Emergency electrician in St Albans: on site within the hour.
Power out, a tripping board or a burning smell? Call 0345 3 822 833 and a qualified engineer will be on site within one hour, Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm. Not a one-man electrician: a full team of employed NICEIC engineers and an office behind every call.
Emergency electrician in St Albans, on site within the hour
When the power is out, a consumer unit keeps tripping or something is burning, you do not want a callback tomorrow. Ring the office, tell us what has happened, and we send the nearest qualified engineer. Our aim is simple: on site within one hour of your call, Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm, for homes and businesses in and around St Albans.
The engineer makes the installation safe first, then finds the fault and repairs it. If the repair is bigger than a call-out, we isolate the danger, agree the next step with you and quote it in writing.
Why you want a team behind you, not just a one-man electrician
Plenty of sole traders do excellent work, and for a single socket they can be the right choice. An emergency is different, because the problem is capacity: one person, one van, one diary. SEG is a team of employed, NICEIC-registered engineers with an office behind them, so one call starts a process rather than relying on one person being free.
| When this happens | A one-man electrician | SEG |
|---|---|---|
| He is already on another job when you ring | You wait, or you are told tomorrow | Another engineer is sent. We have several engineers and vans. |
| Illness, holiday or a van breakdown | The call goes unanswered or the job slips | The office re-allocates the call, so your fault still gets attended |
| A fault that needs two people to make safe | He may have to return with help | A second engineer can be sent |
| The fault turns out to be bigger, such as a failed consumer unit | Quote now, return when his diary allows | The office quotes in writing and books the follow-on work |
| Certificates and records | Varies | Held by the office, with the full job history |
| Accreditation | Varies | NICEIC Approved Contractor, ECA member, Constructionline Gold, CHAS, SafeContractor |
What counts as an electrical emergency?
- A burning smell, smoke, sparks or a scorched socket, switch or consumer unit.
- Exposed live wires, or a shock from an appliance or fitting.
- Water leaking onto electrics, a flooded consumer unit or a wet socket.
- Power lost to your property when the neighbours still have theirs.
- A circuit that trips again straight after you reset it.
- A fault that stops a shop, office, unit or school from working.
While you wait: stay safe
- If there is a fire, or anyone is injured, call 999.
- If it is safe and the area is dry, switch off the main switch at the consumer unit.
- Do not touch anything wet, damaged or scorched, and keep people and pets away.
- Unplug appliances only if you can do so without touching anything affected.
- If the power is out across your street, call 105. It is free and reaches your local network operator, who handle faults on the supply up to your meter.
What the engineer does when they arrive
- Makes the installation safe, isolating anything dangerous.
- Finds the fault on power, lighting and circuit failures.
- Repairs or replaces damaged accessories, protective devices and consumer units.
- Explains what went wrong in plain English and gives a written quote for any follow-on work.
- Issues a certificate where the work needs one.
How it works
Ring 0345 3 822 833. Tell us what you can see, smell and hear.
The office sends the nearest engineer and advises what to isolate.
On site within one hour, Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm.
Written quote and certificate for any further work.
When you ring, give us the address, what has happened, what is affected and whether anyone can give access. A photo of the consumer unit helps.
Who we help
- Homeowners and tenants with a power loss, tripping circuits or a fault they cannot find. See our page for homeowners.
- Landlords and agents responding to a tenant report. See electricians for landlords.
- Businesses where a fault stops trading. See commercial electrical contractor.
- Housing providers needing reactive repairs under contract. See housing provider services.
Recent call-outs
- St Albans, 19 October 2026: a loft extractor fan had stopped working. We attended the same day, found the fan had failed and fitted a replacement we had brought with us. One hour’s labour plus the fan. See the job.
- Harpenden: a call-out, a melted socket and a faulty lighting switch for one family home, and 15 repair jobs at an Anchor retirement scheme. See our Harpenden work.
Emergency electrician across St Albans and Hertfordshire
We are based at SEG House in Chiswell Green, St Albans. Within one hour (everywhere up to roughly 11 miles from SEG House): St Albans, Harpenden, Hemel Hempstead, Watford, Hatfield, Welwyn Garden City, Radlett, Potters Bar, Borehamwood, Chiswell Green, Park Street, Bricket Wood, London Colney, Redbourn, Wheathampstead, Sandridge, Kings Langley, Abbots Langley, Shenley.
Further out: Hitchin, Stevenage, Luton, Berkhamsted, plus Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and North and West London. Ring us and we will give you the arrival time on the phone.
Hours and out of hours
We answer calls 7am to 10pm, seven days a week. The one-hour emergency response runs Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm; outside those times, ring anyway and we will tell you when we can get an engineer to you. If anyone is in danger or there is a fire, call 999, and for a power cut across your street call 105.
Last updated 4 October 2026.
- Failed loft extractor fan replaced on a same-day call-out (St Albans, October 2026)
Questions we are asked
How quickly can an emergency electrician get to me in St Albans?
Call the office on 0345 3 822 833 between 8am and 5pm, Monday to Friday, and an engineer will be on site within one hour of your call in St Albans and the surrounding towns. If you are further out in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire or North London, we tell you the arrival time on the phone.
Do you attend emergencies out of hours?
Our phones are answered 7am to 10pm, seven days a week. The one-hour response is promised Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm; outside those times we take the details and tell you honestly when we can get an engineer to you. If anyone is in danger or there is a fire, call 999. If the power is out across your street, call 105.
What counts as an electrical emergency?
Anything that puts people at risk or stops a building working: burning smells, sparks, exposed live parts, water on electrics, a consumer unit that will not stay on, or a total loss of power to your property while your neighbours still have power.
What should I do if there is a burning smell?
If it is safe and the area is dry, switch off the main switch at the consumer unit, keep clear and call us. If there is smoke or fire, leave the building and call 999.
Who do I call if the power is out across my street?
Call 105 for free. It connects you to the network operator for your area, who deal with faults on the supply up to your meter. If only your property has lost power, call us.
Why use an electrical company with a team rather than a one-man electrician?
Capacity. A sole trader cannot be on two jobs at once, and a sick day, a holiday or a van breakdown can leave an emergency waiting. SEG has several employed engineers and vans, plus an office that takes the call, sends the nearest engineer and keeps the paperwork. If one engineer is busy, another attends.
How much does an emergency electrician cost?
It depends on the fault, so we agree the cost with you before work starts. Tell the office what has happened and they will explain how the call-out is charged. Any follow-on work, such as a new consumer unit, is quoted in writing.
Are your engineers qualified?
Yes. SEG is a NICEIC Approved Contractor and an ECA member, and our engineers are employed by us, not subcontracted. We issue a certificate where the work needs one.
Do you cover Hemel Hempstead, Harpenden, Watford and Welwyn Garden City?
Yes. Hemel Hempstead, Harpenden, Watford, Hatfield and Welwyn Garden City are all inside our one-hour area, as are Radlett, Borehamwood and Potters Bar. Stevenage and Hitchin are covered too. Call us with your address and we will confirm the arrival time.
Do you help landlords, agents and businesses as well as homeowners?
Yes. Landlords and agents can ring on behalf of a tenant, businesses can call about a fault that stops trading, and housing providers can ask about reactive repairs under contract.
Electrical emergency?
Ring now. An engineer will be on site within the hour, Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm.