How much does an emergency electrician cost in London? 2026 call-out prices
Emergency call-out prices in London
| When | First hour | Each hour after | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekday, 8am to 6pm, same day | £80 to £150 | £50 to £80 | Many firms fit these in at normal rates |
| Weekday evening, 6pm to 10pm | £100 to £200 | £70 to £120 | The typical "emergency" rate |
| Night, 10pm to 8am | £150 to £250 | £90 to £150 | Few electricians genuinely work these hours |
| Weekend and bank holiday | £150 to £250 | £90 to £150 | Parts suppliers are shut, repairs often finish Monday |
Parts are extra. A replacement RCD or RCBO is £25 to £60, a consumer unit £120 to £250, and an out-of-hours job usually needs a second daytime visit to finish properly, so budget for that when you compare a night call-out with waiting until 8am.
What is a real electrical emergency
Call straight away, and if there is fire or smoke call 999 first, for any of these: a burning smell or scorch marks at a socket, switch or the consumer unit; sparks or a bang from the board; exposed live wires anyone could touch; water running into electrics; a power cut in your property only, when the supplier confirms the street is on, and you cannot reset it; anyone who has had a shock, however small.
Not an emergency, however annoying: one circuit tripping that stays off when you leave it off, a single dead socket, a light that will not work, a cooker or shower that has stopped. Those are next-morning jobs and there is no reason to pay double for them.
What to do before you call anyone
- Go to the consumer unit. If one switch has dropped, that circuit has tripped. Switch off everything on that circuit, then try the switch once. If it holds, plug things back in one at a time until you find the item that trips it. Usually it is a kettle, a lamp or an outdoor extension.
- If it will not hold, leave that circuit off and use the rest of the house. That turns a night call-out into a morning booking.
- If the main switch or the RCD for everything keeps tripping, switch off every circuit, reset the main, and turn circuits back on one by one. The one that trips it is the fault. Leave it off.
- Check the street. Your supplier's power cut line (105 from any phone) tells you if the outage is theirs. If it is, no electrician can fix it.
- Photograph the board with the covers on. Send it with your message and you will get an accurate quote instead of a guess.
The most common call-outs and what they cost to fix
| Fault | Usual cause | Typical fix price, daytime |
|---|---|---|
| RCD trips and will not reset | A faulty appliance, damp in an outdoor socket, or a damaged cable | £80 to £180 to trace and isolate; repair priced after |
| One circuit dead | A blown fuse in an old board, a loose connection, a failed MCB | £70 to £150 |
| Burning smell at a socket | A loose connection arcing behind the faceplate | £80 to £160 to replace the socket and check the ring |
| Whole house off, supplier says street is live | Main switch, a failed RCD, or the cut-out fuse (supplier only) | £100 to £250, or a free supplier visit if it is their fuse |
| Lights flicker or dim when appliances start | A loose neutral, sometimes at the supplier side | £90 to £200, possibly a supplier call |
| Shower or cooker dead | Failed isolator switch or element | £90 to £180 plus parts |
How to avoid paying emergency rates
Three things cut the bill. First, isolate at the board and wait until morning whenever the list above says you can. Second, book with a firm that offers a fixed-price fault visit rather than "£X an hour plus parts", because fault finding open-ended by the hour is how a £120 job becomes £400. Third, keep your EICR current: almost every emergency we attend is something an inspection would have flagged as a C2 a year earlier. Energy North does a fixed-price fault visit within 48 hours at daytime rates, and an EICR from £100.
Landlords and emergency repairs
A landlord must keep the electrical installation safe and in repair, and a tenant with no power or an unsafe installation is a repair the law expects to be dealt with quickly, usually within 24 hours for a total loss of power. Under the 2020 electrical safety regulations a C1 or C2 found at any time must be fixed within 28 days. Give tenants the number of your electrician, tell them what to try at the board first, and keep the EICR on file so the fault history is known.
Where these prices apply
This guide is written for London. The figures hold across the boroughs we work in most, Barnet, Enfield, Haringey, Camden, Islington, Hackney, Waltham Forest, Tower Hamlets, Newham, Redbridge, Westminster, Ealing, Brent, Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow, and across the rest of Greater London within a small travel allowance. Outside the M25 prices are usually a little lower because day rates and parking cost less.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an emergency electrician cost in London?
Between £100 and £200 for the first hour on a weekday evening and £70 to £120 an hour after that. Nights, weekends and bank holidays run £150 to £250 for the first hour. Parts are extra.
What counts as an electrical emergency?
A burning smell or scorching at a socket or the consumer unit, sparks or a bang from the board, exposed live wires, water in the electrics, a power loss in your property alone that you cannot reset, or anyone getting a shock. A single tripping circuit that stays off is not an emergency.
Should I call an electrician if my RCD keeps tripping?
First unplug everything on that circuit and reset it. If it holds, plug items back one by one to find the faulty one. If it will not hold, leave the circuit off and book a fault visit for the morning at normal rates.
Can I get an emergency electrician the same day in London?
Yes. Many firms fit same-day daytime visits at normal rates. Energy North books fault visits within 48 hours across North, East and West London at daytime prices.
Who pays for an emergency electrician in a rented property?
The landlord, for anything to do with the fixed installation. The tenant may be liable if their own appliance caused the fault, which is why tracing the cause matters.
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Related guides
- How much does an electrician cost in London?
- How much does an EICR cost in London?
- Consumer unit replacement cost in London
- Landlord electrical safety certificate cost in London
Prices checked 12 September 2026. They are guide prices for Greater London and include VAT where Energy North is the installer; other electricians may quote differently. Nothing on this page changes the legal duties described, which come from the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 and BS 7671.