Terraces make up over a quarter of homes in Oxford, and in areas like Jericho and East Oxford many of these date back to the Victorian and Georgian era. That means a lot of older homes in the city have electrics that could be well past their 20-30 year recommended lifespan, and so aren’t as safe as they should be. Electrical faults, including old or faulty wiring, account for over 15% of domestic fires in England and Wales. The good news is it's not complicated or expensive to protect your period home. A few practical checks like booking an EICR, not overloading sockets, and testing your RCD can go a long way toward keeping your home, and everyone in it, safe.
Book an EICR
An EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report) is a professional inspection of your electrical wiring by an electrician to see if it’s safe. It’s not uncommon for period homes to have worn cables or old consumer units so you'll likely need at least some kind of repair or replacement. Anything urgent will be immediately made safe by the electrician on the spot if possible rather than you having to arrange another visit. Anything that’s maybe hazardous but not urgent will be put in the report, along with a quote to have it fixed separately.
Older systems in period properties can deteriorate faster than normal and so your electrician may advise you to get your next EICR sooner than the recommended ten years. It’s important to not put this off, especially since over one in five homeowners say they tend not to give electrical problems and issues in their homes much thought. Booking an EICR is a straightforward way to keep on top of your home’s electrics and not become part of that stat. The cost of this inspection can vary based on the size of your home, but an Oxford electrician charges around £40 an hour on average. An EICR usually takes between two to four hours, so it’s helpful to get a fixed quote upfront and know how much you’ll be paying before you book with them.
Don’t overload your sockets
Do you use extension leads or multi-plug adaptors? Try and spread your devices out around your home so you don’t overload your sockets. Oxford’s period homes typically have one or two sockets per room and so it’s easy to rely on these extension solutions and not realise the strain it puts on a single circuit. Wires heat up when you overload a circuit and that heat builds up behind walls near old insulation and timber laths, which are often more degraded and flammable than in a more modern home.
You can also check your fuse box to see which sockets share a circuit. Your washing machine and living room heater might be on the same circuit even if they're in different rooms and these appliances both use a lot of energy. Ideally get in an electrician to install more sockets. In the meantime, don’t plug in and run big appliances at the same time on the same circuit.
Remember to test your RCD
You should also regularly test your RCD, or residual current device, at least once every six months. An RCD basically stops you getting an electric shock if you touch something faulty like a damaged wire. It also prevents fires as it cuts the power before a fault has the chance to overheat and ignite. Testing your RCD is easy to do. You’ll find it in your consumer unit (fuse box). Press the “T” or “test” button and it should trip the switch and cut the power. Get an electrician to look at it if you don’t think it’s working properly. RCDs only became a requirement for new circuits in 2008, so Oxford’s period homes don’t always have them. Don’t worry if your home doesn’t have one as it’s not unusual for a property this age. But definitely mention it to your electrician who can assess whether an RCD should be added along with other work.
A few simple checks can help protect your Oxford period home for years to come. Stay on top of your electrics and you’ll save yourself costly repairs or worse, a fire, later down the line.
