Full & Partial HouseRewiring in Winchester& Across Hampshire
A rewire planned around your household rather than dropped on it: staged circuits, dust control, daily tidy-downs and a fixed written quote, with every circuit tested and certified to the 18th Edition.
25 years as a qualified electrician · NAPIT registered under Part P · City & Guilds 2391 inspection and testing · 2-year workmanship guarantee.
25 years
Rewires planned and carried out by an electrician of 25 years.
Fixed quote
A written fixed price, free, typically within 48 hours.
18th Edition
Every circuit tested and certified to BS 7671, notified under Part P.
2-year guarantee
Workmanship guaranteed, with manufacturer warranties on equipment.
Rewiring is disruptive: the planning is what decides how disruptive
A rewire replaces the cabling, accessories and protective devices of an installation that has reached the end of its service life. In practice that means lifting floorboards, chasing walls, running new circuits from a new consumer unit, and making good afterwards. The technical work is well understood; what separates a good rewire from a bad one is sequencing, dust control and communication, because you usually still have to live in the house while it happens.
Selenium Energy carries out full and partial rewires across Winchester and Hampshire. Steve is a qualified electrician of 25 years, NAPIT registered under Part P and City & Guilds 2391 qualified in inspection and testing. He plans the job, does the work, tests it and issues the certification, so nothing is lost between a surveyor's assumption and an installer's shortcut.
Partial rewires are frequently the right answer. Where testing shows that the ground floor was updated a decade ago but the upstairs lighting is still on original cabling, rewiring the affected circuits costs a fraction of a full rewire and leaves you with the same result on those circuits. We test before quoting so this can be an evidence-based decision rather than a sales one.
Every rewire begins with a survey and testing, and produces a fixed written quote - free, and typically with you within 48 hours - that states the circuits included, the accessory positions agreed with you, the extent of making good, and the working programme. A 25% deposit secures the dates and the balance is due on completion.
A rewire is likely to be needed if
- The property still has rubber, fabric or lead-sheathed cable, or round-pin sockets anywhere.
- An EICR has coded multiple circuits C2, or insulation resistance readings are poor across the installation.
- You have bought a house that has not been touched electrically in decades.
- You are renovating, extending or converting a loft and walls and floors are already open.
- Sockets are too few and in the wrong places, with extension leads permanently in use.
- You are letting a property that cannot achieve a satisfactory EICR without extensive remedial work.
What ageing wiring does while you wait
Cable does not fail suddenly; it deteriorates. The risk profile of a 1960s installation rises quietly every year, and the cost of dealing with it rises with it.
Insulation that has become brittle
Rubber and fabric insulated cable hardens and cracks, particularly in loft spaces and near heat. Conductors end up separated by material that no longer insulates, inside walls where nobody can see it.
A board that cannot be upgraded
Fit modern protection to old cabling with degraded insulation and it will not hold. Households then find themselves paying for a board change that cannot be commissioned until the wiring behind it is replaced.
Renovation done twice
Decorating, tiling or fitting a kitchen before rewiring means chasing and patching finished surfaces later. The electrical cost is the same; the making-good cost doubles.
Common mistakes with rewires
- Accepting a full rewire quote when testing would show a partial rewire achieves the same outcome.
- Agreeing socket and light positions on site as work proceeds, rather than on a plan before first fix.
- Not agreeing the extent of making good in writing, then arguing about plaster at the end.
- Rewiring after decoration instead of before.
- Leaving the existing bonding, earthing and supply arrangement unchecked.
- Choosing on price alone with no schedule of circuits, no test results and no Part P notification.
How a rewire is planned and delivered
Staged so the house stays liveable, with dust control and a daily tidy-down as standard.
- 1
Survey, inspection and testing
We test the existing circuits, inspect cable types, board, earthing and bonding, and establish whether a full or partial rewire is the honest answer.
- 2
Design and plan
Circuit schedule, socket and lighting positions, kitchen and bathroom requirements and future provision for solar, storage or EV charging, all agreed room by room before anything starts.
- 3
Fixed written quote and programme
One fixed price with the circuits, accessories, extent of making good and working days set out, typically within 48 hours. A 25% deposit secures the dates.
- 4
First fix
Floors lifted and walls chased in agreed stages, new cabling run to the plan, back boxes set, with dust sheeting, sealed working areas and a tidy-down at the end of each day.
- 5
Second fix and board changeover
Accessories fitted, new consumer unit installed and circuits transferred, with isolation windows agreed in advance so you are never unexpectedly without power.
- 6
Testing, certification and guarantee
Every circuit tested and recorded, an Electrical Installation Certificate to the 18th Edition of BS 7671, Part P notification, labelled circuit schedule and our 2-year workmanship guarantee.
What a properly planned rewire gives you
A house that stays liveable
Work is staged room by room with agreed isolation windows, so cooking, heating, home working and bedtime routines are planned around rather than ignored.
Dust taken seriously
Sheeting, sealed working areas and a daily tidy-down as standard: the single thing households remember most about a rewire.
Sockets where you actually need them
Positions are agreed on a plan before first fix, informed by how you use each room, so the extension leads can go in the bin.
Ready for what comes next
The new board is specified with spare ways and correct device types for solar, battery storage and EV charging, so future work does not mean another board change.
Fully certified and recorded
Every circuit tested with results recorded, certification to the 18th Edition of BS 7671, Part P notification and a labelled schedule of circuits.
Decades of service
Modern thermoplastic cable installed in safe zones with protection where required is expected to serve the property for many decades.
Rewiring in detail: methods, materials and variations
The detail below is what makes one rewire quote genuinely different from another at a similar price.
