Commercial Electrician in Fraserburgh, AB43

Common questions

Commercial Electrician FAQs for Fraserburgh

• Do you work out of hours so my business doesn't have to close?

  Yes. About 40% of our commercial work in Fraserburgh is evening, weekend, or early morning to avoid disrupting trade. Out of hours rate is £120 per hour, vs £85 standard. For shops we typically work Sundays. For restaurants and cafés, mornings before opening. For salons, evenings after the last appointment. We schedule around your shift pattern, not the other way round.

• What's the difference between domestic and commercial electrical work?

  Three big things. One, the testing standards are different (BS 7671 covers both, but commercial uses Fixed Wire periodic inspection rather than a domestic EICR, with sub testing of distribution boards, lighting circuits, and any 3 phase). Two, the compliance documentation is bigger (you need fixed wire, fire alarm, emergency lighting, and PAT records all kept on file for HSE). Three, the response priorities are different, downtime costs money so we treat commercial faults with shorter response windows.

• Do I need an annual service contract or can I just call when something breaks?

  Both work, but the contract usually comes out cheaper if you're hitting all the compliance points anyway. Annual service contract bundles fixed wire (over 5 years), fire alarm annual, emergency lighting annual, and PAT annual into one fixed yearly fee. Around £680 for a typical small business. Plus 10% off any reactive call outs during the contract period. Without a contract you pay per visit at standard rates.

• What insurance documents will I need from you?

  Every commercial customer gets, on request, a copy of our public liability insurance certificate (£5M cover), employer's liability cover, NICEIC enrolment confirmation, SELECT membership, BS 7671 18th Edition Amendment 2 competency, and DBS check certificate (relevant for school and care home work). All available on letterhead within 24 hours. Most commercial insurers ask for this pack annually.

• Can you handle a commercial rewire or major refurbishment?

  Yes. We've done shop refurbs, salon fit outs, café new installs, and harbour business rewires. For projects over £5,000 we work to a written specification and a fixed price quote, with a phased payment schedule (typically 30% on commencement, 50% on first fix, 20% on completion and certification). For projects under £5,000 we run to standard hourly billing with a cap.

• Do you have the kit for 3 phase commercial supplies?

  Yes. Most Fraserburgh commercial properties run on single phase 100A supplies, but some larger units (fish processing, chandleries with workshop kit, larger restaurants with three phase induction) have three phase 415V. We carry the test kit and the protective equipment for three phase, and we hold the JIB ECS gold card for site work where required.

• How do you handle emergency call outs for businesses?

  Three response tiers. Tier 1 (real emergency, fire risk or trading impossible): 60 to 90 minutes inside AB43, £95 call out + £85 to £120 hourly. Tier 2 (trading possible but degraded, fault to fix today): same day attendance, standard rate. Tier 3 (non urgent, can wait until next morning): standard rate, no call out fee. Most businesses are Tier 2 most of the time, full power loss is rare.

• Do you understand the Fraserburgh harbour business sector?

  Yes. Chandleries, fish processing, fuel suppliers, boat repair workshops, lobster sheds, and the various harbour adjacent commercial properties. The common thread is exposed coastal weather (we spec marine grade kit), three phase supplies in workshop areas, and HSE concerns around water and electrics combined. We've been doing harbour business work in Fraserburgh and Peterhead for years.