The EICR Report Explained

An Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) is an essential document that serves several important purposes related to the safety and maintenance of electrical installations. It ensures the safety, reliability, and compliance of electrical installations within a property, helping to identify issues before they become serious problems and ensuring adherence to legal and safety standards.

You cannot see electricity. Cables are usually hidden inside walls, and consumer units are often hidden in cupboards, so it is not surprising that we forget to check the condition of our electrical installation for damage or wear and tear. However, it is important to do so because faulty and old wiring is one of the main causes of electrical fires in the home. You can reduce the risk of a fire by checking the condition of your cables, switches, sockets, and other accessories regularly.

How old is my electrical installation?

Clear signs that can help you tell the age of equipment in the electrical installation in your home include:

• Fixed cables coated in black rubber (stopped being used in the 1960s).
• Fixed cables coated in lead or fabric (used before the 1960s).
• A fuse box with a wooden back, cast iron switches, or a mixture of fuse boxes (used before the 1960s).
• Older round pin sockets (or light switches), braided flex hanging from ceiling roses, brown (or black) switches, or sockets mounted in or on skirting boards (used before the 1960s).
• Light switches on bathroom walls (used before the 1960s).

However old your electrical installation is, it may get damaged and will suffer from wear and tear. So, ask an electrician to check its condition at least every 10 years or when you move into a new property.

What is the aim of an electrical installation condition report?

The five main aims of a condition report are:

• Record the results of the inspection and testing to make sure the electrical installation is safe to be used until the next inspection (following any work needed to make it safe).
• Find any damage and wear and tear that might affect safety, and report it.
• Find any parts of the electrical installation that do not meet the IEE Wiring Regulations.
• Help find anything that may cause electric shocks and high temperatures.
• Provide an important record of the installation at the time of the inspection, and for inspection testing in the future.

Types of condition report

 In general, there are two types of domestic electrical installation condition report:

• Visual condition report – this does not include testing and is only suitable if the installation has been tested recently.
• Periodic inspection report – this is what we would normally recommend, as it tests the installation and would find any hidden damage.

Who should produce your condition report?

The report should be produced by an electrician who is NICEIC, NAPIT, or ELECSA certified https://crannistech.co.uk/understanding-electrician-certifications/

Check our blog from last week https://crannistech.co.uk/what-is-a-periodic-electrical-inspection/

Crannis Technology Services Ltd is qualified to carry out your EICR. Contact us today for a quote!