Fixed wire testing (a commercial EICR)
This is the inspection and test of the building's fixed electrical installation — distribution boards, cables, sockets, lighting circuits, isolators. It produces an Electrical Installation Condition Report with coded observations. The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 require installations to be maintained in a safe condition; periodic inspection is how you demonstrate it. Typical intervals: five years for offices, shops and most commercial premises; three years for industrial units; one year for places of public entertainment; and more often for premises with special conditions. Insurers frequently ask for a current report as a condition of cover.
Cost in Leeds: from £250 for small premises with up to 12 circuits, from £180 per additional distribution board for larger sites. Usually done outside trading hours.
PAT testing (portable appliance testing)
PAT covers the things that plug in: kettles, computers, extension leads, fridges, tills, tools. There is no fixed legal interval — the law asks for a risk-based approach — but insurers and most landlords expect it annually for commercial premises, more often for tools on site. Cost: from £60 minimum charge, then from £1.50 per item. We label every item and provide a register.
Emergency lighting testing
If your premises have emergency lighting (and most premises open to the public do), it needs a monthly function test — which you can do yourself and log — and an annual full-duration test by a competent person, with a certificate. Fire risk assessments and licensing inspections ask for the log. Annual test from £90.
Putting them on one schedule
For most small Leeds businesses the sensible arrangement is: fixed wire testing every five years, PAT annually, emergency lighting annually, all with one contractor who holds the records and reminds you when they are due. That is what we offer, alongside the reactive repairs and lighting upgrades that shops, cafés, salons and offices need through the year. See our commercial electrician service or the commercial prices for starting points.
Common questions
Is fixed wire testing a legal requirement?
The law requires the installation to be maintained safely; periodic inspection and testing is the recognised way to demonstrate that, and insurers and landlords typically require it contractually.
Do you test outside opening hours?
Yes. Evening and early-morning testing is normal for shops and hospitality so that trading is not interrupted.