HOW TO HIRE · ELECTRICAL

How to hire a three-phase electrician in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

Three-phase has two halves: the network operator's supply and the electrician's notifiable work inside. The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a three-phase electrician in five steps

  1. Confirm you need itA 22kW charger, a large heat pump or workshop machines — the electrician should check the loads first.
  2. Look them up firstThe Registered Competent Person Electrical register covers England and Wales; check the name there before agreeing the three-phase upgrade.
  3. Separate the two jobsNetwork operator's supply and the electrician's work inside, priced apart.
  4. Plan the timingNetwork work can take weeks; book the electrician around it.
  5. Get both certificatesElectrical Installation Certificate on the day; compliance certificate from the scheme.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

Registered Competent Person Electrical

In England and Wales, the three-phase upgrade replaces the consumer unit and adds circuits, which is notifiable work. That leaves two routes for the three-phase upgrade: an electrician registered with an authorised competent person scheme such as NICEIC or NAPIT certifies it under the Building Regulations, or building control is told in advance and charges you to inspect.

Type the business name into the register's search before the three-phase upgrade is booked. electricalcompetentperson.co.uk →

Electrical Installation Certificate

The three-phase consumer unit and circuits are tested to BS 7671 and recorded on an Electrical Installation Certificate. Because the three-phase upgrade is notifiable, the scheme also issues a Building Regulations compliance certificate: gov.uk says within 8 weeks in England, and the Welsh Government says the electrician should arrange it within 30 days.

The certificate for the three-phase upgrade, readings included, should be handed over on completion — ask for it then. gov.wales →

Building warrant (Scotland) and Northern Ireland

Scotland has no competent person register for electricians: the three-phase upgrade must meet building standard 4.5, which means wiring to BS 7671, and some work, such as rewiring a flat, needs a building warrant that the owner applies for. Northern Ireland has no Part P-style notification rule for home wiring, which covers the three-phase upgrade too.

For a Scottish home, ask the electrician whether the three-phase upgrade needs a building warrant and whether they are an approved certifier of construction. gov.scot →

Insurance and trader status

Expect public liability cover for the three-phase upgrade, and ask for the insurer's name and the limit. Because you are buying from a trader, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 applies to the three-phase upgrade; agreed in your home or at a distance, it usually carries a 14-day cancellation right under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, although work you asked to begin early is paid for and made-to-measure goods are excluded (regulation 28).

Ask for the insurance certificate before the three-phase upgrade is booked, and look for the trader and ID-checked badges on the Locufy profile.

VAT

The electrical work for a three-phase supply is standard-rated, so VAT is 20%; a firm with taxable turnover over £90,000 must be VAT-registered, charge that 20% and show it as a separate line on the quote and invoice.

Ask for the VAT number, and look for VAT as its own line on the electrician's three-phase quote. gov.uk →

“Do my loads really need a three-phase upgrade?”

A good answer: A calculation of what you plan to run, and an honest view if a larger single-phase supply would do.

“What will the network operator do, and what will you do?”

A good answer: A clear split: the supply to the meter is theirs, the consumer unit and circuits inside are the electrician's.

“Who applies to the network operator?”

A good answer: Agreed in advance — you or the electrician — with the application details ready.

“Which three-phase consumer unit will you fit?”

A good answer: Make and type named, with the circuits it will feed.

“How will the loads be balanced across the phases?”

A good answer: A plan to spread circuits across the three phases.

“Which certificates will I get?”

A good answer: An Electrical Installation Certificate and a compliance certificate from the scheme.

