How much does an electrician charge per hour?

Electricians in the UK usually charge in one of three ways: by the hour, by the day, or a fixed price for the job. Knowing the going rate for each helps you tell a fair quote from a high one, and spot the questions to ask before anyone opens your fuse box. This guide uses the most recent figures we could find from sources that do not sell electrician leads, sets out what common small jobs cost, and explains what pushes the price up or down.

All prices are averages and ranges, not quotes. The only way to know what your job will cost is to describe it properly and ask two or three local electricians for a price.

Average electrician rates in 2026

The clearest recent survey of rates comes from Logic4training, an electrical training provider, which asked electricians it has trained what they charge. Its figures were last updated on 15 June 2026.

The range is wide, and the averages are more useful than the extremes. Logic4training notes that a small number of electricians in high demand areas such as central London quote well above the average, and that some do not offer emergency call outs at all. Which? likewise says prices are likely to be at the upper end of the scale in London and the South East.

For context, the National Careers Service puts an employed electrician's salary at £26,000 starting out to £45,000 when experienced, for 37 to 45 hours a week. A self employed electrician's hourly rate has to cover far more than wages: the van, tools, test equipment, insurance, scheme registration fees, travel between jobs and time spent quoting, which is why it is well above the hourly equivalent of a salary.

What common electrical jobs cost

For most small jobs, electricians quote a price for the job rather than an hourly rate. Which? surveyed 19 of its Trusted Traders in November 2025. Its prices include labour and materials but exclude VAT.

Logic4training's 2026 averages for the same kind of work are close: £52.50 to replace a socket, £80 to install a light fitting, £125 for fault finding, £890 for a consumer unit (fuse box) upgrade, up from £625 a year earlier, and £1,175 to fit an electric vehicle charging point.

Two bigger jobs have their own guides. For a full or partial rewire, see how much a rewire costs. For the safety inspection that landlords need and buyers often ask for, see what an EICR is and how often you need one.

Hourly rate, day rate or fixed price?

When you will pay by the hour

Hourly rates are most common for fault finding, where nobody knows at the start how long it will take to trace a tripping circuit or a dead socket, and for small jobs bundled into one visit. Ask how time is charged: some electricians charge the first hour in full and then in half hours, others charge in full hours. If the job is open ended, agree a limit, after which the electrician stops and calls you before carrying on.

When you will pay a day rate

A day rate is common for jobs that take most of a day or longer, such as rewiring, replacing a fuse box, fitting downlights through a whole floor or wiring an extension. On a job like this, ask for the total as a fixed price, with the day rate shown only for any extra work you agree later.

When a fixed price is best

For anything you can describe clearly, a fixed price protects you. Citizens Advice explains the difference: a quote is a fixed price, while an estimate is a best guess that can change. Get it in writing, with what is included.

What pushes the price up

• Where you live. Which? says London and the South East cost more, and Logic4training says electricians in busy urban areas generally charge more than those in rural ones. Compare local quotes rather than national averages.
• Evenings, weekends and emergencies. Out of hours work usually carries a call out charge and a higher hourly rate. A power cut to the whole house, a burning smell or a socket that sparks is worth paying for. A light that has stopped working can usually wait for a normal weekday visit.
• Access and making good. Running new cables under floors and through walls takes time, and someone has to fill and redecorate afterwards. Ask whether the price includes making good, or only the electrical work.
• Old wiring. Adding to a very old installation can mean the electrician has to fix what they find first, because they cannot certify new work connected to unsafe wiring. This is often how a small job becomes a fuse box replacement.
• Parts. A designer light fitting, smart switches or an EV charger can cost more than the labour. Check whether the quote assumes you supply the fitting.
• VAT. A business must register for VAT once its taxable turnover goes over £90,000 a year, then add 20 percent. Many sole traders do not charge it; many limited companies do. The Which? prices above exclude VAT.

Registered electricians and notifiable work

In England and Wales, electrical work in homes falls under Part P of the Building Regulations. Electrical Safety First explains that, apart from some minor tasks, you must either tell your local authority building control before the work starts or employ an electrician registered with a government approved scheme. Using a registered electrician means you do not pay building control charges.

GOV.UK says new power and lighting points and changes to existing circuits do not need building regulations approval, except around baths and showers, and that fuse boxes are one of the exceptions to the rule that most repairs and replacements do not need it. The approved schemes for electrical work in homes are listed on the competent person scheme page, and include Certsure (which trades as NICEIC) and NAPIT. Members appear on the Registered Competent Person Electrical register, where you can look up a business for free.

Electrical Safety First recommends using only a registered electrician for any installation or repair. Registered electricians work to the national safety standard, BS 7671, are insured, and give you a certificate: an Electrical Installation Certificate or a Minor Works Certificate, plus a Building Regulations compliance certificate for notifiable work. A cheap price from someone who cannot certify the job can cost more later, when you sell the house or need a landlord safety report.

Our guide on how to check a tradesperson is genuine shows how to look up a registration and check insurance in a couple of minutes.

How to get a fair price

1. Describe the job in detail. Say what you want, which rooms, roughly how old the wiring and fuse box are, and send photos. A vague request gets a vague, hourly answer.
2. Ask for a fixed written quote. It should say what is included: labour, parts, making good, certificates and VAT.
3. Check how the call out works. Does the fee include the first hour, and how is time charged after that?
4. Check registration. NICEIC, NAPIT or another approved scheme, especially for a fuse box or any new circuit.
5. Get two or three quotes and compare like with like.
6. Ask for the certificate when the job is finished, and keep it with your house papers.

Comparing trades? Our guide to what a plumber charges per hour covers plumbing rates and call out charges in the same way.

Find an electrician near you

Post your electrical job free, saying what needs doing, how old the fuse box is and when you are free, and hear back from a local electrician with a price. You pay the business directly, and nothing is taken online.

Or browse local businesses first: electricians in Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Coventry, Dudley, Walsall or Solihull. For more guides on repairs and costs, see all our home advice.