When looking for an electrician in St. Albans, people look for good reviews, recommendations, costs and sometimes check they are registered, but do you consider using a Company that is SafeContractor accredited?

SafeContractor is an accreditation which demonstrates to potential customers that your Company meets specific standards of health and safety. SafeContractor reviews and audits health and safety policies, procedures and documentation and only when they are satisfied do you received your accreditation.

Fulcher Edwards Ltd has been SafeContractor accredited for many years and prides its self on being health and safety compliant in all of our works, big or small. Each year we are audited and have to prove our competence by showing all our Health and Safety documents such as our Policies, our Method Statements and Risk Assessments and proving our electricians are fully qualified and trained on things such as step ladder use and access equipment.

Customers usually expect Health and Safety to come as standard but unfortunately there are many electricians out there that are not carrying out safe working practises and putting you and your property at risk. The horror stories you read about tradespeople are usually companies or sole traders that don’t follow simple Health and Safety guidelines or believe in qualifications. Both of these are fundamental in providing a safe working environment for staff and customers as well as providing a job well done.

This accreditation isn’t just for electricians but for all trades and covers all sectors and industries, so it is worth checking the electricians or builders you are considering have the SafeContractor badge on their website, letterheads or vans. We have our Certificate on the office on our wall to show that we are accredited and often forward a copy to prospective customers to give them peace of mind when giving us electrical or maintenance works.

Next time you are looking for a electrician then why not ask the question if they are SafeContractor approved as well as all the other questions you have when making a decision on which Company to use.

Safe Contractor Approved Electrician in St Albans, London and Hertfordshire

If you have any queries about our SafeContractor accreditation or would like to discuss any electrical works you are considering, then feel free to call us on 01923 616985, email us at info@fulcheredwards.coSC Certificate – 18102018SC Certificate – 18102018.uk or you can use our Contact Us Form via our website.

With electric cars becoming more and more popular, we have noticed that a lot more businesses are now considering having electric car chargers installed on their premises.

This week one of our fully qualified electricians in St albans installed an electric car charger at a commercial premises in Wimbledon that we carry out planned preventative maintenance for.  We installed a Rolec SecuriCharge:EV Wall Unit as this unit is robust, heavy duty, vandal resistant EV charging unit specifically manufactured for exposed locations. Ideal locations include hotels, car parks, offices, factories, warehouses, restaurants, stadiums, leisure centres and retail and commercial premises.

The Government offers Grant Schemes for businesses so if this something you are considering it may be good to take a look at GOV.UK website to see if your Company could benefit at all.

If you would like to discuss your requirements or any queries you have on electric car chargers with one of our electricians then please do not hesitate to contact us on 01923 616985 or info@fulcheredwards.co.uk.

Though we are St. Albans based electricians, we install car chargers all over London, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire so please let us know if you would like a free quotation.

You may have heard of Aico who are known for providing the highest quality smoke and Carbon Monoxide alarms but did you know Fulcher Edwards is an Aico Expert Installer in St Albans, Hertfordshire and London?

This means we have been trained by Aico personally. During the training, they went through the latest Regulations and Legislation. This ensures that we know which alarms to install and where. We were also trained in their latest technologies to ensure that we know what will best suit your needs. Finally, all Aico installers are trained in how to correctly install our alarms, providing you with a professional installation.

If you are looking for Smoke, Heat or Carbon Monoxide alarms to be installed at your property, then why not look for your local Aico Expert Installer on their website where they have a search function. You can find Fulcher Edwards when looking for an Aico Installer in St. Albans and surrounding areas.

Who better to install your alarms than someone who has undergone specific training in how to do so.Please contact us on 01923 616985 if you need advice on what you require or drop us an email at info@fulcheredwards.co.uk and a member of our team will be happy to assist you.

Fulcher Edwards is proud to have a few accreditations against our name and one logo you may have noticed on our website is for TrustMark, but do you know what this logo stands for exactly?

TrustMark is a Government Endorsed Quality Scheme which covers work that consumers choose to have carried out in their home. This can be any trade but in our case it is electrical services.

TrustMark approved electricians like us have been thoroughly vetted to meet required standards set by the Government. This includes good customer service, technical competence and trading practices.

