What Electricians Actually Charge: UK Day Rates and Job Prices

‍‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‍# Electrical – what to charge in 2026 (UK)

This guide is for UK electricians doing domestic and light commercial work. It gives realistic 2026 day rates, common job prices, how other sparks charge, and how materials and margins usually work.

Quick rule of thumb: in 2026, most self‑employed electricians are somewhere around £250–£350/day outside London, and £350–£500/day in London and the South East for standard work.

1. Day rates – 2026

These are labour‑only bands, pre‑VAT, based on 2026 UK electrician cost guides and salary/rate analysis.

Current sources say:

• Typical UK electrician day rate in 2026: £300–£500/day, with London/SE at the top end.

Newly qualified / first year self‑employed

You've just gone out on your own; slower on bigger jobs, still building a pipeline.

• London & South East: £220–£260/day
• Midlands: £180–£220/day
• Northern England: £170–£210/day
• Scotland: £180–£230/day
• Wales & rural areas: £160–£210/day

(These sit just under "standard" market rates but still cover basic costs if you're careful.)

Experienced (around 3–5 years on your own)

You're quicker, more confident, and have repeat clients.

• London & South East: £300–£400/day
• Midlands: £230–£300/day
• Northern England: £230–£280/day
• Scotland: £250–£320/day
• Wales & rural areas: £220–£280/day

NearbyTraders and similar guides show many domestic sparks charging around £45–£85/hour and day rates around £300–£500, with London often £350–£550+.

Highly experienced / specialist

Inspection & testing, EV, smart systems, commercial fault‑finding, high‑end refurbs.

• London & South East: £400–£550+/day
• Midlands: £300–£380/day
• Northern England: £280–£360/day
• Scotland: £300–£380/day
• Wales & rural areas: £260–£340/day

A lot of self‑employed sparks will float across these bands depending on job type (rewires vs simple jobs) and how busy they are.

2. Common electrical jobs and what they usually cost (2026)

Typical domestic prices in 2026 including labour and standard materials (unless noted).

Replace a single socket / light fitting

• Typical price: £60–£120 per point, depending on spec and access.
• Includes: Isolating, swapping fitting, basic testing, making safe.
• Price goes up if: High ceilings, awkward access, heavy fittings needing extra fixings.

Add a new double socket (short run)

• Typical price: £90–£180 per new socket on an existing circuit.
• Includes: Short cable run, chasing, fitting box and faceplate, basic making good, testing.
• Price goes up if: Long runs, solid walls, consumer unit at opposite end of house.

Consumer unit (fuse box) replacement

• Typical price: £450–£900 including testing and certification.
• Includes: New board, migration of circuits, full test, issuing EIC, labelling.
• Price goes up if: Many circuits, poor existing wiring, main bonding upgrades needed.

EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report)

• Typical price:
  • 1–2 bed flat: £120–£200
  • 3–4 bed house: £180–£300
• Includes: Inspection, testing, report with C1/C2/C3 codes.
• Price goes up if: Very large property, lots of circuits, multiple consumer units.

Full rewire (occupied 2–3 bed house)

• Typical price: £3,000–£5,000 for a typical 3‑bed, more for 4‑bed or high‑end.
• Includes: New wiring, sockets, lighting points, consumer unit, testing and certification.
• Price goes up if: House occupied, chasing in solid walls, high‑end fittings, multiple floors.

Kitchen rewire / refurb electrics

• Typical price: £800–£2,000 depending on size and spec.
• Includes: Circuits for appliances, sockets, lighting, cooker, maybe under‑cabinet lights.
• Price goes up if: Moving the kitchen, new circuits to board, fancy lighting layouts.

Electric shower install (new circuit)

• Typical price: £300–£900 including new circuit and RCD/RCBO.
• Includes: Cable run, protective device, isolation, fitting and testing.
• Price goes up if: Long cable runs, difficult routes, consumer unit upgrades needed.

EV charge point install (domestic)

• Typical price: £900–£1,500+ supply and fit.
• Includes: Charger, cable route, protective devices, testing, notifications.
• Price goes up if: Long runs, groundworks needed, complex earthing arrangements.

Hourly / call‑out rates

• Non‑emergency hourly: £45–£85/hour across most of the UK.
• London hourly: often £65–£110/hour.
• Call‑out fee: £40–£90 for normal hours, £80–£150+ for emergency/out‑of‑hours.

These figures line up with the cost guides customers see when they search "electrician cost UK 2026".

3. What electricians actually earn (2026)

Use ONS for the "employee baseline" and trade surveys for self‑employed.

