How Much Does an Electrician Cost in Fareham

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

You need electrical work done at home and you're looking at two very different quotes sitting in your inbox. One is from a local sole trader who works alone and quoted a day rate. The other is from an established electrical company with a team, a branded van, and a fixed price. The gap between them can be significant - sometimes hundreds of pounds for the same job. So which one do you go with, and what exactly are you paying for when you hire either?

This is the real decision most Fareham homeowners face. It's not just about finding the lowest price - it's about understanding what drives the cost difference and whether that difference matters for your specific situation.

Hiring a Sole Trader Electrician

A sole trader electrician is a self-employed individual who works independently, either alone or occasionally with a labourer or apprentice. They typically carry all their own tools and materials, set their own rates, and handle their own scheduling. In Fareham and across Hampshire, sole traders make up a significant proportion of the local electrical workforce.

What it involves

When you hire a sole trader, you're dealing directly with the person doing the work. There's no office team, no account manager, no layers of administration. You call or message them directly, they come out, they give you a price, and they do the job. Most sole traders price work in one of two ways: a fixed quote for a defined scope of work, or a day rate plus materials.

Day rates for sole traders in the Fareham area typically run between 250 and 380 pounds, with materials charged on top at cost or with a small markup. For smaller jobs - adding a socket, fitting a light fitting, or replacing a fused spur - many sole traders will price the whole job as a flat rate, commonly between 80 and 200 pounds depending on complexity.

Pros of hiring a sole trader

The main advantage is cost. Without the overheads of a larger business - premises, office staff, vehicles to maintain, marketing budgets - sole traders can typically undercut company quotes by 15 to 30 percent on comparable work. On a job like a full rewire of a three-bedroom house in Fareham, which commonly costs between 3,500 and 5,500 pounds through a company, a well-regarded sole trader might price the same job at 2,800 to 4,500 pounds.

You also tend to get consistency. The electrician who quotes the job is the same person doing the work, which means no miscommunication between estimator and engineer. For homeowners who've had bad experiences with larger firms sending different people each time, this matters.

Cons of hiring a sole trader

The downsides are real. If the sole trader is ill, has an emergency on another job, or simply gets busy, your booking can slip. There's usually no backup cover. For urgent work - a tripping consumer unit the night before Christmas, for instance - a sole trader may not be your most reliable option.

Insurance and certification still matter with sole traders. You should always check that any electrician you hire, sole trader or otherwise, is registered with a competent person scheme such as NICEIC, NAPIT, or the Electrical Competent Person Scheme. This is what allows them to self-certify notifiable work under Part P of the Building Regulations. If they're not registered, you'll need to arrange a separate building control application, which adds cost and delays.

Hiring an Electrical Company

An electrical company employs multiple electricians, operates from a fixed base, and typically handles a wider range of job sizes - from domestic socket additions through to commercial installations. In Hampshire, you'll find everything from small two or three-person firms to larger regional outfits with dozens of engineers on the books.

What it involves

When you contact an electrical company, you're usually speaking with an office team first. They'll arrange a survey or send a quote based on the information you provide. The work itself is then allocated to one of their engineers - who may or may not be the same person who assessed the job. Larger companies often use project management systems, scheduled callouts, and structured pricing lists.

Hourly rates from electrical companies in the Fareham area typically run between 65 and 95 pounds per hour including VAT, with many companies applying a minimum charge or call-out fee on top - commonly between 60 and 120 pounds. Fixed prices tend to be quoted for defined jobs: a consumer unit replacement typically costs between 500 and 800 pounds through a company, an EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report) usually between 180 and 350 pounds depending on property size, and EV charger installation commonly between 600 and 1,100 pounds.

Pros of hiring an electrical company

Reliability is the headline. If one engineer can't make it, a company can usually send someone else. For landlords managing multiple properties, or homeowners who need work done to a specific deadline, this predictability has real value.