As a consumer you are always at risk of not getting what you asked for with trades people unfortunately and this scheme gives consumers increased confidence and choice. Also in the event that a problem did arise, you can get in touch with TrustMark who offers a range of remedies to give consumers further protection.

As an additional bonus you can find local TrustMark approved tradespeople on their website. You can find Fulcher Edwards on there to just by putting in our name and if you are based in St. Albans for example, you would put that in the address search.

If you are a St. Albans consumer looking for an approved electrician in St Albans, then why not get in touch today for a free quotation. We are not only TrustMark approved but also NICEIC and SafeContractor for added peace of mind.

Some of you may be aware that though our Managing Director Mr F lives in St. Albans, Fulcher Edwards Ltd has only been based here for 4 years. Before we had our St. Albans office we were based in Waterloo in London SE1, our office was based in the old Eurostar terminal in Waterloo Station and we were there in the region of 25 years. We looked after all the electrical maintenance in the the building for Eurostar and then the landlords once Eurostar moved to St. Pancras.

We left Waterloo due to planned works in the old terminal and you may know that trains now leave from the old Eurostar platforms which was all part of these works. Anyway as much as the reduced commute to the office was a joy to St. Albans, Waterloo has always had a special place in our hearts as that is where Fulcher Edwards Ltd grew to be the established electrical services company it is today and some of our electricians are back at Waterloo to carry out emergency lighting testing.

We love being in our St. Albans office and having fields with horses rather than smog (though London is equally as special to be in!) we are continuing to grow our customer base in Hertfordshire but there is something very nostalgic when talking or going back to Waterloo, a bit like when you go back to a childhood memory/place, so we are very happy to have been asked to return by one of our clients. Repeat business can come in all different forms!

If you are looking for an NICEIC approved family run electrical services company in St. Albans, Hertfordshire or London then please bear us in mind. We offer a quality, friendly service and free quotations so contact us on 01923 616985 or email us at info@fulcheredwards.co.uk

Two children playing with electricity on floor at home

School is officially out for summer so it’s that time of year when we all look forward to jet setting off to a hot destination for some well deserved chill out time with friends or family. Even though your escaping the hustle and bustle of everyday life, electrical safety is something you need to stay very much on the ball with even whilst abroad. Some countries do not have the same safety regulations as we do in the UK so some vital checks should really be part of your holiday routine to keep you safe.

A a few vital checks when travelling abroad and how to keep safe when it comes to electrical appliances. Check out advice from Electrical Safety First’s website who have some helpful information for travellers.

Your hotel room – check that:

•there are no bare wires that can be touched where electrical accessories have been removed or damaged

•sockets and light switches are not damaged or have their covers missing

•light bulbs are properly inserted into all light fittings and are not broken or cracked

•there are no trailing extension leads or overloaded sockets and never ignore the warning signs of burning smells, sounds of arcing (buzzing and crackling), fuses blowing or scorch marks on plugs and sockets

Bathrooms – check that:

•electrical accessories cannot be touched whilst in the bath or shower

By the pool – check that:

•electrical appliances are kept away from the water

On camp sites – check that:

•there is Residual Current Device (RCD) protection or a similar device that will cut off the supply if there is an electrical problem

•flexible cables are positioned appropriately to prevent them being damaged

•electrical appliances are stored in a dry place

Keeping yourself & your family safe is not difficult if you follow a few simple rules:

1.Never touch electrical equipment with wet hands.

2.Never touch light switches if they are cracked or show signs of damage.

3.Never plug equipment into a socket which looks damaged/cracked or has part or all of the cover missing.

4.Never use mains powered electrical appliances in a bathroom.

5.Always check that cables are securely attached to electrical equipment and are not cut, nicked or damaged in anyway. There should be no joints in the cable and certainly no repairs with insulating tape. Cables should also be checked for signs of overheating, such as discoloration.

6.Always check that the travel adaptor you are using is the correct type for the country in which you are travelling and never force it into a socket if it does not easily fit.

Wherever you are on holiday, no-one should have to compromise their safety so always report any electrical dangers to the person responsible. This could be your hotel rep, tour operator or the hotel manager. If the danger is not removed immediately, insist on being moved.

