Simple and affordable PAT Testing prices
Our prices start at just £1.00 per item, plus our initial site fee which you see below. We provide discounted rates depending on the number of items you have, starting at over 100 items, and further discounts for larger sites and schools.
Our PAT Testing Prices
For standard ‘domestic’ plugs the following price applies
| Under 100 items | £1.00 per item |
|---|---|
| Over 100 items | £120 for first 100 then £0.80 per item |
‘Industrial Adaptors’
| Under 100 items | £2.50 per item |
|---|---|
| Over 100 items | £1.50 per item |
- Standard plugs in industrial environments will be charged for at £1.00 each
- We recommend for industrial environments an hourly fee rather than per item charges.
Initial Fee
| Tyne and Wear addresses, Northumberland south of Bedlington from the A1 to the coast | £25.00 |
|---|---|
| Elsewhere in Northumberland or Co. Durham | £35.00 |
The initial fee we charge covers our travel time and travel costs getting to you to carry out our work. Our initial fee is £25.00 for Tyne and Wear addresses, and Northumberland south of Bedlington from the A1 to the coast. Anywhere else in Northumberland or Co. Durham it is £35.00. For anywhere else in the Uk please request a PAT testing quote.
Send us your enquiry
Our PAT testing prices
PAT testing generally works on a ‘per item‘ price; this means that for every ‘item‘ (electrical appliance) we test you charged once. An electrical appliance is any part of a full appliance that is mains powered (not battery powered) and could be used with the main unit it is attached to now, or a different unit if moved.
As an example: a desktop computer generally consists of a CPU, what most people call a computer, the computers’ power lead which detaches and can be used elsewhere, the monitor screen and its lead. There are other components but they do not work of the power of the mains directly. In total the desktop computer in this case has 4 items. If you have a second monitor, there are now 6 items. You may use a socket extension block for all these plugs, so that is now 7 items. If your phone charger is also plugged in, that’s 8. If you have a lamp on the desk that’s 9. If you have your own printer (2 items), that’s 11. And so on around the office.
You don’t need to count all these; if you’re unsure, counting the number of computers in your office Is a good start. Say you have 20 computers, multiply 20 by 10 and you get a good approximate of how many appliances there are in the office. If you have a lot and don’t want the hassle, put in the notes that you’re not sure and can we come out to do the quote, we can, that’s fine and we don’t charge for that.
If you prefer we can work on hourly rates (we actually think this is better for you as it nearly always works out cheaper). Our rate is £45.00 for the first hour then £35.00 per hour thereafter. VAT is to be added to all quoted prices.
We carry out Portable Appliance Testing, and a select few other electrical testing services. On this page you will find our prices, which are based on ‘per item‘, ‘per hour‘ and ‘fixed‘ prices.
Portable Appliance Testing is used to make sure the electrical equipment (that connects to the mains via a plug & socket) is safe to continue using.
Legal Compliance: The process helps you to ensure that you satisfy the requirements of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 as well as a host of other regulatory workplace requirements.
Every time “PAT” is carried out, you are provided with a PAT Test Certificate and log of every appliance tested and the results obtained.
Records of Compliance: When you get PAT carried out, dependent on who you use, you may get a log with the electrical readings; whilst these are not essential they will be required if an investigation was ever launched against your company for (example) negligence, so it’s worth paying a bit extra to get these.
Risk Based Retest Periods: You also, are required to risk assess the equipment and its use to determine how often you should test equipment to make sure it is safe. You may not be competent to do this, but we are, and we do do this as standard when carrying out our inspections and tests. We automatically put this in place and it reflects on the report we provide you with. We then send you reminders when the next phase of inspection / testing is required, so that when that phase is complete you get an updated certificate and report, so you always remain compliant. You can do all this yourself, but you’ll find it very time consuming, which is why we take it away from you, saving you time and money.
In 2011 the Loftsed report claimed that many businesses were wasting money because they were getting PAT done too often; it was a badly understood document but the jist of it was right – businesses were getting everything tested every year, when it wasn’t always necessary, so a risk assessment was recommended. We have operated this way since new guidance in 2012; but very few PAT companies do, and most of our cheaper competitors continue to insist that you get everything tested every year. They may be cheaper now, but in the long run you will pay them a lot more. A recent example shows that even though our initial cost was double our competitor, the client would save 80% over 5 years; this equated to over £10,000!
Maintaining safe electrical equipment is a legal requirement: Additionally we help you to maintain safe equipment, by carrying out repairs as we inspect equipment we are doing the maintenance for you. If we have to fail something we will guide you on the next steps, which could be to repair and retest, or dispose of the appliance. If we need to supply parts for plugs, repair the existing flex or replace a fuse we do so without passing on a single penny to you – there is no charge for remedial repairs on BS1363 plugs. And if we can do an extended repair which would cost extra we get your permission before doing it.
The website Price This Please has recently run a PAT testing cost analysis which you can check here, to compare our prices against.
What the PAT Testing Price includes
Society has pushed the industry into offering cheap per item rates for years, which has led to a poor service being received by you, which is why we stay clear of those rates. We still can give you a per item rate but it is a sensible price, that allows us time to carry out the work we need to do, and so we continue to do repairs, without added charges.
