How to find an electrician in North Wales

Finding an electrician is easy. Finding a qualified, registered one who will give you proper paperwork takes a few checks. This guide walks through what to look for across North Wales, which covers six counties: Anglesey, Gwynedd, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham.

How to find an electrician near you

Start local. Word of mouth still works well for trades, so ask neighbours, friends or your local Facebook group who they have used. A directory is the other quick route. You can browse electricians listed by area on North Wales Local, then shortlist two or three to contact.

Whoever you find, get more than one quote. Three is a sensible number. It tells you the going rate for the job and gives you a feel for who communicates clearly and turns up when they say they will. For the wider checks that apply to any trade, see our guide on how to choose a tradesperson.

Why registration matters: Part P

Most fixed domestic electrical work in Wales and England falls under Part P of the Building Regulations. That means new circuits, consumer unit (fuse box) changes and a lot of work in kitchens and bathrooms. Part P work must be done by an electrician registered with a government-approved competent person scheme, or it must be signed off by your local council’s building control.

The two main approved schemes are NICEIC and NAPIT. An electrician registered with one of these can self-certify their own work. If you skip this and use someone unregistered without getting council sign-off, you can run into problems later, particularly when you sell the house and a buyer’s solicitor asks for the paperwork.

So before you book, ask which scheme they are registered with. Then check it. Each scheme has an online register where you can confirm a business is current. Membership of TrustMark is a further sign of a vetted trader. TrustMark is the only government-endorsed quality scheme.

Get the certificate

Registration only helps you if you get the document at the end. For notifiable work, a registered electrician should issue a certificate confirming the job meets Building Regulations. Keep it safe.

This matters most at two points: insurance claims and house sales. If a buyer’s solicitor asks for evidence that electrical work was done properly and you cannot produce it, the sale can stall while you sort it out. Ask for the certificate as part of agreeing the job, not as an afterthought once the electrician has packed up and gone.

What an EICR is and who needs one

An EICR is an Electrical Installation Condition Report. It is a safety inspection of a property’s fixed wiring, sockets and consumer unit, and it tells you whether the installation is safe to keep using or needs remedial work.

Landlords in particular need one. If you let out a property, you are legally required to have the electrical installation inspected and tested, and to provide the report to tenants. Homeowners are not required to get an EICR, but many do when buying an older property or after work they want checked. If you are booking an EICR, confirm the electrician is qualified to carry one out before they start.

Emergency electricians

Some jobs cannot wait. A burning smell from a socket, sparking, or a total power loss that is not the wider grid all warrant a fast call-out. Search for an emergency or 24-hour electrician covering your county, and expect call-out rates to be higher than for planned work, especially at night or over a weekend.

Even in a hurry, do the basic checks. Ask if they are registered with one of the approved schemes and whether they carry public liability insurance. A genuine emergency electrician will answer both without hesitation. If the power problem is dangerous and you cannot get help quickly, switch off at the consumer unit and keep clear until someone qualified arrives.

What it costs

There are no fixed prices, so be wary of anyone who quotes a firm figure over the phone without seeing the job. Always get a written quote rather than a rough verbal estimate. A written quote should set out the work, the materials and whether VAT is included.

Prices vary by the size of the job, the age of your wiring and how much access is involved. Getting two or three written quotes is the only reliable way to know whether a price is fair for your particular job.

Questions to ask before work starts

Run through these before you agree anything:

• Which competent person scheme are you registered with, and can I check it?
• Do you have public liability insurance?
• Will I get a certificate for the work?
• Can you provide references from recent local jobs?
• Is the quote in writing, and does it include VAT and materials?

One more thing on your rights. If you agree a job at home, the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 give you a 14-day right to cancel. Get the agreement in writing so both sides are clear on what was agreed and when.