a board change

Lets face it, it really isnt hard graft is it? sat on arse for 30-45 mins

Maybe i need to alter my prices !

 

[telectrix]

you're far too cheap at £150. what about tracing unmarked circuits. identifying what points and how many on each cct. , testing, filling in EIC time. what else can you do in a day after that?

 

[vernam616]

I charge at £12 per hour for tracing unmarked circuits and faults

Arrive at job 8am, done and cleaned up by 9am, testing till 12pm, onto the next job, simples

I have a image in my head of everyone being the typical tradesman, tea drinking and paper reading, come on lets be honest how long does it take to change a DB and test the install?

Am i the only one who has the "Graft" idea?

And after all the age old saying go's "Stack em high, sell em cheap", the referrals i get from customers who were pleased with the work i carried out and the price is excellent, TBF i dont have a lot of overheads and im not greedy just pleased that i actually have some work

EDIT: and for anyone thinking " i bet the DB's are a mess "

 

[telectrix]

so, even at half a day, take out best part of £100 for the CU, you only got 50 odd quid for wages, van costs, insurance, tax and NI, etc. etc.

 

[vernam616]

£100 for a DB !

You need to start shopping somewhere else, i get a Wylex 10 way dual split with MCBs for £45

£150 is the bare minimum price like i stated, all the bonding is up to scratch, tails ok etc...

 

[diditrain]

You should advertise yourself as a trainer, showing people how to do them as neat as yours if you can do that in 45 mins.

 

[Deleted member 26818]

£100 for a DB !

You need to start shopping somewhere else, i get a Wylex 10 way dual split with MCBs for £45

£150 is the bare minimum price like i stated, all the bonding is up to scratch, tails ok etc...

How much was the Crabtree in the picture?

 

[cjp1]

£100 for a DB !

You need to start shopping somewhere else, i get a Wylex 10 way dual split with MCBs for £45

£150 is the bare minimum price like i stated, all the bonding is up to scratch, tails ok etc...

£45 is a good price for a wylex 10 way I am paying about £75 - £80 .

 

[Guest112]

i changed a tp boiler house db other day, traced two unknown circuits tested and completed in a few hours, it depends on the job

 

[Deleted member 26818]

Yes it does depend on the job.
Personally, I would charge a day rate + materials, as I would not be able to guarantee how long the job would take, or whether I'd be able to go on to another job that day when I'd finished.
I would also like to include any time taken in assessing the job, and obtaining materials.
Calling in somewhere on the way back from a job, to replace a light fitting or a socket-outlet would be an hourly rate.

 

[topquark]

I charge at £12 per hour for tracing unmarked circuits and faults

Arrive at job 8am, done and cleaned up by 9am, testing till 12pm, onto the next job, simples

I have a image in my head of everyone being the typical tradesman, tea drinking and paper reading, come on lets be honest how long does it take to change a DB and test the install?

Am i the only one who has the "Graft" idea?

And after all the age old saying go's "Stack em high, sell em cheap", the referrals i get from customers who were pleased with the work i carried out and the price is excellent, TBF i dont have a lot of overheads and im not greedy just pleased that i actually have some work

EDIT: and for anyone thinking " i bet the DB's are a mess "

View attachment 8475

Nice and neat, that's what I like to see!

 

[topquark]

Has to be day rate plus parts, no point in doing the job for just wages!

 

[tony mc]

The wireing in the photo looks recent what was the reason for this board change? And yes very neat job !

 

[needasparks]

The wireing in the photo looks recent what was the reason for this board change? And yes very neat job !

And being a 16th ED board ?

 

[londonlec]

I also charge a day plus materials. £150 per cu, no wonder no sparks have got any work.

 

[Kiers1970]

do you reckon a gas fitter would spend a day changing a boiler for a measly £100? I think not. Round here their prices are similar, no wonder they all have nice vans and shiny new snickers... We do ourselves a dis-service charging so little, market forces I know but drives me mad.

 

[robsparky1975]

45 mins for a cu change,wow,my best is 1hr 15 mins,but then again it takes as long as it takes,i want it to look the business,i have seen some cu changes,take the cover off and its like a birds nest(not saying you are like this)but you can tell the good from the bad cant you,i believe that a job should not be rushed and priced for your time/skill/expertise, i think you can get more ££ and still get as many referals.

 

[vernam616]

Photo is a old one, and in all honesty it was from a new build install i had done, still however completed in the same time, and was just an example to show i dont leave a DB in a shoddy mess/rats nest

A friend of mine used to fit 3 d/bs a day (no testing someone else follows), he had them down to 21 minutes and the neatest DBs ive ever seen, all down to experience and confidence

 

[topquark]

Photo is a old one, and in all honesty it was from a new build install i had done, still however completed in the same time, and was just an example to show i dont leave a DB in a shoddy mess/rats nest

A friend of mine used to fit 3 d/bs a day (no testing someone else follows), he had them down to 21 minutes and the neatest DBs ive ever seen, all down to experience and confidence

and lots and lots of practice day in day out

 

[Dan23584]

I used to work with a guy that could do them in about 20mins.............he got caught using an impact driver to do the terminal screws up!!!! Just imagine trying to under those bad boys on a test!

