Welcome to Energize Electrical. For all your electrical needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Home > Frequently Asked Questions

Electrical Services FAQs

Common Electrical Services Questions

To get a free no obligation quote, please contact us or call us and we will get back to you the same day. We are available to discuss your requirements or enquiries and will revert back to you within 24 hours.

Sometimes an electrical fault can’t wait and needs to be made safe. You can call us at any time and we will attend. Our average response time is a few hours depending on location. All of our emergency electricians are fully qualified and all work completed is covered by our standard guarantee. If we can’t fix the problem straightaway we will make everything safe for you and give you a quote for any additional work required to completely resolve the fault. For any emergency electrical problems please call 0131 560 6805.

In most cases there are no call out charges, we’ll first make an inspection and check what electrical work is required and give you a quote to complete the work. We can also give out electrical quotations over the phone, for all electrical problems please give us a call and we’ll do our best to help.

All electrical work is guaranteed for 12 months on both parts and labour.

There are many factors that could be responsible for a blown fuse. It could be an overloaded circuit, or too many electrical appliances on one circuit. It could be that a fuse is blown due to a power surge. The fuse may not have the appropriate capacity for the device it is there to protect. Or it could simply be that the fuse has become old, ineffective and needs to be replaced.

If your electricity keeps tripping it could be that you have too many electrical appliances working from one socket. Overloading the circuit can cause it to trip. It can feel quite inconvenient when this happens but it’s worth remembering that this has happened for your protection and it’s good to know the circuit breaker is working. Circuit breakers use tripping mechanisms which shut off power and is preferable to overheating or catching fire.

For safety reasons it’s best to avoid connecting too many appliances or devices to one circuit and instead look to distribute them across two or more circuits. If you are still experiencing problems having reduced the demand on the circuit then you may want to get an electrician to help investigate the cause of the trip. You could also look to enlist a professional electrician and ask for advice on replacing old circuits with new ones which are more capable of meeting the electrical demand.

You may be able to tell if the wiring is up to date by looking at any exposed parts of the wiring and cabling around switches, sockets, and light fittings, around the consumer unit and also by looking at the consumer unit itself. A modern consumer unit will have residual circuit devices otherwise known as RCDs and cable will be PVCu insulated cable. We recommend that you arrange for a qualified electrician to carry out a full electrical survey on the property.

Just because a house is old, it doesn’t necessarily  mean it needs to be completely re-wired. It could be that it’s already been upgraded by a previous owner. You may be able to tell if the house has been re-wired by inspecting the fuse box (also known as the consumer unit) and electricity meter and by looking at any exposed parts of the wiring.

Take a look at the types of switches and sockets in use and if these are mixed and varied or appear old-fashioned this could indicate a partial re-wire has taken place at some point. The safest option is to arrange for a qualified electrician to carry out an electrical survey or inspection of the property and provide recommendations and a quote for any electrical work.

The frequency of a Portable Appliance Test depends on many factors but the main three criteria to be taken into consideration are the risk factors of the environment, the category of the appliance and the electrical class of the appliance. There are also a number of health and safety considerations to be made for example the age of the device, any modifications, the history of the item, manufacturer guidelines, frequency of use etc. When completing a PAT test, Energize Electrical are able to provide advice on the suggested frequency of testing.

Your responsibilities as a landlord are to ensure that the electrical installation in a rented property is safe when tenants move in and is maintained in a safe condition throughout its duration. You also have a responsibility to ensure that any appliance provided is safe and has at least the CE marking (which is the manufacturer’s claim that it meets all the requirements of European law). To meet these requirements and comply with the law, a landlord will need to regularly carry out basic safety checks to ensure that the electrical installation and appliances are safe and working. Energize Electrical are registered electricians and we are able to complete a full electrical inspection and issue landlords with an electrical inspection certificate. If during our inspection we find any dangerous or potentially dangerous conditions these will be highlighted immediately and included in our detailed Electrical Installation Condition Report.

By Law, employers are required to ensure all electrical equipment that they provide in their business is safe and is maintained properly. Any appliance or device which has a plug and will be potentially plugged into a wall socket or connected to a generator should be PAT tested. Some examples of appliances that need to be PAT tested are computers, monitors, televisions, lamps, kettles, vending machines, hand dryers, photocopiers, machinery and tools.

An Electrical Inspection (EICR) is required before tenants move in and at least every five years thereafter or on change of tenancy, whichever occurs first.

Any electrical work completed as part of a loft conversion will need to comply with the relevant requirements of local authorities. An electrician who is registered with a scheme such as SELECT / NICEIC can self-certify the work. If the work is notifiable you will then receive a Building Regulations Compliance Certificate to confirm that the work has been carried out to the required standard and you will receive an electrical certificate for the work.

Yes, we can provide electrical maintenance contracts to landlords, property owners and estate agents. Please contact us to discuss the scope of the contract and to obtain costs for the relevant contract.