Electrician hourly rate Fraserburgh, 2026 published rates

• You see the total cost before any work starts

  Hourly billing has an open-ended risk: the job could take longer than expected and you discover the bill at the end. Fixed price flips that risk to us. We absorb any time overruns within the agreed scope so you know the cost upfront.

• We're incentivised to work efficiently

  On hourly billing, slow trades earn more. On fixed-price quotes, fast trades earn more. The latter aligns our incentives with yours: we want to finish the job correctly and move on, not stretch it.

• It works because we know the housing stock

  We can quote fixed prices because we know what to expect inside Fraserburgh granite cottages, Broadsea council semis, Lochpots modern estates, and harbour-front commercial. The variability is bounded by what we already know about the property type.

• Hourly is still available where it's right

  For genuinely unpredictable work (complex fault finding, layered legacy installs that need mapping before quoting) hourly billing makes more sense. We'll tell you upfront which one applies. Most jobs over 2 hours are fixed-price.

Common questions

Hourly rate FAQs

• Why is the standard rate £85 in 2026 when 2025 was £80?

  Trade-wage inflation, material cost increases (consumer units up 8% year-on-year, cable up 5 to 7%), and the BS 7671 18th Edition Amendment 2 requirements bedding into routine practice (slightly more time per job for compliance documentation). The £5 increase is below trade-average, we hold it for the full calendar year regardless of cost movements during 2026.

• When does it make sense to ask for hourly billing instead of a fixed quote?

  Three situations. First, complex fault finding where the cause isn't obvious and could take 30 minutes or 4 hours, hourly is fairer to both sides. Second, very small jobs (replacing one switch, swapping one socket) where the 1-hour minimum at £85 is the natural price anyway. Third, ongoing maintenance contracts where we visit weekly or monthly, hourly rolls up cleaner than per-visit fixed pricing. For everything else (rewires, installs, EICRs, fuse box upgrades) fixed price is better for you.

• What does the £85 hourly rate actually include?

  Skilled labour from a NICEIC-qualified electrician (or apprentice supervised by one). Use of standard test equipment (multimeter, MFT, insulation tester, RCD tester, earth loop tester). Vehicle and travel time to and from the AB43 address. Basic consumables (tape, terminals, small wire offcuts, screws). NOT included: materials over £5 (we charge those at trade cost plus 10% handling), parking fees in town centre commercial work, third-party services (SSEN supply uplift, Gas Safe isolation), waste disposal beyond a single small contractor bag.

• Do you charge for the first visit or quote?

  No, free. The first visit is a survey to understand the job and price it. We don't charge for site survey, quote preparation, or the back-and-forth WhatsApp. Where the survey itself is the diagnostic (e.g., "why is my MCB tripping?") we'll start the meter from arrival because that IS the work, but we tell you that upfront before booking.

• What's the difference between out-of-hours and emergency pricing?

  Out-of-hours (£100 to £120/hr depending on band) means "the work is non-urgent but you want it done outside business hours". Emergency (£150/hr + £120 callout) means "there is a genuine fire risk or vulnerable-resident situation that needs immediate attention". We never apply emergency pricing to non-emergency work. If you call us at 9pm saying "the kitchen extension lost power", that's £100/hr evening rate, not emergency. If you call saying "there's smoke from the fuse box", that's emergency rate from arrival.

• Are these rates the same across AB43 or do outer villages cost more?

  Same hourly rates across the AB43 postcode. The only travel uplift is for genuinely rural Strichen-area properties 2+ miles outside the village, where we add £25 to £40 to the callout to cover round-trip time. Sandhaven, Rosehearty, Cairnbulg, Inverallochy, St Combs, and Strichen-village all carry no surcharge. Declared upfront in the quote, never a surprise.