Two questions come up every time we book an EICR: how long will it take, and will we be without power? Here’s what to expect.
How long does it take?
It’s driven mainly by the number of circuits. As a rough guide:
- A typical home or flat: around 3 to 4 hours.
- A small office or shop with one board: half a day to a day.
- A medium commercial building or school: several days, often split into sections.
- Large sites, campuses and data centres: planned as a programme over weeks or months.
Writing up the report then takes a little longer, especially on bigger jobs where hundreds of test results need recording.
Will we lose power?
Yes, but not all at once, and not for long. Most tests need the circuit being tested switched off, so an inspector works through the installation board by board, circuit by circuit. Each circuit is usually only off for a few minutes. The main switch only needs to go off briefly for a few specific checks, and that can be timed to suit you.
How we keep disruption down
- Agreeing an isolation plan with you before we start, so nobody is caught out.
- Leaving critical circuits such as servers, fridges, freezers and alarms until a quiet time, or testing them out of hours.
- Working evenings, weekends or school holidays where needed.
- Splitting larger buildings into zones so most of the building carries on as normal.
How to prepare
- Let staff know testing is happening and to save their work.
- Tell us about anything that mustn’t lose power, such as servers, medical equipment or cold storage.
- Make sure we can get to every distribution board.
- Dig out any old certificates, schedules or drawings.
Martin Cook Electrical Services has been carrying out EICRs and fixed wire testing since 1998, for offices, schools, warehouses, landlords and data centres across London, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire. Request a free quote or call us on 01525 582582.
