Is it an electrical emergency?
It is an emergency if there is heat, burning, sparking or water anywhere near your electrics, or if your home has lost all power while the neighbours still have theirs. Those need making safe straight away.
A single dead light or one socket that has stopped working, with everything else fine, can usually wait for a normal booking. Send photos and we'll price it in the usual way.
- Burning smell, sparks or scorch marks
- Switch off at the main switch if safe, and stop using that circuit.
- A socket or plug that feels hot
- Unplug if you can do so safely, then turn that circuit off.
- Water in a light, socket or the board
- Switch off from dry ground and keep clear.
- Exposed or damaged cables
- Don't touch them. Switch off the circuit and keep children and pets away.
- No power in your home only
- Check the board first, then call.
Why has my power gone off?
First look out of the window. If the street lights and the houses nearby are dark too, it's a power cut on the network, and 105 is the number to call.
If it's just your home, open the consumer unit and look for a switch that has dropped down. An RCD has a test button and covers a group of circuits; it trips when current leaks to earth, often through water or a faulty appliance. A single MCB covers one circuit and trips on overload or a short circuit.
Older boards with rewireable fuses, still found in some Leicester terraces, show a blown fuse as broken wire in the carrier. These boards have no RCD protection, so a fault there deserves a proper look. Our fuse box guide walks through the checks in more detail.
What can I do if it happens after 8pm?
After 8pm, call Norman anyway: he can sometimes still come out, and he tells you the price on the phone before he sets off.
Most electrical problems can be made safe for the night without anyone visiting. If anything smelt of burning or felt hot, leave the main switch off and use torches. If one circuit has tripped and won't reset, leave it off and carry on with the rest of the house. Food in a fridge on a dead circuit usually stays cold for some hours if the door stays shut.
Then message Norman on WhatsApp with photos of the board and the problem, so he sees it first thing at 8am. If the situation changes and anyone is at risk, call 999.
How is an urgent electrical job priced?
Every job has one fixed price, agreed before work starts. We never charge by the hour, so a fault that takes longer to trace doesn't cost you more.
Norman finds the cause, tells you what needs doing and what it will cost, and you decide. The minimum charge for any visit is £100. If something unexpected turns up once the work is under way, he stops, shows you, and prices it separately. Nothing extra is done without your say-so.
Why call Norman rather than a directory listing?
Search for an emergency electrician and you'll mostly find directories that pass your details on, and sites claiming round-the-clock cover. With us, the person you message is the person who turns up, and the hours on this page are the real hours.
Norman also does plumbing, which matters when water from a leak has reached the lights. One visit can stop the leak, dry out the fitting and test the circuit. Any work is carried out to the current Wiring Regulations (BS 7671, 18th Edition), and notifiable work is notified to building control as the law requires.