Larger companies also tend to carry more comprehensive public liability insurance - often five million pounds or more - and have formal complaints and quality assurance processes. If something goes wrong, there's a structured route for resolution rather than a phone number that might not be answered.

For complex, multi-stage projects like full rewires, loft conversions with electrical integration, or new builds, a company's ability to schedule multiple engineers and coordinate with other trades can actually save time overall.

Cons of hiring an electrical company

Cost is the obvious one. Overheads are higher, and those costs are passed on. For simple jobs - adding a socket, swapping a light switch, investigating a fault - paying company rates can feel disproportionate.

There can also be a disconnect between who quotes and who delivers. An experienced estimator might assess your job, but a junior engineer ends up doing the work. For most standard jobs that's fine; for complex or sensitive work in older Hampshire properties, it can cause problems.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Here's how the two options typically stack up across the factors that matter most:

Hourly rate: Sole traders in Fareham commonly charge 45 to 70 pounds per hour. Electrical companies typically charge 65 to 95 pounds per hour including VAT.

Day rate: Sole traders typically 250 to 380 pounds per day plus materials. Companies typically 350 to 550 pounds per day including engineer time, and materials are often quoted separately on larger jobs.

Call-out fee: Many sole traders waive the call-out fee if the job goes ahead. Companies more commonly apply a fixed call-out or minimum charge of 60 to 120 pounds regardless.

Consumer unit replacement: Sole trader typically 350 to 550 pounds. Company typically 500 to 800 pounds.

Full rewire (3-bed semi): Sole trader typically 2,800 to 4,500 pounds. Company typically 3,500 to 5,500 pounds.

EICR: Sole trader typically 120 to 220 pounds. Company typically 180 to 350 pounds.

Availability: Sole traders often book up 2 to 4 weeks in advance. Companies often have more scheduling flexibility, including same-week availability for urgent work.

Consistency: Sole trader - you know who's coming. Company - can vary.

Certification: Both must hold Part P competent person registration to self-certify notifiable work. Always verify before booking.

Which Is Right for Your Situation

There's no universal answer here, but the type of job you need done is usually the best guide.

For smaller, well-defined jobs - fitting an additional socket, replacing a consumer unit, installing a couple of exterior lights - a sole trader with good local reviews and verified NICEIC or NAPIT registration will almost always give you better value without meaningful trade-offs. The work is within any competent electrician's scope, the risk is low, and you'll typically save 100 to 250 pounds compared with a company quote.

For larger or more complex projects, the calculation shifts. A full rewire in an older Fareham property, for example, can surface unexpected complications - deteriorated wiring in cavity walls, asbestos in floor voids in pre-1980 homes, or non-standard earthing arrangements in properties that have been extended and modified over decades. A larger company with multiple engineers and experience across varied Hampshire housing stock may handle these complications more smoothly.

If you're a landlord, the case for a company relationship is stronger. You need documented certification, reliable scheduling around tenants, and a single point of contact for ongoing compliance - EICRs, emergency repairs, new appliance connections. That administrative consistency is worth paying a premium for.

If you're a homeowner doing a one-off job with no urgent deadline and flexibility on timing, a well-reviewed sole trader is often the smarter choice. Use a platform like Voltrade to check their certification status and recent customer reviews before you commit.

What Fareham Homeowners Typically Choose and Why

Fareham's housing stock is a mix of post-war semis, 1970s and 1980s estates around Whiteley and Portchester, and older Victorian terraces in the town centre. That mix shapes what kind of electrical work comes up most often and who gets hired to do it.

For the most common jobs - consumer unit replacements in older homes, EV charger installations as residents charge overnight for commutes into Portsmouth or Southampton, and EICR testing driven by landlord compliance requirements - Fareham homeowners tend to split fairly evenly between sole traders and smaller local companies. The tipping point is usually urgency and recommendation.

A personal recommendation from a neighbour or someone in a local Facebook group carries enormous weight. An electrician who's done good work on a street tends to get called back repeatedly. Many Fareham residents end up with a preferred sole trader they've used two or three times, who knows the quirks of their property, and whose number they keep saved.

