Ask Our Experts

A full rewire on a property of that era is the right decision when rubber-insulated cable is present - it degrades over time and can present a fire and shock risk. For partial or room-by-room rewiring, many homes can remain occupied with careful planning and power restored to essential areas each evening. For a full rewire, moving out for the most disruptive first-fix phase is often recommended where practical, especially in occupied family homes. The final recommendation depends on property size, access, age of wiring, the room-by-room plan and safety.

We work in two stages:

• First fix - All new cabling is run through the fabric of the building. On a 1920s property, this typically means working through ceiling voids, lifting floorboards, and chasing plaster where needed. We use dust sheets, HEPA-filtered extraction equipment, and seal off rooms daily to keep disruption manageable.
• Second fix - Once decorating is complete (or once you are happy to proceed), we fit all accessories: sockets, switches, luminaire connections, and the new consumer unit.

The new consumer unit will be a fully metal, fire-rated enclosure compliant with the latest 18th Edition Amendment 2 wiring regulations - a significant safety upgrade in itself. A typical four-bedroom period property in South West London takes our team three to five working days for first fix, depending on layout complexity.

We issue a full Electrical Installation Certificate on completion, which is important for building insurers and any future sale. Learn more about our rewiring service or book a no-obligation survey.

This is one of the most common concerns we address, and the honest answer is: yes, solar can be very well suited to properties in Surrey and South West London - provided the system is sized and positioned correctly. A south-southwest orientation is excellent; you will typically lose less than 8% generation compared to true south.

On winter generation: Solar panels generate electricity from daylight, not direct sunshine. Even on overcast January days, a well-sized array will produce meaningful output. The annual figure for this region is approximately 900-1,000 kWh per installed kWp - so a 5 kWp system typically generates 4,500-5,000 kWh per year, covering a substantial portion of a four-bedroom household's demand.

On battery storage: For a four-bed home with typical consumption around 4,500-5,500 kWh annually, we would normally recommend a battery with usable capacity of 9.5-13.5 kWh. The Tesla Powerwall 3 (13.5 kWh usable) is our most-specified solution in this scenario. In winter, when solar generation is lower, the battery helps reduce running costs by storing cheap off-peak electricity (via tariffs such as Octopus Go or Intelligent Octopus) and discharging it during expensive peak hours.

On certification and payback: Every system we install is designed and commissioned in line with MCS technical requirements, which is necessary for Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) payments - meaning your utility company pays you for surplus electricity you export to the grid. Combined with self-consumption savings, households in Surrey and South West London have often reported estimated payback periods in the region of 6-9 years. Actual payback depends on system design, household usage, tariff structure, equipment selection and future energy prices, and should be assessed at survey and quotation stage. Panel warranties typically extend to 25 years, subject to manufacturer terms.

We would start with a no-obligation roof survey and a tailored generation and savings report. Explore our solar installations or arrange a consultation.

An old rewireable fuse board is certainly a point we would address before connecting a 7 kW charger - not least because the 18th Edition wiring regulations and EV charger manufacturers require a dedicated final circuit with appropriate RCD or RCBO protection, which a legacy rewireable board simply cannot provide safely.

Here is the process we follow:

• Maximum demand assessment - We calculate your existing electrical load against your DNO cut-out rating. Most properties have a 60-100A service fuse; a 7 kW charger draws approximately 32A, so headroom is checked carefully before proceeding.
• Consumer unit upgrade - In most cases of this age, we recommend replacing the board with a new metal-clad 18th Edition unit, providing individual RCBO protection for every circuit. This also corrects any legacy earthing and bonding deficiencies.
• DNO notification - Where your existing service requires upgrading, or where a new supply tail is needed, we manage all G99/G98 notifications to UK Power Networks on your behalf. This is a formal process and adds lead time, but we handle it entirely.
• EV circuit installation - A dedicated 6mm² twin-and-earth or SWA cable is run from the new consumer unit to the charger location, with all containment buried or surface-mounted to a clean, weatherproof finish.

The charger installation itself is notified under Part P building regulations and we issue a Minor Works Certificate on completion. Many clients combine this work with the consumer unit upgrade to make one efficient visit. See our EV charging solutions.

Your agent is absolutely right to flag this. Under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, all private landlords in England are legally required to have a valid Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) for every tenanted property. The report must be carried out by a qualified person - our engineers are appropriately qualified for this work - and must be renewed at least every five years, or at the start of each new tenancy if sooner.

What the condition codes mean:

• C1 - Danger present: Requires immediate remedial action. The installation poses a risk of injury. We would advise you and, where necessary, isolate the affected circuit on the day of the inspection.
• C2 - Potentially dangerous: Urgent remedial work required. The report is classed as unsatisfactory and you have 28 days from receipt to complete the remedial work and provide your tenant with evidence of completion.
• C3 - Improvement recommended: The installation is satisfactory for continued use but improvement is advised. This does not make the report unsatisfactory.
• FI - Further investigation required: Work cannot be completed without further investigation. We would arrange a follow-up promptly.

Where a property returns a C1 or C2, we provide a clear, itemised remedial quotation immediately after the inspection so there are no surprises. In many cases - particularly for older consumer units, missing RCD protection, or bonding deficiencies - the remedial work is completed within a single follow-up visit, well within the 28-day statutory window.

We work with a number of landlords on a rolling EICR schedule across their portfolios, which simplifies compliance considerably. Read more about our EICR service or contact us to arrange inspections across both properties.

This is exactly the kind of project we love - it combines clean technical installation with a result that genuinely transforms a space. Yes, we handle it entirely from design and cabling through to smart commissioning.

Cable infrastructure: All garden circuits require armoured cabling. We use SWA (Steel Wire Armoured) cable for all underground runs, buried to the depth specified in BS 7671 (typically 500mm under garden areas, 600mm under driveways), and terminated into IP65-rated enclosures at surface level. This protects against accidental penetration by garden tools and meets the requirements for outdoor installations.

Lighting specification:

• Architectural up-lighters and spike-mounted path lights are selected to an appropriate IP rating - IP65 minimum for above-ground fittings, IP67 or IP68 for any in-ground or recessed fixtures subject to water ingress.
• We run a dedicated low-voltage (12V or 24V DC) transformer circuit for landscape luminaires where required, which greatly extends lamp life and simplifies future bulb replacement.
• Security lights with PIR are installed on a separate switched circuit so they can be controlled independently from the feature lighting.

Smart integration: We install smart in-wall switches or smart relay modules (compatible with Zigbee/Z-Wave/Wi-Fi depending on your ecosystem) into an IP-rated outdoor enclosure. This allows your Philips Hue app to control the garden zones seamlessly. For Ring integration, the security lighting circuit is wired to a smart plug or relay that Ring's bridge can trigger via your existing hub.

The patio weatherproof socket is installed as a dedicated spur from the house ring final or as a new circuit, housed in an IP66-rated socket enclosure with a robust spring-flap cover - tested and certified under Part P. See our outdoor lighting installations or book a design consultation.