• ONS ASHE data for "Electricians and electrical fitters" shows median employee earnings in the mid‑£30,000s to low‑£40,000s depending on region and seniority.
• JIB rates and salary surveys show typical employed electricians earning around £37,000–£40,000 with overtime potential.

Self‑employed:

• 2025–26 analysis of self‑employed sparks charging around £50/hour and working 800–1,600 billable hours a year gives gross revenues from roughly £40,000 up to £80,000.
• After overheads (van, tools, insurance, training, quoting time), realistic net profit bands for a one‑person domestic spark are more like £25,000–£45,000 depending on utilisation and pricing discipline.

Employed sparks sit mid‑30s to low‑40s. Self‑employed electricians charging realistic 2026 rates can beat that, but only if they protect their day rate, don't give their time away, and keep on top of late payers.

4. What's usually NOT included in electrical quotes

Same pattern as plumbing – these are the flash points:

Making good and decorating Plastering, filling, repainting after chases and back boxes. Usually excluded unless it's spelled out (you might do a basic fill, not a decorator‑finish).

Lighting and fittings supplied by the customer Many quotes cover labour and standard fittings only. Fancy pendants, chandeliers, imported fittings etc. are often supplied by the customer and may carry extra labour charges.

Upgrading bad existing work Consumer unit changes triggered by adding loads, main bonding upgrades, sorting historic DIY horrors. Often priced as variations once you've inspected or done an EICR.

Third‑party costs and fees Parking, congestion/ULEZ, scaffold/towers (for high exterior lights), specialist access.

Ongoing testing/maintenance EICRs on rental properties, periodic inspections, PAT testing – usually separate jobs, not bundled.

These belong clearly under "What's not included unless written into the quote" in your templates.

5. How electricians charge: day rate vs fixed price

Domestic work

Most domestic work is a mix of fixed prices for common jobs and day/hourly rates for open‑ended stuff.

Fixed prices are common for:

• Consumer unit changes
• Small rewires
• EICRs
• Standard installs (EV chargers, showers, extra sockets/lights in simple situations).

Hourly or day rate is common for:

• Fault‑finding
• Old houses with unknown wiring routes
• Small, "bitty" tasks across a property
• Ongoing landlord maintenance.

Many sparks in 2026 are working roughly:

• Hourly: £45–£85/hour, higher in London.
• Day rate: £300–£500/day, with London & SE at £350–£550+.

Commercial and site work

On bigger jobs you'll see:

• Day rates – when working for main contractors as CIS subbies, especially on maintenance, small works, or site labour.
• Price work / schedule of rates – per point, per plot, per circuit, per test, especially on new‑build and framework contracts.

Simple line: domestic sparks mix fixed prices and day/hourly rates, with price work and flat day rates more common on commercial and new‑build packages.

6. Materials and markup for electricians (2026)

Electrics is less materials‑heavy than plumbing, but you still need to protect your margin.

• On everyday materials (cable, accessories, boxes, fixings, glands, consumables), markups around 10–20% on your cost are typical and reasonable.
• On specialist kit (EV chargers, designer fittings, smart‑home hardware), markups closer to 15–25% are common, especially where you're handling ordering, storage, and warranty risk.
• 2026 merchant and self‑build guides show that trades with accounts often buy at 10–20% below walk‑in retail prices on common electrical gear.

How to explain it without sounding dodgy:

"I add a small margin on materials to cover my time sourcing, collecting and standing behind the kit. You still benefit from my trade prices – buying retail yourself is usually dearer once you factor in your time and delivery."

What to do next

• Read: 14.1 – Day rate vs price work vs quoted (when to use which for electrical work)
• Read: 14.2 – How to price your first job without underselling yourself
• Read: 14.8 – Materials: who supplies, who pays, where's the margin?
• Read: 14.3 – When to raise your prices
• Download: Payment schedule and deposit terms template
• Use: Late Payment Calculator – to see how 30/60‑day payers are really affecting your hourly rate

Sources (UK, 2026‑relevant)

• ONS – Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) – "Electricians and electrical fitters" earnings.
• My‑Local‑Electrician – "How Much Should An Electrician Cost? UK Pricing Breakdown 2026" – regional hourly and day rate tables.
• NearbyTraders – "How Much Does an Electrician Cost UK 2026?" – hourly ranges, rewire price ranges.
• Elec‑Mate / Sparky‑style guides – 2026 UK electrician day rates (£300–£500 UK‑wide, higher in London).
• JIB/NICEIC pay comparisons and electrician income models – typical employed and self‑employed earnings.
• Self‑build and merchant guides – trade vs retail pricing and discount behaviour at UK merchants.
• Contractor markup calculators and articles – common overhead and materials markup ranges in residential construction.

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