What is an EICR?
An Electrical Installation Condition Report or EICR for short, is an electrical health check for your home. They can often be requested by a Landlord or a New Homebuyer. Whether you own your own home, business or rent a property out it should always be covered by an in date Electrical Inspection Condition Report - consider it an MOT for your electrics.
WHAT IS INSPECTED IN AN EICR?
During an EICR, the fuse board, wiring and electrical fittings are thoroughly tested and inspected for faults or deviations from the Wiring Standards. Throughout the test, the following will be inspected and tested:
The adequacy of the earthing and bonding.
Devices for protection against fire and electric shock.
Any damage or wear and tear to cables.
Identification of any damaged electrical fittings and accessories.
Identification of any exposed live wires that could cause a fire or injury.
Many faults can’t be seen simply by looking and are only picked up during testing. The electrician will use test equipment to check that electrical readings within the property fall within the requirements of the IEE wiring regulations.
The results of the test and visual observations which are graded C1, C2 or C3 according to severity will be recorded within the report. Depending on the format of the of the report it may allow the electrician to give recommendations or provide space to give technical information to back up their observations.
An EICR should only be carried out by a skilled and competent registered electrician with the experience to know what they are looking for and the technical equipment to carry out the test.
Who needs an EICR?
Landlords
EICR are normally requested by Landlords on their properties as a way of satisfying their legal requirements and many insurers request an up to date report before they they will insure a property. As Landlord it is your responsibility that all your properties whether a business or house is safe. Although under current regulations it is not a legal requirement to carry out an EICR, ask yourself this - how can I prove the electrics are safe? Am I insured if the worst should happen? It is recommended under BS7671 that an EICR is obtained at the end of a tenancy or at least every 5 years.
Homeowners
When was the last time you had a qualified electrician look at your electrics? Many of us are are unaware of the state of our electrics until something goes wrong. Which more often than not can prove more expensive. With an EICR it is worth getting your home checked every 10 years or so especially if you have done some alterations yourself. Just because it works when you switch it on doesn’t mean it’s safe! As with some landlord insurance, your home insurance provider may not pay out if the worst should happen if it’s deemed that you have not maintained your electrics properly.
Here at Bawn Electrical we have the experience and technical knowledge to provide you with a full and comprehensive EICR. Give us a call on 01293 772 403 or fill in your details on our Book a Quote page and we will get back you.
Electrical checks you can carry out on your home
The best way to prevent costly remedial work down the line is to spot electrical problems early. Here are a number of easy and risk-free visual checks you can carry out at home:
Ensure your extension leads are being used correctly. If you find yourself ‘daisy chaining’ (plugging one extension lead into another) rearrange your plugs or buy a larger extension cable. Even better, contact us and we can add a socket or two.
Visually check your sockets and light switches for any cracks, discolouration or burn marks.
Testing your RCD, this can be done by pressing the ‘test’ button – when pressing the button all the appliances protected by the RCD should switch off. If they don’t, call an electrician. Don’t have a ‘test’ button then your fuse board may need upgrading.
In addition many remedial works we encounter occur as a result of poorly installed electrical work. Always use a registered electrician for your electrical works and obtain a certificate that covers their work, even if it’s just adding a socket.
If you have any doubts about the electrics in your property then contact us here.
