What is an EICR report?
Electrical Installation condition reports (EICR) are provided as an official document given after an assessment by a qualified engineer or electrician. The assessment is based on the quality of your electrical installation, the electrics and cables will deteriorate over time. An electrical installation condition report should be carried out regularly and in accordance with electrical safety standards BS7671. The average time given in BS7671 is 5 Years although this time is recommended and generally only given if the installation is in good condition and is rented accommodation.
The periodic inspection report (the old version of the EICR) will notify you about the status of the EICR. This will either be Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory. This will be based on the condition of the installation. Any defaults are usually noted on page 2 of the electrical installation condition report, all defaults on the electrical installation report can be explained in much more detail by our qualified engineers (Electricians) if required.
An Electrical installation condition report (EICR) will tell you the following:
- If the electrical circuits are in good condition and safe to use
- Whether or not there is a risk of electric shock
- Any defective electrical work has been installed
- Recommendations for the earthing within the building
- An inspection of the condition of the consumer unit
An EICR will involve the inspection and testing of all of your final circuits, your consumer unit(s), the protective devices, the suppliers' service head & earthing arrangements and the earth bonding. The report you receive will classify the overall installation as satisfactory or unsatisfactory as deemed appropriate by the inspector. Any deviations from the regulations will either be coded as C1 - danger present
C2 - potentially dangerous
C3 - improvement recommended
FI - Further Investigation required without delay.
Any C1, C2 or FI observation would result in an ‘unsatisfactory’ verdict being passed on the installation as a whole. A C3 is an advisory which requires you to make an informed decision on whether or not to act on the inspector's advice to alter or upgrade.