These types of checks will put your mind at rest so you can really enjoy your break. Wishing you all a safe and happy holiday!

Majority of us are aware of the benefits of installing solar panels on our home. Once you get past the initial installation costs, solar panels reduce your energy bills and help the planet! However, what if solar panels were a possible cause of a house fire?

We recently came across a Facebook post in which a families house had set on a fire. The lady responsible for the post gave us permission to share her story. Thankfully nobody was hurt, however their house has suffered serious damage and also many family memories have now been lost and destroyed. Furthermore, the forensics team believe it was their solar panels which caused the house fire. This emphasises the importance of regularly servicing and checking your solar panels.

The Facebook poster praised the fact that her Electrician had put a hard wired smoke alarm system in her loft. Once the smoke alarm in their loft detected smoke, it triggered all the other smoke alarms around their house to sound. Immediately alerting the family of a potential fire. At Fulcher Edwards Ltd, every Tuesday we preach the importance of testing your smoke alarm/fire alarm system. Test it Tuesday is a helpful reminder to carry out weekly tests, as alarms can only save lives if they’re working! At home you could get the kids involved by making them your Test It Tuesday Champion. In the office you should have a ‘responsible person’ who carries out weekly tests on the alarm system.

Finally, the Facebook poster also expressed the importance of sufficient home insurance. They also recommend making the whole family aware of the fire alarm system and what to do in the event of a fire.

Please contact us HERE if you would like to find out more about installing a smoke alarm.

With the uncertainty of Brexit on the horizon, property market jitters are becoming apparent with more and more people hesitant to put their house on the market. For those brave individuals who are not letting Brexit halt their moving plans, what percentage are going to ask an Electrician to carry out a Pre-purchase Electrical Survey on a property before making an offer?

What is a Pre-Purchase Electrical Survey?

A pre-purchase electrical survey highlights the condition of the electrical wiring of a property. It also checks the safety of the electrical installation and that it adheres to British Standards. Now I know moving is an expensive time as it is, with Solicitors and Estate Agent fees, Building Surveys, and then you have all the other costs involved with moving house. Therefore, you’re probably thinking that a Pre-purchase Electrical Survey is an expense you could do without. However the benefit of having one is you know the exact condition of the property before committing yourself financially. Imagine a few months into your new home and an electrical fault occurs. You then find out that the wiring of the property is in a terrible condition and it will cost a lot of money to correct the issue!

Do I really need to have a pre-purchase electrical survey carried out?

In my personal experience, I found a pre-purchase electrical survey to be highly beneficial when moving house. The survey brought to our attention that some areas of the electrics in the house needed modernisation. For example, our kitchen, lounge and dining room power all fed off of one circuit. Now the demands of kitchens these days what with a washing machine, fridge freezer, tumble dryer, and endless amounts of other kitchen appliances we had, it was heading for a fuse overload unless we changed the current electrical set up. The two viewings we had would not have made us aware of this, as everything looked fine on the surface. Even though this problem was something that could be easily rectified, the survey helped to highlight the problem to us and made us aware of the costs before deciding on the property.

The things that showed up from us having a Building and a Pre-purchase Electrical Survey did not put us off buying this particular house, the point is we went into this house knowing what to expect and what costs were involved going forward. The survey gave us the opportunity to get a better insight into the electrical condition of our future home and therefore a decision was based on if we wanted and could afford the property or not from the findings. Alternatively, you can have a Visual Electrical Inspection carried out. This will give you reasonable insight into the condition of the electrical system in a property. The report will highlight anything that may need replacing in the future.

Whenever a customer calls us at Fulcher Edwards to find out if they should have a electrical survey on a property they are interested in. We always advise them to have one or a visual inspection as it provides you with useful information before making that offer. Its important to remember that just because something is working, it doesn’t necessarily mean there are no underlining problems and it is operating safely.

If you are considering looking for a new home anytime soon then don’t forget to budget for an Pre-purchase Electrical Survey as it could save you money in the long run. Just make sure that the electrician you use is registered with a Government-approved organisations like NICEIC, as registered Electricians will work to current British Standards.

Contact us HERE if you would like to find out more about a pre-purchase electrical survey.