Unlike plumbing, electrical work in the UK is regulated. You can't legally do notifiable electrical work in domestic properties without being registered with a Part P competent person scheme — or getting the work signed off by Building Control.
That regulation is actually good for you. It creates a barrier to entry that keeps untrained competitors out and lets qualified electricians charge what their skills are worth.
This guide covers every step: qualifications, Part P registration, insurance, pricing, finding work, and building systems that let you scale beyond just you and a van.
Step 1: Get qualified
Unlike plumbing, there's a clear qualification path that customers and regulators expect.
The standard route
| Qualification | What it covers | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| City & Guilds 2365 Level 2 | Electrical installation theory and principles | 1 year |
| City & Guilds 2365 Level 3 | Design, installation, testing, inspection | 1-2 years |
| NVQ Level 3 Electrical Installation | Practical competence (done alongside or after 2365) | 1-2 years |
| City & Guilds 2391 (Inspection and Testing) | Required for testing and certifying your own work | 2-4 weeks |
| 18th Edition (BS 7671) | Wiring Regulations — required for Part P | 3-5 days |
The experienced route
If you've been working as an employed electrician and already have your 2365 and NVQ:
- Get your 18th Edition updated (must be current edition)
- Get your 2391 (Inspection and Testing)
- Register with a Part P competent person scheme
- Start trading
Qualifications worth adding
| Qualification | Why |
|---|---|
| EV charger installation (City & Guilds 2919) | Massive growth area. Government grants drive demand. Average install £800-1,200 labour. |
| Solar PV installation | Growing sector, MCS certification required for installations that qualify for SEG payments. |
| Fire alarm systems (BS 5839) | Opens up commercial fire alarm work — higher day rates than domestic. |
| Emergency lighting (BS 5266) | Often bundled with fire alarm contracts. |
| PAT testing | Low-barrier entry to commercial maintenance contracts. |
The money qualification: EV charger installation. The government's OZEV grant pays £350 per domestic chargepoint, and the market is growing 30%+ per year. Get the 2919 qualification now.
Step 2: Register with a Part P scheme
This is non-negotiable for domestic work. Part P of the Building Regulations requires that notifiable electrical work in dwellings is either:
- Done by a registered competent person (you, registered with a scheme), or
- Reported to Building Control before starting (which costs the customer £200-400 and takes weeks)
Option 1 is what customers want. It's faster, cheaper for them, and proves you're qualified.
The main Part P schemes
| Scheme | Annual cost | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
| NICEIC | £500-800/yr | Most recognised name, trusted by specifiers | More expensive, stricter assessment |
| NAPIT | £350-500/yr | Good value, growing reputation | Less recognised than NICEIC in commercial |
| ELECSA | £400-600/yr | Part of NAPIT group, competitive | Smaller brand |
| BRE | £400-600/yr | Backed by Building Research Establishment | Least well-known |
NICEIC or NAPIT? For most new electricians, NAPIT is the pragmatic choice. Lower cost, easier entry, perfectly valid for domestic work. If you're targeting commercial work and local authority contracts, NICEIC carries more weight with specifiers. We've written a full NICEIC vs NAPIT comparison if you want the detail.
What the assessment involves
You'll need to demonstrate:
- Current 18th Edition certificate
- 2391 (Inspection and Testing)
- NVQ Level 3 or equivalent experience
- Public liability insurance (minimum £2M)
- Examples of your work (photographs and certificates)
- A technical assessment of a recent installation
The assessor visits a job you've completed and checks the installation against BS 7671. It's not a pass/fail exam — it's a practical assessment. If your work is up to standard, you're in.
Step 3: Business structure
Same options as any trade:
Sole trader — start here. Register with HMRC for Self Assessment. Free, simple, and you can always incorporate later.
Limited company — consider when profits consistently exceed £40-50K. Better tax efficiency, limited liability, but more admin and accountant costs.
Partnership — if you're starting with another electrician. Get a proper partnership agreement drawn up.
MTD from April 2026
Sole traders earning over £50K must submit quarterly digital records to HMRC from April 2026. If you're starting a business now, set up digital invoicing from day one. Don't create a problem you'll have to fix in six months.
Step 4: Get insured
Essential cover
| Insurance | What it covers | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Public liability (£2-5M) | Damage to property, injury to third parties | £150-350/yr |
| Professional indemnity | Claims from faulty design or advice | £100-300/yr |
| Employers' liability | Required by law if you employ anyone | £100-200/yr |
| Tools cover | Theft of tools from van or site | £50-200/yr |
| Van insurance (business use) | Must be commercial, not personal | £800-1,500/yr |
Total: £1,200-2,500/yr.
Your Part P scheme requires minimum £2M public liability. Most commercial clients want £5M or £10M. Get £5M from the start — the premium difference is minimal.
Step 5: Set your pricing
Know your day rate
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Target income | £45,000 |
| Tax, NI, pension | +£14,000 |
| Van costs | +£6,000 |
| Tools, materials, test equipment | +£4,000 |
| Insurance | +£2,000 |
| Part P scheme + 18th Edition renewal | +£1,000 |
| Software, phone, accounting | +£3,000 |
| Total you need to bill | £75,000 |
| Billable days (48 weeks x 5 days, minus admin) | 210 days |
| Required day rate | £357/day |
Electricians command higher day rates than most trades because of the regulated qualification requirements and the liability involved.
