Lines every electrical quote should have
- The business's name and contact details, and the name and registration number of the electrician doing the work.
- Each part of the job on its own line: how many power points, lights or circuits, and where they go.
- Which circuits get RCD protection, and whether the switchboard needs changes to fit them.
- Whether the work is low-risk, general or high-risk.
- The certificates you'll receive, and for high-risk work, that a licensed electrical inspector is part of the plan.
- Anything that involves your lines company or your power retailer, and who arranges it.
- Making good: who patches holes in walls and ceilings, and whether painting is in or out.
- Removing and disposing of old fittings, cable or the old board.
- Roughly how long the power will be off, and over how many days the work runs.
- Whether it's a firm quote or an estimate, how long it stays open, and how changes get agreed.
Why two quotes for the same job can look so different
Scope. One electrician might include an RCD upgrade at the board because new circuits need RCD protection, while another leaves it out and adds it later. WorkSafe says new circuits that start at the switchboard and supply lighting or power points in a home must have RCD protection, so the cheaper-looking quote may simply be incomplete.
Access. A single-storey villa with an open ceiling space is quicker to work in than a two-storey home with a skillion roof and no crawl space. Good quotes say what they've assumed about getting cables through.
The inspection. For high-risk work, like a higher-capacity switchboard or mains work, the job needs an independent inspection by a licensed electrical inspector. If one quote includes it and the other doesn't mention it, you aren't comparing the same job.
What turns up on the day. Old wiring often hides surprises. A careful quote says how they'll handle anything found behind the walls, rather than leaving it to a conversation halfway through.
Quote or estimate?
In everyday use, a quote is a firm figure for the work it describes, and an estimate is a best guess that can move. Ask which one you're looking at, and get it in writing either way.
If no price was agreed at all, the Consumer Guarantees Act says a service must come at a reasonable price. It also says the work must be done with reasonable care and skill, be fit for the purpose you asked for, and be finished within a reasonable time if no time was set.
The certificates belong in the quote
The paperwork follows the risk level of the job. Every piece of prescribed electrical work gets an Electrical Safety Certificate (ESC). General work, such as new circuits, sub-boards and rewires, also gets a Certificate of Compliance (CoC). High-risk work gets a CoC, an ESC and a Record of Inspection from a licensed electrical inspector.
The EWRB says a CoC must clearly describe the work, include the dates and the test results, and identify any part of the installation that isn't safe to connect. Both the CoC and the ESC must carry an authentication mark. A quote that names the certificates up front makes it much easier to chase them later. Electrical certificates explained goes through each one.
Lines company, consent and rental extras
If the job changes your supply, such as a bigger connection or a move from overhead to underground, your lines company is involved, and a new meter goes through your retailer. A good quote says who's applying and what happens if the lines company's timing slips.
If the electrical work is part of a consented build, the electrician's energy work certificate has to go in with the application for the code compliance certificate, so check that's covered. For rental extractor fans, Tenancy Services suggests landlords get the fan diameter, ducting and flow rate details from the installer in writing. Ask for those to be on the quote or the invoice.
Gaps worth asking about
- A single line with a total and no description of the work.
- "Extras as required" with no idea of what those might be.
- No mention of certificates at all.
- High-risk work with no inspector in the plan.
- A lower figure if you don't need the paperwork.
- A large payment up front before any work is booked in.
- No name or registration number for whoever will do the job.
How to compare two quotes properly
Lay them side by side
Write each item from both quotes into one list. Gaps show up straight away.
Ask each electrician to fill the gaps
Send the same short list of questions to both. How quickly and clearly they answer tells you a lot about how the job will go.
Check the risk level matches
If one calls the job general and the other calls it high-risk, ask why. The answer often explains the difference.
Check the people
Look up both electricians on the EWRB public register before you decide.
Choose on scope and specialist, then total
Once both quotes describe the same job, compare totals. Until then, the numbers aren't measuring the same thing.
Your side, and the electrician's
You can
- Describe the whole job, including what's planned for later.
- Ask for the quote in writing, with each item listed.
- Ask which certificates you'll get and when.
- Agree any change to the job in writing before it happens.
Leave to a licensed electrician
- Spell out the scope, the risk level and the certificates.
- Arrange the inspector for high-risk work.
- Tell you before doing anything outside the quote.
- Fix faults in their work within a reasonable time.
Our take
We'd never pick a quote on the total alone. We'd make both quotes describe the same job first, then pick the electrician who explained it most clearly and does that kind of work most often. If a quote leaves you with questions, ask them now. It's much easier than asking after the walls are closed up.
Want a specialist to sort it?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match the licence-checked local electrician who does this kind of work, and they call you. No ring-around, and your number goes to them alone.