For a business, an electrical fault is more than a tripped switch. It can mean a dark shop floor, a card machine that won't connect, spoiled stock or a server that won't restart — and an insurer asking when the installation was last checked. A commercial EICR tells you where you stand, and finds problems before they close your doors.
Who needs a commercial EICR?
Any business premises with a fixed electrical installation — the wiring, distribution boards, lighting, sockets and fixed equipment. We inspect and test:
- shops and showrooms;
- offices and studios;
- restaurants, cafés and takeaways;
- salons and workshops;
- the landlord's supply in blocks of flats — communal lighting, door entry and other shared services.
Who asks for one
- Your insurer may ask when the installation was last inspected — at renewal, or after a claim.
- Your landlord or managing agent may require a current report. Check your lease too: it may say who is responsible for the electrical installation and how often it must be tested.
- You. Keeping the installation safe protects your staff, your customers and your business.
Taking on new premises?
If you're about to sign a lease or start a fit-out, an EICR shows what you're inheriting. It gives you facts to agree with the landlord about who puts what right, and tells your fit-out team what the installation can take before new equipment goes in.
How often?
IET guidance recommends inspecting business premises every five years. The inspector sets the date of the next inspection on the report, and it can be sooner depending on how the premises are used and the condition of the installation. Our guide to how often you need an EICR covers the intervals in more detail.
What we inspect and test
- Every distribution board and consumer unit — condition, protective devices, and whether circuits are clearly identified, so the right one can be isolated quickly when it matters.
- Earthing and bonding — the main earthing arrangement and the bonding to incoming services such as gas and water.
- Final circuits — lighting, sockets and fixed equipment: cookers and extraction, water heaters, hand dryers, signage and external lighting.
- Testing, circuit by circuit — continuity, insulation resistance, polarity, earth fault loop impedance and RCD operation. An RCD is the safety switch that cuts the power in a fault.
- Extent and limitations — agreed with you before we start and recorded on the report, so everyone knows exactly what was covered.
One visit, three checks
Businesses often need three separate checks, and they're easy to mix up:
- EICR — the fixed installation: boards, wiring, sockets, lighting and fixed equipment.
- PAT testing — equipment that plugs in: computers, kettles, extension leads and power tools.
- Emergency lighting testing — the lights that guide people out when the power fails.
Ask us to quote for all three together, and you get one plan, one set of access arrangements and less disruption.
Planned around your business
Testing means switching circuits off, so we plan it with you:
- A short call before we book to find out what can't lose power without warning — tills and card machines, fridges and freezers, servers, alarms and CCTV.
- Sections switched off in turn wherever the installation allows, rather than the whole building at once.
- Warning before anything goes off, so staff can save their work and keep fridge doors closed.
- Outside opening hours? If you can't lose power while you're trading, tell us when you request a quote and we'll discuss what we can offer.
- Timing you can plan around. How long the visit takes depends on the size of the premises and the number of boards, and we'll give you an idea of timing with your quote.
Preparing for the visit
- Tell staff, and anyone else in the building, when the inspection is happening.
- Make sure we can reach every area: back-of-house, stores, plant rooms and locked offices.
- Find the keys to distribution boards and meter cupboards.
- Ask your IT support to plan a safe shutdown for servers and network equipment.
- Tell your alarm monitoring company, so a power-off doesn't trigger a call-out.
- Send us your previous EICR and any drawings or circuit charts. They help the electrician plan the visit.
Your report
You receive a full EICR on the BS 7671 model form, emailed as a PDF: the overall result, every observation with its code, the test results for each circuit and the recommended date of the next inspection. The codes on the latest forms (BS 7671 Amendment 4, 2026) are:
- C1 — danger present: immediate remedial action is necessary. We tell you on the spot and, with your agreement, make it safe — usually by isolating the affected circuit.
- C2 — potentially dangerous: urgent remedial action is necessary.
- C3 — improvement recommended.
- FI — further investigation is advised.
On these forms only a C1 or C2 makes the report unsatisfactory; older-format reports count an FI as well. EICR codes explained goes through each one.
If work is needed
Typical findings in business premises include circuits that aren't labelled, damaged cables to equipment, missing covers or blanks in distribution boards, sockets without RCD protection where it's needed, and alterations made during a refit without a certificate. Many are straightforward to put right once they've been found.
We explain each item and quote for it separately, so you can see what's urgent and plan the rest. We plan remedial work around your trading as far as we can, and you're free to use any qualified electrician. See EICR remedial work.
How pricing works
Business premises aren't priced by bedrooms, so we don't show an online price. We quote after a short call about the premises: its size and use, how many distribution boards and circuits there are, access, and any out-of-hours needs. You get a fixed quote, with VAT shown, before anything is booked.
Why businesses book with us
- A fixed quote first — agreed before anything is booked.
- Every circuit tested to BS 7671, with the results recorded circuit by circuit.
- Planned around you — power-off periods agreed before we start.
- A report you can use — a PDF ready for your insurer, landlord or managing agent.
- Plain English — codes explained, and no obligation to use us for remedial work.
- Insured — £5m public liability insurance.
- London-wide — all 32 London boroughs and the City of London.
Request a quote
Request a quote — tell us about the premises and we'll call to talk through the details and confirm a fixed price. Prefer to talk now? Call us on 07301 010244.