Electrical Installation

There is a big difference between an Electrical contractor who is NICEIC approved and one who is not. Whether you are hiring an electrician for your business, or for your home, it might be useful to know what the difference is…

NATIONAL INSPECTION COUNCIL for ELECTRICAL INSTALLATION CONTRACTING or N.I.C.E.I.C. is the main recognised professional body for all electricians in the UK.

It means the Electrical contractor has attained specific professional standards and gives their official seal of approval that their work will be performed to the current standards.

It covers industrial, commercial and domestic electrics and includes everything from installing a light switch to designing and installing a commercial electrical system and searching for faults.

There are many different regulations to comply with for wiring, consumer boards, lighting, and commercial electrics and the NICEIC exists as the overarching professional regulatory body to ensure that the company who is working on your electrics, is in full compliance.

NICEIC guarantees that your Contractor works to safe practices and should anything go wrong, you can rely on this UK wide organisation to resolve the problem for you.

Insurance Claims prefer NICEIC Companies

Most Insurance Companies will be more likely to pay out following any damaged property or goods if you used an accredited NICEIC Contractor than if you didn’t. It may give them an excuse not to pay out on a claim.

This means it is good business practice to use a contractor who has NICEIC accreditation, especially if you have a business premises with employees and expensive stock.

Choosing the best Electrical Contractor from a pile of quotes is not easy. Finding an electrician who doesn’t cut corners or take the easy way out of a difficult task is vital. You need to be sure they will comply with all Regulations and Standards and are accredited by the NICEIC.

Here are five important questions to ask before you look at their quote:

• Are you Accredited? A good Electrical Contractor will have an NICEIC mark displayed on their vans and paperwork.
• Are you insured? If anything goes wrong, do they have adequate liability insurance in place.
• Can you show me any references? You can’t see the quality of their work from a quotation, so references from similar jobs can provide this information.
• Who will do the work? Will it be subbed out to another Electrician, or will they send their own employees to do the job?
• What is included in the quote? Are there any additional charges expected to complete the work? Do they need any special equipment hired, and is this included?

Blaby Electrical have been accredited by NICEIC for over 30 years and have a large team of Electricians who are fully employed to carry out the work. We don’t send anyone who doesn’t work directly for us, who are all fully trained for commercial and domestic Part P work and we are fully insured for all eventualities.

Do you have a lot of light bulbs in your business premises? Whether you have a factory, shop or an office, you could save between 25% and 75% of your current electricity cost for your lighting and that is a significant saving for your bottom line.

Many businesses have switched to CFL lightbulbs, but the new low energy LED lights use 75% less energy than incandescent bulbs, last 10 times longer, AND provide the same light.

The Electrical Company, Philips, is actually promising to halve commercial lighting costs with their new LED tube lighting. Here is a link with the technical details. Philips promises to halve commercial lighting energy use with new LED tube.

A recent ‘Green Business’ survey conducted by the Energy Saving Trust revealed that the UK is trailing five other European nations in adopting LED light bulbs, probably because they are more expensive to buy than the CFL bulbs, BUT they are 80% more energy efficient lasting anything from 10 to 25 times longer. That means it reduces your maintenance costs too.

Their research also estimates that UK businesses could save £1.4bn a year by removing their existing incandescent or halogen bulbs and replacing them with LEDs. This would also reduce CO2 emissions nationally, by a whopping 4.6 million tonnes.

Here’s the benefits to every commercial or business premises:

• 25% to 75% reduction in your current lighting costs
• Reduction in your CO2 emissions
• Reduction in electrical maintenance costs

Here at Blaby Electrical, we are working alongside businesses to ensure they can make informed choices about the quality and different types of energy saving light bulbs that will be right for their premises, with clear and accurate information, as well as a qualified and accredited installation service anywhere in Leicestershire.