How to Price an EICR (UK 2026)
An EICR is priced on the time it takes to inspect and test every circuit, write it up honestly, and stand behind the outcome — not on a number plucked from a competitor’s website.
The single biggest mistake electricians make pricing an Electrical Installation Condition Report is treating it as a fixed commodity. Two "3-bed houses" can differ by an hour of testing depending on circuit count, age of the installation and how much of it is accessible. Price the job, not the postcode.
This guide breaks EICR pricing into the two common methods — per-circuit and flat rate — sets out what genuinely drives the figure, and gives indicative 2026 UK ranges you can sanity-check your own quotes against. Treat the numbers as typical rather than fixed: rates vary sharply by region and by how competitive your local market is.
Key takeaways
- EICR price is driven mainly by circuit count, not floor area — a small flat with 4 circuits is quick; a rambling old house with 14 is not.
- Two pricing models dominate: a flat rate per property band, or a per-circuit rate (often a base fee plus £X per circuit).
- The quoted price should cover inspection, full testing to BS 7671, and a written, coded report — not just a walk-round.
- Age, access and previous poor workmanship all add testing time and should push the price up, not down.
- Build the price from your day rate: how many hours on site plus write-up, times your true hourly cost, plus margin.
1. Per-circuit vs flat pricing
Most electricians settle on one of two approaches. A flat rate bands the property — a fixed price for a 1–2 bed flat, another for a 3-bed house, and so on. It’s simple to quote and easy for clients to understand, but it only works if you’ve done enough EICRs to know your banding actually reflects the time involved.
The per-circuit method is more honest to the work. You set a base call-out and inspection fee that covers arriving, isolating, and inspecting the consumer unit and origin, then add a per-circuit rate for the dead and live testing on each final circuit. A small installation stays cheap; a large one earns what it should. Whichever you use, the underlying maths is the same: estimate the hours, multiply by your true hourly cost, add margin.
Base your rate on real time
A domestic EICR is rarely under two to three hours on site once you include safe isolation, dead tests, live tests and the walk-round, plus write-up time afterwards. Price for that, not for the fifteen minutes the customer imagines it takes.
2. What drives the price
Circuit count is the primary driver: every final circuit needs continuity, insulation resistance, polarity and earth fault loop impedance results recorded, so the schedule of test results grows with the board. A large consumer unit or multiple boards means more testing, full stop.
Property age and condition matter because older installations throw up more to investigate — no RCD protection, rubber or lead-sheathed cable, undersized bonding, junction boxes buried in fabric. Access is the quiet killer: boarded lofts, fitted furniture over sockets, and inaccessible consumer units all slow you down and may force you to record limitations. Finally, occupied properties take longer than empty ones because you’re working around people and their belongings.
3. What’s included in the price
A properly priced EICR covers three things: the visual inspection, the electrical testing to BS 7671, and a written report with every observation coded C1, C2, C3 or FI. If you’re quoting well below the market you’re usually cutting one of these — most often the testing, by sampling rather than testing every circuit without recording the limitation.
Be explicit about what the price does and doesn’t include. Remedial work is quoted separately once the report identifies it. Make clear whether minor items found on the day (a loose connection, a missing blank) are put right within the visit or noted for a follow-up quote. Setting that boundary up front avoids the awkward conversation where a client expects every fault fixed inside the inspection fee.
Code and issue on site
TradePlanr lets you code each observation as you find it and generate the EICR PDF before you leave, so the report is done while the detail is fresh rather than becoming an evening admin job.
4. Indicative price ranges
The table below gives typical 2026 UK ranges by property type. They’re a starting point for building your own figure, not a tariff — a rural sole trader and a London firm carrying employees and premises will land in very different places, and a difficult older property can easily sit above the top of its band.
Commercial and HMO work is priced per circuit far more often than domestic, because circuit counts vary so widely and because access and out-of-hours constraints add real cost. For anything beyond a straightforward dwelling, quote after a look at the board rather than over the phone.
| Property type | Typical circuits | Indicative price |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 bed flat | 3–6 | £120–£180 |
| 3-bed house | 6–10 | £150–£250 |
| 4–5 bed / large house | 10–16 | £220–£400 |
| Small commercial unit / shop | 8–20 | £250–£500+ |
| HMO / larger commercial | Priced per circuit | Base fee + £10–£20 per circuit |
5. Turning the drivers into a quote
Put it together in order: estimate site hours from circuit count and access, add write-up time, multiply by your true hourly cost (the day-rate figure that already carries van, tools, insurance and non-billable time), then add your margin. Cross-check the result against the band in the table — if you’re wildly outside it, revisit your time estimate rather than the market.
Quote in writing, state clearly that remedials are separate, and note any obvious limitations you expect before you start. A client who understands why an older, larger, occupied property costs more than a new flat is far less likely to haggle you down to a number that doesn’t cover the work.
Frequently asked questions
Should I charge a flat rate or per circuit for an EICR?
Either works if it reflects your time. Flat banded rates are simplest for straightforward domestic work; per-circuit pricing (a base fee plus a rate per circuit) is fairer on larger, HMO and commercial installations where circuit counts vary a lot. Both should start from your true hourly cost.
Why do some electricians quote so much less for an EICR?
Usually because they’re sampling circuits rather than testing them all, skipping the write-up detail, or under-costing their own time. A genuine EICR tests every circuit to BS 7671 and produces a fully coded report, which takes hours — a headline-cheap price rarely covers that properly.
Is remedial work included in the EICR price?
No. The EICR price covers inspection, testing and the report. Any C1, C2 or FI items are quoted separately once the report identifies them. Make that boundary clear when you quote so the client isn’t expecting every fault fixed inside the inspection fee.
From guidance to action
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How to Price a Consumer Unit Replacement
A worked build-up for a board change — labour, materials, testing and certification — and typical 2026 prices.
