Electrician in Bicester

Garden Town growth and new estates

Bicester was given Garden Town status in 2014, and the result is visible on every side of the town. Elmsbrook, the first phase of the North West Bicester eco-town, and the Graven Hill self-build homes sit alongside more conventional new estates. Much of the electrical work in Bicester is therefore new installation rather than repair.

For self-builders and small builders we provide first fix and second fix, working from the drawings and fitting in with the other trades. Getting the electrician involved before the walls are boarded makes it far easier to add things that are awkward later: outside sockets, garden lighting, data points in every room and a dedicated supply ready for an EV charger.

See: first and second fix.

Wartime roots and post-war housing

Before the new estates, Bicester's growth came from the military. RAF Bicester and the ordnance depot established in 1942 brought new residents, and housing was built for them through the post-war decades. Many of those homes are now on their second or third owners, and the consumer units fitted when they were last modernised are often well past their best.

A typical upgrade here is a new consumer unit with RCD protection, after testing each circuit to make sure the existing wiring is sound enough to connect to it. Where it isn't, we'll say so and quote for the parts that need replacing.

Stone buildings in the old centre

The historic core around Market End and King's End is built partly in grey oolitic limestone and the darker ginger ironstone found in this part of Oxfordshire. The Bicester town centre conservation area and the separate RAF Bicester conservation area both protect the character of older buildings, so cables in these properties are run internally and concealed wherever possible.

Heating, rentals and electrical load

Census 2021 figures for Cherwell as a whole show 19.8% of homes privately rented, 9.9% heated by oil only and 9.5% by electricity only. In the villages around the town, such as Launton, Ambrosden, Chesterton and Caversfield, homes off the gas grid often rely on electric heating or immersion heaters, which puts more demand on the installation and makes a sound consumer unit and earthing arrangement more important.

Landlords letting in Bicester need an Electrical Installation Condition Report at least every five years and before a new tenancy if the previous report has expired.

Services for Bicester

Our main work in and around the town is new-build and extension wiring for builders and self-builders, EV-ready circuits, landlord EICRs and consumer unit upgrades in older houses, plus commercial installations on the town's business sites.