 

[mogga]

I used to work with a guy that could do them in about 20mins.............he got caught using an impact driver to do the terminal screws up!!!! Just imagine trying to under those bad boys on a test!

I was doing testing for a firm doing newbuilds guy used impacts to do up everything Unsatisfactory EVERY TIME conductors damaged all over the place Socket screws all tristed n threads gubbed but worst of all he used impacts to do up sockets I think it was MEN ones where the shoulder of the driver bit hit the collar around the terminals before the terminals were truely tight

 

[Dan23584]

It worries me that anyone would think that is was a good idea........

 

[Gravid]

£150 for a cu change belongs in the joke thread along with £12 an hour.
Here's an interesting thread to read.
http://www.electriciansforums.net/business-related/8855-horly-rate.html

 

[Dan23584]

I have a friend who is a painter ad decorator, he charges £12 an hour.

 

[telectrix]

£12/ hour is about right if you are paye and your employer pays all the overheads, supplies you with tools and a van.

 

[Guest112]

Photo is a old one, and in all honesty it was from a new build install i had done, still however completed in the same time, and was just an example to show i dont leave a DB in a shoddy mess/rats nest

A friend of mine used to fit 3 d/bs a day (no testing someone else follows), he had them down to 21 minutes and the neatest DBs ive ever seen, all down to experience and confidence

21 minutes from a bunch of coiled up T+Es to a spanking new fully completed db id have to see it to believe it what were they 4 way boards or something?

 

[mogga]

£12 P/H self employed doesnt work out at a wage of much over £8 p/h/ No wonder your busy ffs A friend of mune does cash homers for £20 P/H agencys offer £12.5 P/H min MOST of the time before someone quotes keech ones paying £9-£9

 

[robsparky1975]

firm i do subbie work for offered me £20(labour only) for a cu change/testing/cert,for storage heaters either 5 or 8 way,i laughed and said are you serious,the moral of this is that if people(each to their own)want to gather work and keep busy by driving prices down lower than word spreads quickly and other sparks will get"your way too expensive ive seen them advertised for £150",we all need to earn money but we dont want to be busy fools,£12 an hour when you take out tax,fuel,insurance part p fees etc etc,better off working on the cards getting £12 an hour and actually finish at 5pm with no hassle 40 hr week,4 weeks paid holiday etc.

 

[telectrix]

my local garage ( MOT Test Station as well ) charges £45/hour. he is quite happy to pay me the same for electrical work. our whole industry is going down the pan because guys will work for peanuts, then customers expect to pay peanuts.

 

[Dan23584]

I would work for gold peanuts

 

[jamie-spark]

I smell p##h.
I can change consumer units in 5 mins 37 secs
Honest !

 

[Kiers1970]

a call the other day.
'can you tell me ball park figure, supply fit and plumb a shower?'
Like most, explained difficulties of over the phone prices, I said you're looking at £300/400...
The reply...
My mate said he'd do it for 100£.
My response? ......Answers on postcard..
Oh, and these guys who advertise 'full rewires, no decoration necessary £1200. Come do them for me, I'll gladly pay you for your time.

 

[robsparky1975]

a call the other day.
'can you tell me ball park figure, supply fit and plumb a shower?'
Like most, explained difficulties of over the phone prices, I said you're looking at £300/400...
The reply...
My mate said he'd do it for 100£.
My response? ......Answers on postcard..
Oh, and these guys who advertise 'full rewires, no decoration necessary £1200. Come do them for me, I'll gladly pay you for your time.

Id say they could come and rewire my house for £1200 but id want a fire alarm system installed with it.

 

[vernam616]

Forgot to add the db install was fresh cables on a rewire, to be quite honest i dont really care if jamie-spark doesnt beleve it, ive seen it done with my own eyes, dont beat yourself up jamie if your not very quick or good

 

[kung]

£100 for a DB !

You need to start shopping somewhere else, i get a Wylex 10 way dual split with MCBs for £45

£150 is the bare minimum price like i stated, all the bonding is up to scratch, tails ok etc...

Just as a matter of interest where do you get your Wylex 10 way dual rcd split load board with MCBs for £45 ?

 

[richy3333]

Forgot to add the db install was fresh cables on a rewire, to be quite honest i dont really care if jamie-spark doesnt beleve it, ive seen it done with my own eyes, dont beat yourself up jamie if your not very quick or good

Please don't knock a fellow forum member unless you have direct evidence and even then it should be dealt with privately or through the mods? Comments like these and rates of £12 per hour only serve to devalue our industry and our skills. When you're working with a potentially dangerous medium surely accuracy is the key not speed? But then again, I replaced a 12 way dual RCD board yesterday in 3 minutes 45 seconds and charged the customer 20p...NOT!

What are fresh 'cables'? If you mean recently installed new cables why was a board change required, seams odd to have new(ish) cables and an old board?

