There are various types of electrical certificates that are issued. All certificates are only issued when work has been satisfactorily completed, inspected and tested. The main types of certificates are.
Electrical Installation Certificate: A certificate issued when one or more circuits have been newly installed in commercial or industrial settings, i.e. offices, retail, factory.
Domestic Installation Certificate: A certificate issued when one or more circuits have been newly installed in a domestic setting.
Periodic Inspection Report: Now known as an EICR, a comprehensive report issued after the inspection and testing of an existing installation. The Electrician Installation Condition Report [EICR] should be carried out at regular intervals to determine the state and safety of the wiring in your home, i.e. it is recommended that you have an electrician carry out a EICR for your home at least every 10 years, or if you live in a rented property, every 5 years. EICRs contain readings and other observations, and will include recommendations from the inspector in respect of work needed to be done to rectify problems.
Visual Condition Report / Electrical Safety Check: The purpose of a Visual Condition Report is to determine as far as is reasonably practicable, whether the installation has any visually- evident defects or has suffered any damage or deterioration which may affect safety. A Visual Inspection Report will not determine whether the electrical installation is safe or not. It is not appropriate to report that an installation is in a satisfactory condition on the basis of visual inspection only.
Portable Appliance Test (PAT test): A basic test that is carried out to determine the safety of the electrical appliances that are used in commercial and public settings, i.e. workplace, shops, bars, libraries, rented homes etc. Basically anything with a plug top on needs to be tested. The frequency that the test should take place depends on various factors. It is quite a routine test to carry out, although a certain amount of logistics is required on large scale jobs in order to keeps the labour cost down and to keep down-time to a minimum.