What we see less of in Fareham than in larger urban centres is residents defaulting to big national firms. The local and regional electrical market in Hampshire is competitive, well-served, and - for domestic work - there's rarely a reason to go national when good local options are available.

One pattern worth noting: homeowners tackling a larger project for the first time, such as a rewire or a significant extension, often start by contacting a company because it feels safer, then discover mid-quote process that a highly rated sole trader with equivalent certification offers substantially better value. Getting at least one quote from each type before committing is a habit that consistently pays off.

If you're unsure whether an electrician is certified for the work you need, the Voltrade GoFIX diagnostic tool can help you identify what type of job you're dealing with and what qualifications to look for before you make contact.

Making Your Decision

If you're still not sure which route to take, work through these four questions before you pick up the phone.

What does your job actually involve?

Be specific before you contact anyone. Is it a fault you need diagnosed? A new circuit for a garden room? A landlord compliance certificate? The more clearly you can describe the scope, the more accurate your quotes will be - and the better placed you'll be to spot when one quote is covering the same work as another. Vague briefs lead to vague quotes with room for extras to creep in.

How quickly do you need it done?

If you have a genuine emergency - no power to part of your home, a burning smell from a socket, a tripped RCD that won't reset - call an electrical company or use an emergency call-out service. For non-urgent work, a sole trader's two to three week lead time is rarely a real problem, and the saving is worth the wait. Urgency is the main scenario where paying company rates makes obvious sense.

Is this a one-off job or the start of an ongoing relationship?

If you've just bought a house in Fareham and anticipate a programme of electrical work over the next couple of years, establishing a relationship with a reliable sole trader who gets to know your property can be worth more than saving money on the first job. If you're a landlord with five properties in Hampshire and you need consistent certification documentation, a company's account management and record-keeping may justify the cost difference.

Have you verified their certification and read recent reviews?

This applies equally to sole traders and companies. Before you book, confirm they're registered with NICEIC, NAPIT, or another approved competent person scheme for domestic electrical work. Check reviews from the last 12 months - not just the overall star rating, but how they handled problems when things didn't go smoothly. A sole trader with 47 four and five-star reviews from local Fareham and Hampshire homeowners over the past two years is a considerably safer choice than a company with a polished website and reviews from three years ago.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Electrician hourly rates in the UK typically range from 40 to 95 pounds per hour, depending on location, experience, and whether you're hiring a sole trader or a company. In the Fareham and Hampshire area, expect to pay around 45 to 70 pounds per hour for a sole trader and 65 to 95 pounds per hour for an established electrical firm. Most electricians also apply a minimum charge or call-out fee on top for smaller jobs, commonly between 50 and 120 pounds.

Do I need a Part P registered electrician in Fareham?

For notifiable electrical work in England - which includes work in kitchens, bathrooms, consumer unit replacements, and new circuits - you must either use a Part P certified electrician who can self-certify the work, or submit the work for building control inspection yourself. Hiring someone who is registered with NICEIC, NAPIT, or the Electrical Competent Person Scheme covers you automatically. Always ask to see proof of registration before any work begins, not after.

How much does a consumer unit replacement cost in the UK?

A consumer unit replacement in the UK typically costs between 350 and 800 pounds, with Fareham and Hampshire prices sitting roughly in the middle of that range. The final cost depends on the size of the unit, the number of circuits, access to the existing installation, and whether any remedial work is needed to bring the consumer unit position up to current standards. Always get at least two quotes and ensure the price includes the Part P notification certificate.

Should I get multiple quotes for electrical work?

For any job costing more than 300 pounds, getting two or three quotes is worth doing. The variation between quotes for the same scope of work can be 20 to 40 percent, which on larger jobs like rewires or EV charger installations represents a meaningful saving. When comparing quotes, check that each one covers the same scope, includes materials, and specifies what certification will be provided on completion. The cheapest quote is not always the best value, but significant unexplained price gaps are always worth querying.