 

[richy3333]

£57 is the cheapest I found in a quick search (no MCBs though) - Wylex NHRS10SSLHI 17th Edition Dual RCD Fuse board (Inc VAT)

 

[kung]

But then again, I replaced a 12 way dual RCD board yesterday in 3 minutes 45 seconds and charged the customer 20p...NOT!

Blimey your slacker ! how many cups of tea did you have ?

 

[kung]

Well my customers are happy with my work,prices & time taken so im happy ! the fact some people can or will work for less is their business if their happy ! i wont rush any job (what is the point ?) i like to double check my work ! if it was just about how quick i could do it rushing id be using my gixxer thou and getting from reading to oxford in under 20mins at 180mph but im not going to ! I have seen over pricing but thats upto them as is under pricing but as i said i charge my rate and i work to my times. And even if i wanted to i couldnt rush that fast ! with my knees it takes me 10mins just to get up !

 

[telectrix]

seems your knees came from the same supplier as mine. :49:

 

[telectrix]

estimated time scale for CU change:

global IR test, check for borrowed neutrals, check earthing and bonding. measure Ze and PFC---- 1 hour

ID circuits and mark cables. strip out old board....... 1 hour

fix new CU . strip back and/or extend cables as necessary....... 1 hour

wire up CU........ 45mins - 90 mins ( depending on size of installation )

test installation and note readings......... 1 hour - 2 hours

complete EIC......... 1 hour

explain RCD operation etc. to customer, get paid etc. ..... 1 hour.

total time taken ...... around 8 hours.

CU cost ...... £60-£100

day's labour..... £200

total........... £260 - £300

and that's without any rectification work whatsoever.

 

[spark 68]

Tel,

total time taken ...... around 8 hours.

CU cost ...... £60-£100

day's labour..... £200

total........... £260 - £300

and that's without any rectification work whatsoever

That is a much more realistic timeframe and price, we could all be really busy working for nowt!

That is, as you say with no rectification or upgrading the main bonding.

This timeframe is about the same as mine, as other posters have said, I like to double check everything, as to me safety is paramount, and I would rather take more time and care than to rush and possibly miss something.

To me this is not over priced, but a board change for £150 is far too low, unless it was a very small board.

As to £12 an hour, I would be better off with an agency, as at least then I would have set hours!, and no expenses like yearly fees etc.

 

[vernam616]

8hours to change a db and test/inspect!!!!

Some of them timeframes are just unrealistic completley, global IR and ze/pfc would take 20mins not 1 hour

 

[bristollspark]

I agree with that, sounds exactly how i do a cu change,and the price

 

[telectrix]

and borrowed neutrals??>??? also time fetching tools, MFT ladders, etc. from van. not to mention the time taken to get there and back.

 

[spark 68]

Hi Vernam,

What other people charge or do is no real concern of mine, each to their own.

8hours to change a db and test/inspect!!!!

To do a proper inspection and test can be time taking, depending on the particular situation (if the diyers have been playing), but even if the job took five or six hours, this leaves little time to do anything else that day.

I take it you visit the job beforehand to give the estimate ?, this has to be paid for, the time taken to fill in the EIC and register the job and any other paper work, again has to be paid for, the time taken to buy the bits, again has to be paid for, unless of course you don't take this into account ?

My average timeframe (I allow) is 4 hours for the DB change, including a quickpre-test (at the estimate stage), picking up bits and identifying circuits etc... etc. and then 4 hours for the final tests, filling in certs, registering the job etc. etc.

I record all of the test results and other required info 'roughly' on site, and then fill them in properly (neatly) afterwards.
This does not include rectifying major problems, but does include rectifying simpler problems as required.

If I come across say a loose connection on a S/O for example I would then check all of the others, this of course has to be paid for, after all Iam not a charity.

As others have said, I allow plenty of time in case of something unforseen. This is not overcharging or padding the job out in my view, because I do a very thorough test and inspection afterwards, for my own peace of mind as much as the mandatory regs, and I do not want call backs which may not be charged for.

As to £12 an hour, what if you have to go back at a later date to replace a faulty item ?, not your fault, but this has to be taken into account, at that rate (in reality about £8 an hour) there goes any small profit you have made, and this also does not take into account your quiet patches, additional training, re-newing of technical books and a myriad of other hidden costs.

Far be it for me to criticise you here, as long as you are happy with that, that is fine as well.

Just to put this into perspective, I know a gas fitter (Gas safe) registered, and he won't start the van for less than £50, and he is one of the better/cheaper ones.

Edit: I meant to say my pricing is broadly similar to Tel's above, and is fully inclusive, ie. all certs and registration included in the price.

I have known some Electrical contractors advertise a low price for the work and then bang on an extra £100 for the paperwork.

 

[vernam616]

Id already stated further back in the thread i charge at £12 per hour after for rectifications and faults

So borrowed neutrals would be extra cost, i also have very low overheads again as previously stated

We would all like to make mega money however people just dont want to pay the high price, i try keep it reasonable and i get lots of referrals, hence more cash .... Simple business sense to me

I didnt mean to cause offense to anybody, im just putting into prospective that this certain job can be done in a lot less time

Dan