Our PAT Testing Price
These PAT testing prices quoted are the true cost you should expect to pay for PAT testing; there are no hidden fees and all minor repairs are carried out free of charge; including the supply of replacement ’13a’ plugs and plug fuses. We are VAT registered, so VAT is added on to the price.
- Free minor repairs to the existing plug, and flexible cable
- Free replacement 13amp plugs, and plug fuses
An itemised PAT Testing Certificate Report pdf document is included, which is sent to you by email within 5 days.
We charge an initial fee, which covers our travel costs, and office admin time, plus a price per item. Our standard per item price is £1.00; if your business is office based, a shop, restaurant, small business, or so on this is the price you should expect to pay. Discounted rates are for larger sites such as big offices and schools.
So, to get a price for your PAT testing, please complete our PAT testing quotation request form below.
- Our PAT testing price guarantees you an excellent service; with high standards of testing, great customer service and a proper job done well, to give you peace of mind that your electrical equipment is safe.
- You also benefit from working with a local company who can help you, long term, to maintain a safe working environment.
- We are also a small team (currently 5 of us) so you usually will get the same engineer every visit, building up knowledge of your business and personnel which reduces disruption and minimises complications.
- No job is too small for us; even if you just have one item at home we will still come to you.
- We work in hair salons, beauticians, tanning shops, pubs, restaurants, coffee shops, hotels, caravan parks, office based businesses, schools, factories, building sites and many many more.
What does PAT testing cost?
Minimum Job Fee £45.00 (includes the first 20 items)
| Service | Price per item (excl. vat) |
|---|---|
| 21 to 100 items | £1.25 per item |
| 101 to 300 items | £1.00 per item |
| 301 to 1000 items | £0.80 per item |
| 1001 items or more | £0.75 per item |
| Standard equipment in Industrial / dirty environments (where hi vis, safety boots etc needed) | £1.25 per item |
| Tools, + Yellow 110v & Blue 230v (industrial type) adaptors | £1.50 per item |
| Red 400v adaptors | £2.75 per item |
Our time based rates
If you don’t want to pay per item, but would rather than security of a more traditional time based rate you can choose to pay this way. We prefer it too.
| Rate | |
|---|---|
| Cost per hour | £45.00 for the first hour then £35.00 per hour thereafter |
| Cost per day | £225.00 (including travel time and breaks) |
How many items do I have that need testing?
PAT testing prices work on a per item basis; per item means each item that we inspect or test, and label, is charged for. This includes the appliance, power leads, power adaptors and so on.
e.g. a computer on a desk has a base unit (the black box usually), it’s detachable IEC power lead, the monitor and it’s power lead – that’s 4 items that need checking. A kettle comprises of a kettle jug and base; that’s 2 items. If the appliance has a detachable power lead it needs more than one check. When you’re enquiring for a price, it’s helpful to know this, or at least know how many computers you have in the office, then we can guesstimate the actual number.
Battery operated equipment is not included, nor is class 3 appliances (those that are mains powered via a power supply unit). You don’t really need to worry too much about the different types as we know what’s what.
Ready to arrange your PAT testing?
To book your PAT testing, fill in this form and we’ll send you the next available appointment to do the job.
Or contact us using more traditional methods:
PAT testing prices for industrial environments
Industrial environments are a bit different; it generally takes longer to test equipment, there is often more moving around between appliances, and usually more repairs. We also have to wear PPE like hard hats and safety boots, we are more likely to get dirty and so on. So higher fees apply.
- For 110v and 230v adapted appliances we charge £1.50 per item
- For 400v equipment it is £2.95 per item
However, please make sure we have the right adaptors for your equipment.
The per item rate for such environments is always £1.00 minimum, with an initial fee of £85.00 including the first 40 items + VAT.
Repair costs, and replacement part costs will be added on to the final invoice, for 110v, 230v and 400v adaptors.
For these environments we recommend you contact us for a PAT testing quotation.
How the PAT testing price is calculated
On average we expect to be able to test, taking into account repairs and hold ups, around 200-250 items per day when on one site, so the price we charge is based on that. If we are on your site all day, the price per item will be cheaper than if we are only there an hour for example. If we are there more than one day then the per item rate may be lower but we will continue to charge the site fee each day, or you can pay the standard per item rate without the site fee. It’s up to you.
Fixed Price for the job
We can quote a fixed price for the job; we will need to see the job first so we can arrange to come out for a look, do a survey, have a chat etc from which we will offer you a fixed price. There is no obligation to accept the price; you could even elect to go to the hourly or per item rates, or go elsewhere.
Price Per Hour
Price per hour is just like if you got an electrician to do an electrical job. We charge £45.00 for the first hour, and £37.50 for each subsequent hour on site. It doesn’t matter how many items we do the price is set at this rate.
Price per item
Everyone wants a price per item these days, and so we can offer them too. Although it is rarely in your best interests… you’ll say you have 100 items to test, when actually there will be a lot more – rarely do you say the actual number. So if we test 100 items at £1 each that’s £100, but if we test 200 items that’s going to be £200; but it may only take an hour longer depending on the job, so at the hourly rate it would only be £160. You need to consider the options.
How we work out the PAT testing cost
The price for any job is worked out based on various factors, just like any other job in any other profession. In our cases we consider things like:
- How many appliances need testing
- The working environment – e.g. a clean office or salon, or a dirty factory, or industry frought with danger where extra PPE is required
- How long it will take us to get there
- How long the job will take to do
- What the chances are of there being more appliances to test than expected
- How many repairs we have to do
- and so on
All these factors have to be taken into consideration when pricing for a job, which is why don’t have ‘set prices’.
What we do have however is a target earnings; how much we expect to make in a year, month, week, day and hour, just like any other business, and we will quote your work based on us achieving that.
We expect to be able to achieve 10-50 items per hour depending on the working environment; smaller numbers in factories where there are lots of repairs and we have to walk a lot looking for things, and more items in offices and schools, hence why they get the lowest ‘per item’ rates.
Our hourly rate works out at £35.00 per hour, so we tend to charge based on that. This means that no matter how fast or slow the job is, we still make the same amount of money. In high risk environments it works out around £2.50 per item, whereas in a low risk location it’s more like 75p. But, by pricing for the hour rather than the item we don’t have to rush our work, or feel under pressure in any way, because we know what we are earning, and we’re happy with that.
Give us a try – our PAT testing service is second to none, so what have you got to lose?
Our engineers are very experienced, and we’ll do most remedial repairs for free, including replacing 13amp plugs and fuses.
We provide every client with a fully itemised PAT testing Certificate Report within a few days of the job being done – if you pay us before we leave we’ll get the report to you that very same day!
We carry out Portable Appliance Testing, and a select few other electrical testing services.
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.
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.
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.