Please read the following list of common questions & answers raised by clients of G&J Whittaker Limited Electrical Contractors in the past. However if you are unable to find the information you require please call: 07710 927 007 or alternaively email: sales@gjwhittakerelectrical.co.uk and a NIC EIC approved electrician will respond to your enquiry.

What does NICEIC stand for?
NICEIC is the electrical contracting industry’s independent voluntary body for electrical installation matters throughout the UK.


What does Part P stand for?
The specific section of the Building Regulations for England and Wales that relates to electrical installations in domestic properties. The law aims to improve electrical safety in the home and prevent the number of accidents, which are caused by faulty electrical work. The law requires an electrician registered with a government-approved scheme, such as NICEIC, to carry out most electrical work in the home. After completion of any work your NICEIC registered electrician will issue you with a Building Regulations Compliance Certificate to prove it meets the required standards of Part P.


What is a periodic inspection?
An electrical survey, known as a Periodic Inspection Report (PIR) will reveal if electrical circuits are overloaded, find potential hazards in the installation, identify defective DIY work, highlight any lack of earthing or bonding and carry out tests on the fixed wiring of the installation. The report will establish the overall condition of all the electrics and state whether it is satisfactory for continued use, and should detail any work that might need to be done.


Can I carry out electrical work in my own home?
You can only carry out electrical work yourself if you can inspect and test that it is safe for use. To comply with the law you must notify your local building control office before you begin any work and pay the appropriate fee for them to inspect the work.Part P provides safety regulations to protect householders, and requires most domestic electrical work to be carried out by government-registered electricians, or to be inspected by Building Control officers.


What is PAT testing?
PAT (portable appliance testing) testing is the inspection and testing of electrical equipment including portable appliances, moveable equipment, hand held appliances, stationary equipment, fixed equipment/appliances, IT equipment and extension leads.


Benefits of using an NICEIC registered contractor?
NICEIC has been assessing the technical competence of contractors for over 50 years. Our aim is to protect everyone who uses electricity from unsafe electrical installations in their homes, places of work and leisure.

The benefits of using a NICEIS registered contractor include:

Safety and competence
Contractors registered by NICEIC are assessed on a regular basis to ensure that they are competent and capable of meeting the relevant technical and safety standards, codes of practice and rules of the Schemes they are registered to. Each Scheme has a defined set of competence criteria that contractors must meet to achieve and maintain registration.
Compliance with building regulations

Contractors registered to NICEIC Building Regulations Schemes are authorised to self-certify their work without hindrance from Local Authority Building Control. This saves you both time and money when undertaking work that requires notification under the Building Regulations.
Insurance Backed Warranty

The NICEIC Insurance Backed Warranty covers work undertaken by contractors registered to the NICEIC Domestic Installer Scheme that is notifiable to Building Control. The purpose of the Warranty is to protect consumers should any work be found not to comply with the Building Regulations under circumstances where the contractor is no longer in business to undertake the necessary remedial work. The financial limit placed on the remedial work is £25,000 in respect of any one installation per period of insurance and the warranty is valid for a period of six years from the date of completion of the original work.

Independent Complaints Procedure
NICEIC operates an independent complaints procedure governing the technical standards of electrical installation of its Approved Contractor and Domestic Installer Schemes. If the electrical work of a registered contractor is found to be below the accepted technical standard, NICEIC requires the contractor to correct the work, at no additional cost to the customer. NICEIC is concerned solely with the safety and technical standard of the electrical work carried out by Approved Contractors, and the standard of certification and periodic inspection reports which Approved Contractors are responsible for producing.

Guarantee of Standards Scheme
NICEIC expects its registered contractors to provide a quality service to their customers and, therefore, endeavour to resolve all complaints about the technical standard of their electrical work. If a customer and an Approved Contractor are unable to resolve an alleged deficiency in the technical standard of electrical work, the customer can make a formal complaint to NICEIC.

G&J Whittaker Limited Electrical Contractors would like to recommend these useful sites listed below if you require any further information:

Image: Pixomar / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Image: Pixomar / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

G&J Whittaker Electrical Contractors provide a full electrical service to the domestic, commercial and industrial sector including:

• Full and part rewire
• Computer networking
• Internal and external lighting
• Emergency lighting
• Fire alarm systems
• Security alarms and CCTV
• Door access and intercom systems
• Portable appliance testing
• Re-lamping and lamp disposal
• Shower installations (including all plumbing work)
• Maintenance
• Fault finding
• Consumer unit (fuse board) upgrades
• Periodic inspection
• Landlord periodic inspection
• Gledhill Electra Mate range
• Storage heaters