A new kitchen is one of the most satisfying home improvements you can make — but it's also one of the most electrically demanding. Kitchens are full of high-powered appliances, require specific circuit arrangements under building regulations, and the electrical work needs to happen before the fitters arrive, not after. Getting the sequencing right saves time, money and the headache of having a half-fitted kitchen sitting idle while you wait for an electrician. A kitchen renovation is also the ideal opportunity to upgrade your lighting to LED, add more sockets and — if your existing board is old — carry out a consumer unit upgrade at the same time.
Kitchen electrical work is almost always a first-fix job — meaning cables need to be run, chased into walls and positioned before plastering, tiling or units go in. If you fit the kitchen first and then bring an electrician in, you'll likely be looking at units being removed, tiles being lifted and walls being re-plastered. The right order is always: electrics first, then kitchen installation.
Book your electrician early — ideally before you've even ordered the kitchen — so they can assess the existing installation and plan the first-fix work around the kitchen design.
Modern kitchens place significant demand on the electrical installation. A full kitchen renovation usually requires:
Kitchen lighting has evolved significantly. Most renovations now include:
If you're installing a new cooker hood or extraction system, the wiring needs to be in place before the hood is fitted. Ducted extraction requires a route through the wall or ceiling — plan this early.
If your existing consumer unit is old, doesn't have RCD protection or doesn't have spare ways for the new circuits, a consumer unit upgrade is often carried out at the same time as a kitchen renovation. It's much more economical to do both together than to return later.
Don't assume your existing installation is adequate. Older properties may have ring mains that are already at their limit, undersized cooker circuits or no spare capacity in the consumer unit. A pre-renovation electrical assessment identifies these issues before they become problems mid-project.
Electrical work in kitchens falls under Part P of the Building Regulations. The following work in a kitchen must be either carried out by a registered competent person (who self-certifies the work) or notified to your local building control authority:
Using a registered electrician — such as one registered with NAPIT or NICEIC — means the work is self-certified and you receive an Electrical Installation Certificate on completion. This is the documentation you'll need for building control, for your home insurance and when you come to sell the property. We are NAPIT registered and handle all certification and notification as part of the job.
Selling your home later: Buyers' solicitors routinely ask for electrical certificates for kitchen work. If the work was done without proper certification, it can delay or jeopardise a sale. Always get the paperwork.
The cost varies depending on the scope of work, the condition of the existing installation and whether a consumer unit upgrade is needed. As a rough guide for properties in Darlington and the North East:
We'll give you a fixed price after a site visit — no surprises. Get in touch to arrange a free assessment before your renovation begins. If you're also curious about signs your existing wiring needs attention or whether a full rewire is worth considering at the same time, both guides are worth a read before you commit to a scope of work.