The prices we charge includes travel time, fuel and all other costs of running a business. For example, our staff are paid travel time and fuel expenses; our cheaper rivals not only do not pay these, but usually only pass on about 25% of the amount they charge you, to the engineer, which is wrong.
You then get on every job, whether you have 1 appliance or thousands:
- A thorough visual inspection on every appliance including any necessary remedial repairs
- Electrical tests as required by the appliance classification and use, and any necessary remedial repairs
- A risk assessment to determine appropriate period until next test due, recomended
- Label for the appliance with unique ID number, which refers directly to the report issued.
- The itemised log for the appliance, recorded with the location it is in, showing the results obtained by the test carried out, and the overall result, with the recommended retest due by date
- That item is listed on the report with all other items, and presented to you along with a failures log (if applicable), guidance and the PAT Testing Certificate in a PDF document with front cover, issued by email within 5 days of the job being carried out.
- Recommendations and solutions from the engineer on any other areas of concern that they spot, or can fix
- Cable management where IT power cables are messy we will tidy them up, and aim to reduce use of extension leads, reducing the fire risk
- A reminder for retest approx 8 weeks before it’s due, with a suggested date when we would come to do the job
- A budget planner if required, to show costs and retest programme for next 5 years, with guaranteed prices.
PAT testing prices based on how long a PAT test takes
PAT testing prices are based on how long a job is going to take; every job is different of course but there is always a constant – it takes the same amount of time to inspect and test one plug in an office as it does in a hair salon or in a factory, but there are differences in what happens before and after, and those are too long to list. This means that in say an hour we could test 30-40 items in an office or school, possibly even a few more, whilst in a factory where we have to walk around a lot more looking for appliances, or have more repairs we may only get 10 or 20 items tested. This means that in a full day we could test 250-300 items, or 100-150.
Fixed appliances: Appliances that have had the plug removed, and been hard wired to the mains will be tested for earth continuity, at the same agreed rate that the job is for whether it is per item or part of the time.
These appliances should also be tested for insulation resistance, which means opening the spur and removing the wires. To do this the power needs isolating (turning off) which can cause disruption to your business. We will discuss options for this with you when attending and if you want to proceed we’ll arrange an alternate time to do that task (additional fees at our hourly rates will apply).
The best PAT testing price is our Hourly rates
We actually recommend that you agree an hourly rate rather than a per item rate, or better still, a fixed price for the job, as it will work out better for you.
If you approach us with a number of items to test, for a price, we will price the job based on that number with a rate for any additional items to test. The minimum amount you will pay is the quoted for amount, the maximum, is based on how many items we test. It works this way because on almost every occasion we end up testing more items than you told us. This is not your fault usually, it’s just how it works. We do try to make sure you have given us the right amount, but unless you count every item there can’t be a guarantee. So for example, if you ask for a quote for 200 items we may say (for ease in this example) £200.00. If we test 150 items, we still charge £200.00 because that’s just good business sense, but if you under estimated and we do 300 items, we have to charge for the extras, so that is £300.00.
If however, we agreed an hourly rate, or fixed rate then if we do an extra 100 items, but it doesn’t take any longer, or not much longer, you’re going to pay less on top.
Our hourly rate is £45.00 for the first hour then £35.00 per hour per person after that. It is per person because if we have 2 people on the job and the job takes half the time of one person, we need to make sure the time for both engineers is covered.
How do you know how many ‘items’ need testing?
Not all appliances require a test, but all require an inspection. For the sake of argument we call either a ‘test’. An appliance is usually made up of 1, 2 or 3 parts, and each part, providing it is not battery operated will require some form of Testing. Each part is recorded and labelled, and you pay for that – this is because you (or society) has elected to pay for PAT testing on a per item basis. We actually prefer to quote based on time or the job completion, and that actually usually works out cheaper for you with less surprises. But back to the price per item…
To quote we need to know how many items need testing, you can do this, or you can ask us to visit to do it for you.
Let’s assume you work in an office, have a look around and count the number of desks:
- Does each desk have a computer or laptop? Don’t need to know which one, just whether it does. That is 2 items
- Does each desk have one monitor screen or two? That is 2 or 4 items
- Does each desk have its own socket or extension lead? If it is the latter that’s another item.
Then there are the extras like printers, heaters, fans, lamps, chargers, etc. Not forgetting the kitchen equipment, meeting rooms etc.
We don’t need to know exact numbers, just a rough estimate. As a guide we say, count the desks and multiply by 6 if you mainly have one screen, or 8 if mainly two. This will give an approximate number of items for the office; but expect to have more added on to the final invoice as the total tests will likely be higher.
Here’s an example: an office has 20 desks, each with 2 monitors. Each desk has an extension lead. There is also 2 printers, a photo copier, a few fans, and heaters, everyone has a plug in phone charger, each desk also has a double socket mounted on it. Then there is a small kitchen and a meeting room with a TV. That’s approximately 200 items to test. That’s almost a days’ work.