Commercial EICR cost, per circuit

Commercial Electrical Installation Condition Reports are quoted per circuit, not per property: £30–£50 per circuit is the current trade range, because test time follows the number of ways in the distribution board, not the floor area. Here is how that arithmetic lands, and what moves it up.

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By circuit count

Circuits	Typical premises	Estimated cost	Time on site
6–10	Small shop, single office unit, one single-phase board	£180–£500	2–4 hours
11–20	Pub, cafe, small warehouse, 2–3 boards	£330–£1,000	Half a day to a day
21–40	Restaurant, clinic, school building	£630–£2,000	1–2 days
41–80	Factory unit, hotel, multi-board site	£1,230–£4,000	2–4 days
80+	Industrial and distribution-heavy sites	£2,400+ — quote per site	4+ days

Ranges are the £30–£50 per-circuit trade rate multiplied by the circuit count, assuming one tester working a board at a time. Remedials, emergency lighting and PAT testing are not included.

What a commercial EICR covers that a domestic one does not

Every distribution board is reported separately — its own schedule of test results, its own board identification and location, its own main switch and protective-device details.
Three-phase circuits take longer per circuit: phase rotation, line-to-line insulation resistance and a per-phase Zs reading rather than one.
Main protective bonding and earthing arrangements at the origin, including any separate earth bar or transformer — usually the first thing an assessor checks and the most common C1 source.
Distribution circuits between boards, not just final circuits — a site with a sub-main has more to test than the number of sockets suggests.
Observations coded C1/C2/C3/FI against the current edition of BS 7671, with a schedule of the departures that matter for insurance.

Why the quote moves

Board count, not circuit count alone. Each board means another set of dead tests (continuity, insulation resistance, polarity) before any live testing starts.
Downtime windows. Circuits have to be isolated to test them. Testing during trading hours means working around tills, servers and refrigeration; out-of-hours or weekend windows carry a premium.
Access. Risers, plant rooms, ceiling voids, locked tenant areas — every one of them is time.
Age and condition. Rubber or lead-sheathed wiring, aluminium conductors and improvised additions take longer to trace and code.
Region. London and the South East run roughly 20–40% above national averages.
Who quotes it. Facilities-management layers and framework markups are the biggest single multiplier — the same report is cheaper from the electrician who does the testing.

How to get comparable quotes

Ask every electrician for the same five numbers in writing, or the prices are not comparable:

Circuit count and board count you are quoting against.
Single-phase or three-phase, and whether sub-mains are included.
The testing window (in hours or days) and whether it is in or out of trading hours.
What is explicitly excluded — remedials, emergency lighting, fire alarm, PAT, re-test after remedials.
The remedial rate card (hourly rate and typical C2 fix prices), so a C2 does not ambush the budget.

How often, and who decides

There is no statutory interval for commercial premises. Under the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 the dutyholder must maintain the installation so far as reasonably practicable, and sets the inspection programme from risk assessment; insurers usually require 5 years for general commercial, 3 years for industrial and 1–3 years for public or leisure premises. The binding date is the one written in Section F of the previous report. Full table: how often an EICR is required.

FAQ

How much does a commercial EICR cost?

Commercial reports are quoted per circuit — £30–£50 per circuit is the current trade range. A small shop with 12 circuits lands around £360–£600; an industrial site with 80+ circuits runs to £2,400 and up. The circuit count, not the floor area, sets the price.

How many circuits does my premises have?

Count the ways out of the distribution board(s) — one per MCB, RCBO or fuse way in use. A single-phase board usually has 6–16 usable ways; a three-phase board three times that. Ask the electrician to quote against that count in writing.

Is emergency lighting or PAT testing included?

No. Emergency lighting, fire alarm, fixed appliance (PAT) testing and remedial work are separate certificates and separate quotes. Confirm what is excluded before comparing two prices — an EICR that "includes everything" is usually an EICR plus extras priced in.

How often does a commercial EICR need doing?

There is no fixed statutory interval. Under the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 the dutyholder sets a programme from risk assessment; insurers and trade guidance typically land on 5 years for general commercial, 3 years for industrial, and 1–3 years for public or leisure premises. The date in Section F of the previous report binds the next one.

Per-circuit rate from Checkatrade's electrical safety check cost guide (£30–£50 per circuit, commercial); intervals from the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 and trade/insurer guidance. Prices are guides, not quotes — get a fixed price against your circuit count.

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Basis & sources

Primary sources only — the statute, form or paper this page is built on.

IET Model Forms (BS 7671:2018+A4:2026) — current standard and model forms
Approved Document P (2013 edition, effective 6 April 2013) — Part P approved document

Last reviewed 2026-10-26 · Report a correction