Emergency Electrician Costs in Exeter - What to Do When Your Electrics Fail

Published July 2026 | How much does an electrician cost in the UK

If you can smell burning, see sparks, or have lost power to part of your home, switch off your main consumer unit immediately and call a qualified electrician before touching any wiring or fittings.

Immediate Actions - Do These NOW

Electrical faults can escalate fast. If you're dealing with a tripped circuit that won't reset, a burning smell from a socket, or a total loss of power, here's what to do first.

1. Locate your consumer unit. It's usually a grey or white box mounted near your front door, under the stairs, or in a utility cupboard. Flip the main switch to the "off" position.
2. Unplug all appliances in the affected area. A faulty kettle, washing machine, or electric heater is one of the most common causes of a tripped circuit or a burning smell.
3. If there are visible flames or the smell of burning is strong, call 999 immediately. Don't delay to try and save equipment.
4. Don't touch sockets, switches, or any exposed wiring. Even with the consumer unit switched off, residual charge can remain in certain installations.
5. Call a registered electrician. In Exeter, most emergency electricians can reach you within one to two hours. Use the Voltrade GoFIX diagnostic tool to describe your symptoms and get matched to a qualified local tradesperson quickly, without trawling through search results at a stressful time.

Once you've done those five things, take a breath. Most electrical faults are fixable, and a competent electrician will diagnose the issue clearly once they're on site.

What NOT to Do - Common Dangerous Mistakes

Our engineers see the same avoidable mistakes made in emergency situations, and they can turn a minor fault into something far more serious.

Don't keep resetting the circuit breaker. If a breaker trips and you reset it two or three times with the same result, stop. A breaker that keeps tripping is doing its job - it's telling you something downstream is drawing too much current or there's a fault on the circuit. Forcing it back on repeatedly risks overheating the wiring inside your walls.

Don't replace a fuse with a higher-rated one. A common DIY bodge is to swap a 6-amp fuse for a 13-amp one because "the old one kept blowing." This removes the protection the fuse provides and can allow wiring to overheat undetected, sometimes inside cavities you'd never think to check.

Don't rely on extension leads as a permanent solution. If you've been running an extension from one socket to power multiple appliances in a room, that's not a safe long-term arrangement. It may not be causing your current emergency, but flag it to the electrician when they visit.

Don't attempt to open your consumer unit yourself. In older Devon properties particularly, consumer units can contain asbestos-backed boards or obsolete fuse types that need specialist handling. The inside of a live consumer unit is not somewhere an unqualified person should be investigating.

Don't assume the problem is fixed because the lights came back on. An intermittent fault can be more dangerous than a constant one - it suggests loose or degraded wiring that may arc when load is applied. Intermittent faults should always be investigated, not monitored.

When This Is a Genuine Emergency vs When It Can Wait

Not every electrical problem needs a same-day emergency call-out. Knowing the difference can save you real money, because emergency rates in Exeter typically run 50 to 100 per cent higher than standard daytime rates.

Call immediately and treat as an emergency:

• Burning smell from sockets, switches, or the consumer unit
• Sparks or visible arcing from any fitting
• Total loss of power to the property
• Any sign of water ingress near electrical fittings
• A circuit breaker that won't stay reset
• Any electrical fault in a property with young children or occupants who rely on powered medical equipment

Can usually wait until the next working day:

• A single socket that has stopped working while others on the same circuit are fine
• An outdoor security light that has failed
• A new socket or additional circuit needed for a renovation project
• An Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) required for a rental property in Devon

The key distinction is whether there's active risk - heat, water, arcing, or repeated tripping. If any of those are present, don't wait for morning.

Getting Emergency Help in Exeter

Exeter has a reliable network of NICEIC and NAPIT registered electricians who cover the city and the surrounding areas of Devon. When you're searching for emergency cover, there are a few things worth checking before you agree to anything.

Second, ask about call-out fees upfront. In Exeter, emergency call-out fees typically range from 60 to 120 pounds just to attend the property, before any work is carried out. That's standard. What varies is the hourly rate charged after that - usually between 60 and 100 pounds per hour for out-of-hours work. Some electricians charge a flat fee for the first hour, then a lower rate thereafter, so ask how they structure it.

Third, if your fault appears to be outside your property boundary - affecting the street or the shared supply - this may be a matter for National Grid Electricity Distribution, who cover the South West region including Devon. Their faults line is 0800 6783 105, and it's free and available around the clock. For any fault inside your own property, however, you'll need a qualified electrician.

For faults where you have a bit of time, getting two quotes is always sensible. For a genuine emergency where you can't safely remain in the property, call whoever can attend fastest from a registered firm.

