Qualified contractors Certified electricians where required
Electrical
Smoke & CO alarm install
Mains-wired interlinked smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, required for landlords in Wales since 2022. Compliant install, certificate, peace of mind.
Pricing Quoted
Clear quote · Gas Safe registered · Checkatrade approved
- 1Send the detailsPhotos, postcode, what's happening: phone, WhatsApp or form.
- 2Same-day replyNigel confirms price, visit time or survey slot.
- 3Fixed quoteWritten down before any work starts. No surprises.
Vetted, certified, accountable.
Part P Notifiable work registered with local authority
Alarms Smoke and CO alarm installs
Checkatrade Approved and reviewed
Indicative scope
Exact pricing is confirmed before work starts and depends on the property, access, parts and fault diagnosis.
1-bed flat
Quoted
1 smoke + 1 CO alarm interlinked
- AICO Ei3024 mains alarm
- AICO CO alarm (where gas appliance present)
- Radio interlinking included
- Cable + chases as required
- BS 5839-6 compliance certificate
3-bed semi
Quoted
2 smoke + 1 heat + 1 CO interlinked
- AICO Ei3018 + Ei3024 alarms
- Heat alarm in kitchen
- CO alarm in boiler / fuel-burning room
- Full radio interlink
- