horly rate

[opm electrical]

i have just started up as a self emplyed sparky and while i am aware that the best way to price a job is per item, but when working out the price of a job i was baseing the time cost on £15 per hour and i have also taken on a job where all materials were supplied thus pricing for labour only. i have been told by a few people that £15 p/h is too low and i'm ripping myself off. how high do i go without taking the ****.
teesside area

 

[ajelec10]

Its defiantly to low, Your hourly rate doesn't just cover your 'Wages' it need to incorporate all of you overheads. Eg, cost of your van, cost to run your van (tax, mot, insurance, servicing,) cost of your insurances (public liability) cost of your enrollment fees to your governing body, and the list goes on and on, depending on your area 25 an hour is probably about where you need to be at a minimum
Regards
AJ

 

[sparkswillfly]

agreed

 

[dolomite]

You've got to work out how much fuel you use to get to jobs, wear and tear on you're van and all the other little bits that'll add up all to quickly.
It's too easy to think your making good money with lots of cash coming in, till the bills arrive!!
I'd work out what you need to take as a wage, then try to work out your bills over the week/month/year etc and add all that on.
You've got to bear in mind you might not be earning every hour of every day of the week etc and factor that in too!
Its not easy, but £25ph seems to be about right for most places.

Dolomite

 

[Dazza1976]

Id say that £25 per hour is even too cheap.
Most electrical contractors in London/Surrey area are charging around £60-80 per hour.
Have a look on The Handy Squad website, they mainly just do maintenence work, and they charge £70 for the 1st hour and £35 per half hour after that.

If you put yourself out for £40-£50 per hour you are still giving customers a good deal compared to other firms out there .

 

[mr david]

Daza I agree with you but having had experiance of being self employed on Teesside price over £20p/h and you wont get any work, simple as that.

 

[ajelec10]

Id say that £25 per hour is even too cheap.
Most electrical contractors in London/Surrey area are charging around £60-80 per hour.
Have a look on The Handy Squad website, they mainly just do maintenence work, and they charge £70 for the 1st hour and £35 per half hour after that.

If you put yourself out for £40-£50 per hour you are still giving customers a good deal compared to other firms out there .

Let me know where i can get 60pph and ill be there with my tools in the morning, might even throw in some extras. lol
AJ

 

[danzor]

I think £60ph is more what bigger firms charge as they higher overheads. (Office wages to cover, office fees etc) I live in London and I'd say £40-50ph is about right for 1 man band

 

[ajelec10]

We have 8 guys on at the mo and 60pph is still very high.

 

[opm electrical]

ill join ajelec for £60 p/h. see you in the morning lol. seriously though thanks for the advice

 

[Des 56]

Just read the thread and saw only the mention of £60 an hour
Where do I start
When can I start
Why cant I start ?

 

[Spudnik]

£25/ hr is average, especially at the moment.

And again, it very much depends on where you are in the country.

 

[Modernelectric]

count me in for 60 pound per hour. people that pay that much are naive and are not shopping around for value!

25 pound seems reasonable! if a tradesmen came in my house and told me he charged 60 pound per hour i would laugh him back out of the door and down the driveway.

 

[Mark2009]

i have just started up as a self emplyed sparky and while i am aware that the best way to price a job is per item, but when working out the price of a job i was baseing the time cost on £15 per hour and i have also taken on a job where all materials were supplied thus pricing for labour only. i have been told by a few people that £15 p/h is too low and i'm ripping myself off. how high do i go without taking the ****.
teesside area

Hi
I would say way to low, £15.00 per hour working for an agency or company but if you are serious in business then 60 to 80 pounds per hour is not to much, if you supply men then anything between 250 to 350 per man per day.

I would price for Materials at full cost and then the price for your day rate and don't forget that you will get the materials at discount, i would not do cheap work for anyone if they want cheap they will get cheap.

Thanks

Mark

 

[A&MELECTRICAL]

I have had to drop my rate drastically to stay competitive, If you are still landing jobs at £60 an hour you are very lucky, i am charging a maximum of £20 an hour at the moment and we are still getting undercut by huge amounts.

 

[Modernelectric]

yes where are all these customers willing to pay £60 per hour?

 

[cheeky_blue]

I am still charging 30quid an hour and getting plenty of work (sole trader).
I am based in Kent about 30 miles outside of London.
If I have a job in London then minimum 200quid per day plus include all the extras in the quote such as congestion charge, fuel etc.

 

[Mark2009]

yes where are all these customers willing to pay £60 per hour?

Hi
Being Part P should boost your pay, i was working in London and this guy was charging 250.00 per house for certification, i would not go cheap if your getting 15.00 to 20.00 i would go and work for a Company less stress, there are companies who are struggling to find electricians in North London.

Thanks

Mark

 

[markythesparky]

Danzor,

So you get much work at this rate. Although i have seen this rate for arger firms, a one man band struggle to justify it. we have j a court case currently going on and the court appointed an 'expert witness' to cost the job. his conclusion is that we should be charging £16.13!!

When we explained to him that the JIB rate was £13.42 and that Spon's recommend that an employer could charge £24.19 he dismissed the book as unreliable. When we told him that the ECA states that a sparks on JIB rates should COST the employer £17.80 a hour he dismissed that too. he was absolutely adamant that an electrician wouldnt get any work at £25 an hour (which is what we charge)

 

[Mark2009]

Danzor,

So you get much work at this rate. Although i have seen this rate for arger firms, a one man band struggle to justify it. we have j a court case currently going on and the court appointed an 'expert witness' to cost the job. his conclusion is that we should be charging £16.13!!

When we explained to him that the JIB rate was £13.42 and that Spon's recommend that an employer could charge £24.19 he dismissed the book as unreliable. When we told him that the ECA states that a sparks on JIB rates should COST the employer £17.80 a hour he dismissed that too. he was absolutely adamant that an electrician wouldnt get any work at £25 an hour (which is what we charge)

Hi
I find it hard to believe that the court would appoint someone as an expert witness the rates you talk about is when you work for a company, i have worked for a one man band and he charged 350 per man per day, if you give an overall price for a job and they sign the contract in any court of law they are stuffed.

Thanks

Mark