Common job pricing (2026 UK)
| Job | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Consumer unit (fuse board) replacement | £600-900 |
| Full rewire (3-bed house) | £3,500-5,500 |
| EV charger installation | £800-1,200 (labour) |
| EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report) | £150-300 |
| Extra socket installation | £80-150 per socket |
| Outdoor lighting installation | £300-800 |
| Commercial shop refit (electrical) | £2,000-8,000 |
| Fire alarm installation (small commercial) | £1,500-4,000 |
EICRs are passive income: A 3-bed EICR takes 2-3 hours and pays £150-300. Landlords need them every 5 years (or change of tenant). Build a database of landlords and you've got recurring revenue on autopilot.
Step 6: Find customers
Immediate (week 1-4)
- Your network. Every person you've ever worked with or for. Text them. Tell them you've started your own business.
- Checkatrade / MyBuilder. Lead generation platforms. Expensive per lead but generate work immediately while you build organic channels.
- Google Business Profile. Create it, add photos of your work, your Part P registration, and your qualifications. This is your single most important marketing asset long-term.
Medium-term (months 1-6)
- Landlords and letting agents. EICRs are mandatory for rental properties. One letting agent managing 100 properties = 20 EICRs per year minimum. Introduce yourself to every agent in your area.
- Estate agents. Buyers need EICRs. Sellers need faults fixed before completion. Estate agents refer electricians constantly.
- Builders. Every new build and extension needs an electrician. One good relationship with a builder can keep you busy 3 days a week.
Long-term (months 6-12)
- EV charger installers list. Register as an OZEV-approved installer. Customers searching for EV charger installation get directed to approved installers.
- Commercial maintenance contracts. Offices, shops, schools, and care homes need annual testing. One contract can be worth £5,000-10,000/yr.
- Local authority frameworks. Council housing needs regular EICR testing. Get on the approved contractor list.
Step 7: Certificates and compliance
Electrical work generates more paperwork than most trades. Every notifiable job needs certification:
| Certificate | When required |
|---|---|
| Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) | New installations and additions |
| Minor Works Certificate | Small additions (extra socket, light fitting) |
| EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report) | Testing and inspection of existing installations |
| Part P Building Regulations compliance | Notifiable work in domestic properties |
Your Part P scheme handles the Building Regulations notification. You generate the certificates, upload them to your scheme's portal, and they notify Building Control on your behalf.
Use software that generates these from job data. If you're typing certificate details into a separate system after finishing the job, you're wasting 15-20 minutes per job. That's 1-2 hours per week. Over a year, that's a full week of your life spent on data entry.
Step 8: Business systems from day one
What you need running before your first job
- Digital invoicing — generate invoices from job data, send payment links, track what's paid
- Scheduling — even if it's just you, having a proper calendar prevents double-booking and lets you plan travel time
- Certificate generation — from job data, not a separate system
- Accounting sync — Xero or QuickBooks, connected to your invoicing from day one
- Receipt tracking — photograph every receipt, categorise it, never miss a deductible expense
What you'll need at 3+ people
- Shared scheduling — who's where, what's next, drag-and-drop reassignment
- GPS tracking — know where your engineers are, give customers ETAs
- Automated invoice chasing — don't spend your evenings chasing payments
- Customer portal — let customers see their certificates, quotes, and invoices online
- Competency tracking — which engineers have which qualifications, when do they expire
Setting up all 10 from day one costs the same as setting up the first 5. And you won't have to migrate data or change systems when you grow.
Year-one costs
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Van (used, fitted out) | £12,000-22,000 |
| Tools and test equipment | £3,000-6,000 |
| Insurance (all types) | £1,200-2,500 |
| Part P scheme registration | £350-800 |
| 18th Edition + 2391 courses (if needed) | £400-800 |
| Accounting (software + accountant) | £1,000-2,000 |
| Job management software | £2,148/yr (Muster Starter) |
| Marketing (Checkatrade, signage, website) | £1,000-3,000 |
| Materials float | £500-1,500 |
| Total | £22,000-39,000 |
Like plumbing, most of that is the van. If you already have transport and tools, setup costs drop below £5,000.
The bottom line
Starting an electrical business has a higher barrier to entry than most trades — Part P registration, formal qualifications, expensive test equipment. But that barrier works in your favour. It limits competition and lets you charge professional rates.
The electricians who build successful businesses:
- Get EV and renewable qualifications early — the growth sectors
- Build a landlord database — recurring EICR revenue
- Price from their day rate — not from what they think sounds reasonable
- Get paid digitally — payment links on invoices, automated chasing
- Set up systems before they need them — so growth doesn't mean chaos
Start your electrical business with one platform
Muster handles EICR certificates, scheduling, invoicing with payment links, GPS, and Xero sync. Flat-rate pricing that stays the same as you grow.
Book a demo