Getting the quote right

  • The electrician's work inside: consumer unit, circuits, testing
  • The network operator's charge shown separately, or marked as not included
  • Meter change and who arranges it
  • Any new circuits for chargers, heat pumps or machines
  • Who actually attends — the electrician doing the work inside the house, employed or subcontracted — and the business's VAT number, with VAT at 20% shown as its own line
  • Certification included

Walk away if

  • Says the electrician alone can upgrade the supply
  • A single price that hides the network operator's charge
  • No load calculation before recommending three-phase
  • No scheme registration in England or Wales
  • No certificate for the new consumer unit
LOW
£1,200
TYPICAL
£1,500
HIGH
£6,000

What a three-phase electrician costs: £1,200–£6,000 per job

A three-phase upgrade is priced per job; the network operator's charge for the new supply is the biggest variable, with the consumer unit and circuits inside priced by the electrician. Three-Phase Installation price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Three-phase electricians near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. Assess the loadThe electrician checks what you plan to run and confirms three-phase is needed.
  2. Network applicationThe network operator surveys and quotes the new supply.
  3. Supply and meterThe operator brings the supply; the meter is changed.
  4. Inside installationThree-phase consumer unit and circuits installed and tested.
  5. CertifyElectrical Installation Certificate handed over and the work notified through the scheme.

Three-phase
A supply with three live conductors, for higher loads.
Single-phase
The usual home supply with one live conductor.
Network operator
The company that owns the local cables and brings the supply.
Phase balancing
Spreading loads across the three phases.
Three-phase consumer unit
A board designed to distribute a three-phase supply.
Compliance certificate
The scheme's confirmation that notifiable work meets the Building Regulations.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the certificates and the network paperworkElectrical Installation Certificate, compliance certificate, and the network operator's connection documents.
Check every circuitEach circuit working and labelled on the new board.
Note the phase layoutWhich circuits are on which phase, for future additions.
Rate the workOnly booked jobs can be reviewed on Locufy, so yours carries weight; if the three-phase upgrade falls short, use the make-it-right step first and the provider is asked to fix it before the review is published.

STEP 1Put it to the electrician in writingDescribe the fault with the three-phase upgrade, with photos, and say what would put it right. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 expects a trader to use reasonable care and skill; where that fell short you may require the work to be done again, or a lower price.
STEP 2Use Locufy's make-it-right stepRate the three-phase upgrade under four stars and you are asked whether to send it to the provider first; we follow it through. Then the review goes up.
STEP 3Unsafe or uncertified workIf the three-phase upgrade was notifiable in England or Wales but was never self-certified or notified, tell the council's building control; if the compliance certificate has not come, the electrician's scheme can chase it. For a dispute about the three-phase upgrade with the trader, Trading Standards is reached through the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Money still in disputeIf the three-phase upgrade is still not settled, you can claim without a solicitor: the small claims track takes claims up to £10,000 in England and Wales, simple procedure up to £5,000 in Scotland, and the small claims court up to £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a three-phase electrician: questions people ask

The work inside the home — a new consumer unit and circuits — is notifiable in England and Wales: a scheme electrician self-certifies it, or building control is notified first.

An Electrical Installation Certificate for the new installation, and a compliance certificate from the scheme.

£1,200–£6,000 a job, typically around £1,500. The network operator's work is the big unknown; the consumer unit and circuits inside add to it. See the Three-Phase Installation price guide for the detail, then search your postcode above to compare three-phase electricians nearby.

They can help with the application, but the supply itself is the network operator's work.

The inside work is days; the network side can take weeks, so plan the timing early.

Only for the faster chargers that need it; most home chargers run on single-phase.

MORE GUIDES

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Three-phase electricians near you

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Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — Approved Document P: electrical safety in dwellings (England)
  2. Registered Competent Person Electrical register
  3. gov.uk — building work, replacements and repairs to your home (England)
  4. gov.wales — building regulations: electrics
  5. gov.scot — Building Standards Technical Handbook 2022 (domestic), standard 4.5 electrical safety
  6. gov.uk — building regulations: use a competent person scheme
  7. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  8. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — what you can ask for when a service falls short
  9. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — the 14-day cancellation period
  10. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — contracts the cancellation right does not cover
  11. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 36 — services started within the cancellation period
  12. Civil Procedure Rules Part 26 — the small claims track limit (England and Wales)
  13. Scottish Courts and Tribunals — making a claim under simple procedure
  14. nidirect — the small claims process (Northern Ireland)
  15. Buildings and construction (VAT Notice 708) — 2.1 Construction services: work to an existing building is normally standard-rated
  16. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  17. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register