Full rewire or partial rewire
A full rewire replaces every circuit, all accessories and the consumer unit. It is the right answer where original rubber, fabric or lead-sheathed cable is present throughout, where insulation resistance is poor across the installation, or where the property is being renovated comprehensively and access is already open.
A partial rewire replaces specific circuits: commonly upstairs lighting, a kitchen, a bathroom, or an outbuilding supply, and keeps sound circuits in place. It is quoted from measured test results rather than from age alone: cable installed in the 1980s and 1990s in good condition frequently tests well and does not need replacing.
We give you the figures both ways when the decision is close, because a partial rewire plus a new board sometimes achieves everything a household actually needs at half the cost and a fraction of the disruption.
- Full rewires including consumer unit, all circuits and accessories
- Partial rewires quoted from measured test results
- Kitchen, bathroom and outbuilding circuit renewal
- Loft conversion, extension and renovation first and second fix
- Landlord remedial rewiring to achieve a satisfactory EICR
Materials, containment and safe zones
New circuits are wired in modern thermoplastic-insulated cable, sized for the load and the route length, with steel or plastic containment and mechanical protection where cables sit outside permitted safe zones. Bathrooms and shower rooms are wired to zone requirements, and supplementary bonding assessed rather than assumed.
Accessories are chosen for the environment: standard accessories internally, IP-rated weatherproof accessories externally, metal-clad where a garage or workshop demands durability. Downlights are fire-rated with correct clearance and insulation management, because a rewire is exactly when ceiling integrity gets designed in properly.
The consumer unit at the centre of it all is a metal-clad board with per-circuit RCBO protection, correct RCD types for inverter and EV loads, surge protection where justified, and deliberately specified spare ways.
- Modern thermoplastic cable sized for load and route
- Containment and mechanical protection outside safe zones
- Bathroom zoning and supplementary bonding assessment
- Weatherproof and metal-clad accessories where the environment requires
- Metal-clad all-RCBO consumer unit with spare capacity
Living in the house while it happens
Most of our rewires are carried out in occupied houses. That drives the sequencing: we work in stages so the kitchen and one bathroom keep power wherever possible, isolation windows are agreed the day before, and the router, freezer and any medical equipment are identified at survey so they are never caught out.
Dust control is planned, not improvised: sheeting, taped-off working areas, and a sweep and tidy at the end of every day. The extent of making good is written into the quote: we fill and patch chases and back boxes to a decoratable standard, and we say clearly what is not included, such as replastering full walls or redecorating, so you can plan the decorating that follows.
Where a builder, kitchen fitter or plasterer is involved, we coordinate first fix and second fix around their programme, because the cost of arriving in the wrong order lands on the customer every time.
Period property, listed buildings and commercial premises
Winchester and the surrounding villages have a lot of older housing stock: solid walls, lath and plaster, flint, and floors that do not want to come up twice. Routes are planned to minimise chasing, sometimes using existing voids, skirting containment or floor-level runs to preserve original features. Where a property is listed or in a conservation area we discuss what is realistic before quoting.
Commercial rewiring - offices, shops and workshops - is scheduled around trading hours and often phased circuit by circuit so the premises can stay open. Three-phase distribution, sub-distribution boards, emergency lighting and heavier documentation requirements are all handled as part of the programme.
In both cases the same guarantees apply: full testing, certification to the 18th Edition under NAPIT, Part P notification where required, and two years on workmanship.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a rewire cost in Winchester?
Rewires vary too much by property size, cable routes and making-good extent to publish a single price, so we test and survey first and give you a free fixed written quote, typically within 48 hours, with the circuits and scope set out in writing.
How long does a rewire take?
A typical three-bedroom house is usually measured in days rather than weeks, split into first fix, second fix and board changeover. Your quote states the working days, and larger or period properties are planned in stages so the house stays liveable.
Do I need to move out?
Usually not. We stage the work so that key areas keep power where possible and agree isolation windows in advance. If a particular phase makes a room unusable for a day, you will know before it happens.
Do I need a full rewire or will a partial do?
That is decided by testing, not by the age of the house. Where sound circuits test well we quote a partial rewire and a new board, which often achieves everything needed at a fraction of the cost and disruption of a full rewire.
Will you make good the walls and floors?
We fill and patch chases and back boxes to a decoratable standard, and the quote states plainly what is and is not included: full replastering and redecoration are separate trades and we will tell you where the line falls.
Is the work certified and notified?
Yes. Every circuit is tested with results recorded, and you receive an Electrical Installation Certificate to the 18th Edition of BS 7671 with a labelled schedule of circuits. Work is notified under Part P through NAPIT.
What guarantee do I get?
Two years on all workmanship, plus manufacturer warranties on the equipment supplied: up to 30 years depending on product and brand.
How long will a new installation last?
Modern cabling installed correctly is expected to serve for many decades. Periodic EICR inspection - around every ten years for owner-occupiers, five years for rented property - confirms it remains in good condition.
Can you rewire ready for solar, a battery or an EV charger?
Yes, and it is the cheapest time to do it. We specify the board with spare ways and correct device types, and can run provision for a charge point or battery position while floors and walls are open.
Which areas do you cover?
We are based in Winchester and work across Hampshire, including Basingstoke, Southampton, Andover, Portsmouth, Salisbury, Reading and Oxford.
Related services
Next step
Start on the home page, see finished installs on our work, or send your details through the contact page.
Get your installation tested and a rewire quoted honestly
Testing first, a partial rewire recommended where that is genuinely enough, a fixed written price, full certification and a 2-year workmanship guarantee. Send your details and Steve will call you back.
Steve Higgins · NAPIT registered · OZEV authorised · 2-year workmanship guarantee · Enquire online 24/7 · On site 7am–6pm