What the Emergency Repair Involves

What the electrician actually does when they arrive depends on the nature of the fault. Here's what to expect from the most common emergency scenarios in Exeter homes.

Tripped circuit investigation: The electrician will isolate the circuit, use a multimeter and insulation resistance tester to check for faults, then identify the root cause. This typically takes one to two hours. For a standard domestic property, labour for this type of investigation commonly falls between 80 and 180 pounds, depending on how accessible the wiring is and how complex the fault turns out to be.

Consumer unit replacement: If your fuse box is old - particularly if it uses rewirable fuses rather than modern miniature circuit breakers - the electrician may recommend a full consumer unit replacement. This is a common job in older Exeter properties, including Victorian terraces and interwar semis that haven't been updated in decades. A new consumer unit with RCD protection typically costs between 500 and 900 pounds for a standard domestic property, including labour and the required electrical certificate.

Partial rewire: If degraded or damaged wiring is found - which is not unusual in Devon properties built before the 1970s - a partial rewire may be needed. Costs vary depending on how many circuits are involved and how accessible the route is, but for a single floor of a semi-detached house you'd typically be looking at somewhere between 1,000 and 2,500 pounds.

Socket or switch replacement: A single damaged socket or switch is a relatively quick fix. Expect to pay 50 to 100 pounds including labour for a like-for-like replacement once the electrician is already on site.

Emergency Questions

How much does an emergency electrician cost in Exeter?

Emergency electricians in Exeter typically charge a call-out fee of between 60 and 120 pounds, plus an hourly rate of 60 to 100 pounds for out-of-hours work. Standard daytime rates are lower, commonly 45 to 70 pounds per hour. The total cost of an emergency visit - call-out plus one to two hours of investigation - typically falls between 150 and 300 pounds before any parts are factored in. Always confirm the call-out fee and hourly rate before the engineer begins travelling to you.

What should I tell the electrician when I call?

Describe exactly what happened before the fault occurred - did a breaker trip? Is there a burning smell? How many circuits are affected? Tell them the approximate age of the property if you know it, and whether you have a modern consumer unit with MCBs or an older fuse board. This helps the electrician arrive prepared with the right test equipment and gives them a realistic idea of how long the job might take, which affects the quote they give you.

Can I stay in my home while the electrician carries out repairs?

In most cases, yes, though the engineer will need to isolate power to parts of the property during the work. If the fault involves suspected burning inside walls or under floorboards, the engineer may advise you to leave as a precaution until the source is confirmed. Follow their guidance on this - they're assessing risk based on what they can see directly, and in older Devon properties with timber frames, the risk from an electrical fire inside the structure is taken seriously by any competent engineer.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does an electrician cost per hour in the UK?

In the UK, electricians typically charge between 40 and 70 pounds per hour during standard working hours. In cities like Exeter, rates tend to sit comfortably in the middle of that range - around 50 to 65 pounds per hour for daytime work. Emergency or out-of-hours rates are commonly 50 to 100 per cent higher than standard rates. Always ask for an itemised estimate before work begins, including the call-out fee, hourly rate, and any minimum charge periods - some firms charge a minimum of two hours regardless of how quickly the job is completed.

How do I know if an electrician is qualified?

In the UK, electricians carrying out notifiable electrical work must be registered with a competent person scheme such as NICEIC, NAPIT, or ELECSA. You can verify registration directly on the NICEIC or NAPIT websites by searching the tradesperson's name or company. Registered electricians can self-certify their work to building regulations, meaning you receive a certificate of compliance without needing a separate building control inspection, which saves time and avoids additional fees.

What is an EICR and do I need one in Devon?

An EICR - Electrical Installation Condition Report - is a formal inspection of the fixed electrical installation in a property. Landlords in Devon and across England are legally required to have a valid EICR carried out at least every five years, with a copy provided to tenants. For homeowners, it's not legally required but is strongly recommended when buying an older property or if your installation hasn't been inspected in over a decade. An EICR for a standard three-bedroom house typically costs between 150 and 300 pounds in the Exeter area.

When is a full rewire necessary?

A full rewire is typically needed when a property has original wiring that is 30 to 40 years old or more, rubber-insulated or aluminium wiring, or when an EICR has returned a code 1 or code 2 finding indicating immediate danger or potential danger. Many older properties in Devon still have wiring from the 1960s or 1970s that hasn't been touched since installation. A full rewire for a three-bedroom house in Exeter commonly costs between 3,500 and 6,000 pounds, depending on the size of the property and how easy it is to access the existing wiring routes.