Rewire cost checkCost check

The certificate

The Safe Electric Completion Certificate

A Safe Electric cert is the completion certificate a Registered Electrical Contractor issues when electrical work in your home is finished. The law makes it mandatory for almost all electrical work, and only a registered contractor can issue it, so a rewire by anyone else can't be certified.

What the certificate is, why ESB Networks and buyers' solicitors ask for it, and how to check an electrician is registered.

Check my rewire costSee the price guide

Free, no obligation. One registered electrician prices it, not five.

  • Mandatoryfor almost all electrical work in a home
  • Since 2013rewiring a home is restricted to registered contractors
  • White copyis yours to keep
  • €280 + VATfor a change of contractor inspection

Rewire cost check

What will your rewire cost?

Six quick taps. You see our price range for your home and whether it sounds like a full rewire, a partial one, a new fuse board or an inspection first. Want a written price? One Safe Electric registered electrician who covers your county rings you.

Step 1 of 7

What kind of home is it?

Pick the closest.

How many bedrooms?

Size is the biggest thing in the price.

When was it built, or last rewired?

A rough guess is fine. The age of the wiring matters more than the age of the house.

Do you see any of these?

Tick all that apply.

The whole house, or part of it?

A partial rewire only makes sense when the rest is sound.

Will you be living in it during the work?

An empty house is quicker and costs less.

Our price range

€7,000 to €14,500

A full rewire of a 3-bed house: new cables, a new fuse board, testing and the Safe Electric certificate.

Answer the six questionsYou'll see whether it sounds like a full rewire, a partial one, a new fuse board or an inspection first.
  • About 4 to 10 days on site for a 3-bed house.
  • A new fuse board on its own: €350 to €1,400.
  • An inspection and report: €150 to €350.
  • A guide, not a quote. The written price comes after the electrician has seen and tested the house.

Get a written price

Only your county and phone number are needed. Your answers go with it, so the electrician knows the job before ringing.

Free, no obligation. One electrician, not a list. Nothing is booked until you say yes.

The law

Why only a registered electrician can do it

Under the Electricity Regulation Act 1999, as amended, a Registered Electrical Contractor must issue a completion certificate for all electrical work except minor works. Since October 2013, S.I. No. 264 of 2013 makes most electrical work in a home restricted electrical work: only a Registered Electrical Contractor may do it and certify it. That covers:

  • a new installation that needs connecting or reconnecting to the network;
  • installing, changing or replacing a fuse board (distribution board);
  • installing or replacing one or more circuits;
  • inspecting, testing and reporting on an existing installation.

A rewire always means installing or replacing circuits, and usually a new board, so it's restricted work. Minor works, like replacing a switch like for like or adding a socket to an existing circuit, aren't restricted. Anyone doing restricted work who isn't registered can be prosecuted. The Commission for Regulation of Utilities puts it plainly: using a Registered Electrical Contractor for electrical work in your home is the law.

The certificate

What you get, and what to do with it

  • The original white copy is yours. A copy goes to Safe Electric. Only the contractor's named Qualified Certifier can sign it.
  • It must confirm the tests after connection, or it isn't complete.
  • Certificate No. 1 is for an installation that needs connecting or reconnecting to the network. Certificate No. 3 covers alterations and additions, and can't be used to get a connection.
  • ESB Networks won't connect new or altered wiring until a validated completion certificate reaches them, and a house disconnected for more than six months needs one to be reconnected.
  • Keep it with the deeds. A buyer's solicitor will ask for the certificate for any rewire or electrical work done.

If you didn't get a certificate, or the contractor refuses to give you one, you can complain to Safe Electric. If a contractor finds a hazard, even outside the job, they have a duty to tell you, and to give you a Notice of Potential Hazard if it can't be put right there and then. If your installer can't finish and certify the work, Safe Electric can approve a change of contractor; the inspection for that has a minimum charge of €280 plus VAT.

Check first

How to check an electrician is registered

Ask for their Safe Electric registration number and look them up on the register at safeelectric.ie before you agree anything. Every request we pass on goes to a Safe Electric registered electrician.

Services

Rewiring jobs we take requests for

Every job is done and certified by a Safe Electric registered electrician.

Two new consumer units on a board in an old house mid-rewire, with new cables coiled readyFull rewireEvery circuit replaced, a new board, tested and certified. €7,000 to €14,500 for a 3-bed house.More on full rewire →An electrician levelling a new back box in a tiled wallPartial rewireA kitchen, an extension or a few circuits, when the rest tests sound. €1,200 to €4,000+.More on partial rewire →A modern white consumer unit and a double socket on a plywood boardFuse board upgradeA new consumer unit with RCD protection. €350 to €1,400.More on fuse board upgrade →An old fuse box with pull-out fuse carriers and old cables around itElectrical inspectionA Periodic Inspection Report on every circuit. €150 to €350 for most houses.More on electrical inspection →Very old ceramic fuse holders on a brick wallRewiring an old houseRubber cable, ceramic fuses and period ceilings: what changes in an older house.More on rewiring an old house →RCDThe test button that mattersRCD protectionWhat an RCD does, why old boards don't have one, and how to test it.More on RCD protection →

Counties

House rewiring in every county

One registered electrician per county. Pick yours for local housing figures, prices and the council grants.

Guides

Rewiring guides

Questions

Questions people ask

What is a Safe Electric cert?

The completion certificate a Registered Electrical Contractor issues when electrical work is finished. It shows the work was tested and meets the national wiring rules.

Do I need a cert after a rewire?

Yes. The law says a Registered Electrical Contractor must give you a completion certificate for almost all electrical work in a home, and a rewire always needs one. Without it, ESB Networks won't connect a new or altered installation.

Who can issue a Safe Electric cert?

Only a Registered Electrical Contractor, listed on the Safe Electric register. Replacing circuits or a fuse board in a home is restricted electrical work in Irish law: anyone else doing it can be prosecuted.

What if my electrician won't give me a cert?

Complain to Safe Electric. Not issuing a certificate is one of the things they investigate.

Is a Periodic Inspection Report the same as a cert?

No. A Periodic Inspection Report is a report on the condition of existing wiring. A completion certificate covers new work.

What was RECI?

RECI ran the Safe Electric scheme for the regulator until 2022. Safe Energy Ireland runs it now. Same register, same certificates.

Find out what your rewire costs

Six taps for our price range, then a written price from one Safe Electric registered electrician who covers your county. Free, no obligation.

Check my rewire costSee the price guide