What electrical work costs
Electrician Hourly Rate: Day, Emergency and Job Prices
An electrician charges by the hour, by the day or a fixed price for the job, and emergency work costs more. Here are the UK hourly, day and emergency rates, the prices of six common jobs, how minimum call-out fees work, what grouping small jobs into one visit costs and what a written quote should tell you.
Electrician rates in the UK
Checkatrade’s electrician hourly rate guide, last updated in May 2026, gives these UK rates for an electrician’s time.
| Work | Typical rate | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Standard work, per hour | £50 | £45 to £60 |
| Standard work, per 8-hour day | £400 | |
| Emergency work, per hour | £90 | £80 to £100 an hour for urgent call-outs |
Electrician hourly and day rates
Checkatrade puts an electrician’s hourly rate at around £50, and usually £45 to £60. Its day rate of around £400 is based on 8 hours at £50, so on those figures a full day costs the same whether it is charged by the hour or by the day.
The rate is only part of the bill. Checkatrade advises getting a written quote that shows how the price is made up.
Before you agree an electrician's price
- The quote gives an hourly rate or a fixed price for the job
- Materials are included, or listed with their prices
- Any call-out fee is named, with its amount
- The quote says whether the work needs certification
- The rate for evening or weekend work is stated
Prices for common electrical jobs
The job prices in Checkatrade’s electrician hourly rate guide are UK prices excluding VAT.
| Job | UK price, excluding VAT | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical safety certificate | £125 for 1 bedroom to £300 or more for 5 or more | £212.50 |
| Socket installation | £55 to £75 | £65 |
| Electric shower installation, install only | £250 to £400 | £325 |
| Replacing a fuse box | £450 to £800 | £625 |
| Replacing a light fitting | £55 to £75 | £65 |
| Rewiring a house | £3,900 to £10,000 | £6,950 |
The £250 to £400 for an electric shower covers the installation alone, and Checkatrade says a shower supplied and installed often comes closer to around £800.
Replacing a fuse box is notifiable work under the building regulations. Afterwards a registered electrician should give you a completed Electrical Installation Certificate showing the work has been tested for safety, the Planning Portal says. That certificate covers new work, while an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) assesses the wiring already in a home.
Emergency electrician costs
Checkatrade puts emergency work at around £90 an hour, nearly double the £50 standard hourly rate, and at £80 to £100 an hour for urgent call-outs. At those rates, 2 hours of emergency work cost £180, against £100 for the same 2 hours at the standard rate.
An emergency call-out will not fix a power cut. If there is no electricity in your home and your neighbours’ lights are off too, report the power cut by dialling 105, the number Checkatrade gives for England, Wales and Scotland. An electrician is the call when only your property is affected.
Among the ten Nottingham electricians we compare, Urgent Electrical Services in the city centre is available 24/7 with a stated response of 60 to 90 minutes, and Central Electrical Contractors on Carlton Road runs a 24-hour emergency call-out.
Electrician call-out charges
Many electricians charge a minimum call-out fee, especially for small jobs, Checkatrade says. Not every firm does, and Urgent Electrical Services takes online bookings at fixed, transparent prices with no call-out fees.
In Checkatrade’s example for a major city such as London, you could pay up to £100 for an evening or weekend emergency call-out, or a minimum call-out charge of £100 for the first hour and £45 for each further hour. Under that second kind of charge, a job finished inside the first hour still costs £100, and a job lasting 3 hours costs £190.
Asking about a call-out charge
Do this
What is your call-out charge this evening, does it cover the first hour, and what do you charge for each hour after that?
Not this
How much do you charge to come out?
Grouping small jobs into one visit
Grouping small jobs into one visit is often cheaper than paying several call-out fees, Checkatrade advises. At the low and high ends of its job prices, installing two sockets and replacing one light fitting costs £165 to £225, excluding VAT.
Two sockets and a light fitting in one visit
| Installing a socket | £65 |
|---|---|
| Installing a second socket | £65 |
| Replacing a light fitting | £65 |
Total £195
Checkatrade's average job prices, excluding VAT. Ask whether a call-out fee is added, because booking the three jobs as three separate visits could mean paying three fees.
Fixed quotes and estimates
Citizens Advice says a quote is a promise to do the work at an agreed price, while an estimate is only the trader’s best guess. An electrician cannot charge more than a quote without a good reason, such as extra work you agreed to pay for or an obvious mistake, and the electrician’s own costs going up does not qualify.
Do not treat an estimate as a fixed price
Under an estimate the final bill only has to be reasonable, and the law does not say what counts as reasonable, so a visit estimated at £195 can end up costing more.
Giving the go-ahead makes a contract even if nothing is written down, Citizens Advice adds, and anything you took into account before agreeing is part of it.
In Nottingham, A4S Elite Electrical in NG5 quotes fixed prices, and Arnold Electrical in Old Basford and Mashworth Electrical Services in Beeston both give free quotes.
Common questions
How much does an electrician charge per hour in the UK?
An electrician charges around £50 an hour in the UK, and usually £45 to £60, on Checkatrade's figures. Emergency work costs around £90 an hour, and £80 to £100 an hour for urgent call-outs.
What is an electrician's day rate?
An electrician's day rate is around £400 on Checkatrade's figures, based on 8 hours at £50 an hour. A full day therefore costs the same whether it is charged by the hour or by the day.
How much does an emergency electrician cost?
An emergency electrician costs around £90 an hour on Checkatrade's figures, nearly double the £50 standard rate, and £80 to £100 an hour for urgent call-outs. If your neighbours have lost power too, it is a power cut, so report it by dialling 105 rather than calling an electrician.
How much is an electrician's call-out charge?
In a major city such as London, an electrician's call-out charge can be up to £100 for an evening or weekend emergency, or a minimum charge of £100 for the first hour and £45 for each further hour, on Checkatrade's figures. Many electricians charge a minimum call-out fee, especially for small jobs, so grouping small jobs into one visit is often cheaper than paying several fees.
How much does it cost to have a socket installed?
Installing a socket costs £55 to £75, with an average of £65, excluding VAT, on Checkatrade's figures. Replacing a light fitting costs the same, so two sockets and one light fitting done in one visit come to £195 at the average prices.
How much does it cost to fit an electric shower?
Fitting an electric shower costs £250 to £400, with an average of £325, excluding VAT, for the installation alone, on Checkatrade's figures. A shower supplied and installed often comes closer to around £800.
What should an electrician's quote include?
A written quote should explain the hourly rate or the fixed price for the job, whether materials are included, whether there is a call-out fee and whether the work needs certification, Checkatrade advises. Citizens Advice says a quote is a promise to do the work at an agreed price, while an estimate is only the trader's best guess.
Where the figures come from
- Checkatrade, electrician hourly rate read 2026-09-17
- Checkatrade, no electricity in the house read 2026-09-17
- Planning Portal, electrics building regulations general information read 2026-09-16
- Planning Portal, electrics building regulations checking for safety read 2026-09-17
- Citizens Advice, problems with home improvements read 2026-09-16
Next
The Best Electricians in Nottingham
Ten firms, ranked on trade memberships, written guarantees and years in the trade.