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An emergency electrician in London costs £100 to £200 for the first hour at night or on a weekend, then £70 to £120 an hour, against £60 to £150 for a weekday daytime call-out that includes the first hour. Most firms bill a one-hour minimum and parts are extra. Check the power cut is not your supplier's before you call.
| Job | London low | London typical | London high | UK typical | What moves the price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weekday daytime call-out, first hour included | £60 | £100 | £150 | £115 | Zones 1 and 2 cost more than outer boroughs |
| Each further hour, daytime | £60 | £70 | £80 | £55 | Billed in half hours by some firms |
| Weekday evening, first hour | £77 | £90 | £120 | 1.5 times the day rate | |
| Weekend, first hour | £77 | £110 | £150 | 1.5 to 2 times the day rate | |
| Night emergency, first hour | £100 | £150 | £200 | £90 | Then £70 to £120 an hour |
| Bank holiday, first hour | £100 | £150 | £200 | No London firm publishes a separate tariff; expect the night rate |
An electrical emergency is a burning smell or scorch mark at a socket or the board, sparks, water getting into electrics, a whole-home power loss when the neighbours still have lights, or an RCD that trips again the moment you reset it. Everything else, including one dead circuit, can usually wait until the morning and cost half as much.
Before you call anyone: if there is smoke or a smell of burning, switch off the main switch on the consumer unit and call 999 if it does not stop. If the whole street is dark, it is a network fault, and UK Power Networks on 105 is free. If only your home is off and the main switch is on, or you have a tripping RCD, that is the electrician's job.
The electrician finds the fault, isolates it, makes the installation safe and either repairs it there or fits a temporary fix and quotes the permanent one. London rates run 15 to 20 per cent above the national average: firms carry the £18 daily Congestion Charge, ULEZ, parking and travel time, and price inner boroughs above outer ones.
Prices last checked: September 2026. Based on the published 2026 tariffs of four London electrical firms and a London emergency-electrician price snippet from Checkatrade. PROS AI does not yet have enough completed emergency call-outs in London to publish its own averages.
£100 to £200 for the first hour and £70 to £120 an hour after that, with most firms landing near £150 for the first hour. Weekends and bank holidays are priced at 1.5 to 2 times the day rate, so a weekend visit is £77 to £150 for the first hour. Checkatrade's London figure for an emergency call-out is £93 to £182, average £128.
Usually, and you should ask before they leave the depot. Most London firms quote a call-out or first-hour minimum of £60 to £150 that covers the first 30 to 60 minutes of work, then bill by the hour or half hour. A firm that charges a call-out fee plus a full first hour on top is the one to avoid.
Look out of the window first. If the street is dark, call 105 (UK Power Networks) and wait. If only you are off, check the main switch and the RCDs on the consumer unit; if an RCD has tripped, unplug everything on that circuit and reset it once. If it trips again, or the main switch is on and nothing works, stop and call an electrician.
It is an emergency if there is burning, smoke, sparking, water in the electrics, a bare or damaged cable, or no power at all with a freezer, medical equipment or a vulnerable person in the home. One dead circuit, a light that does not work or a socket that has stopped can wait, and a morning call-out is £60 to £150 instead of £100 to £200.
The electrician's day includes the £18 Congestion Charge, £12.50 ULEZ for an older van, parking that can run £20 to £68 a day by borough, and travel time between jobs. London firms put that at 15 to 20 per cent over the national average, and add £30 to £50 for Zones 1 and 2.
Written by Shay Hazan, PROS AI.
£100 - £450call-out + hourly
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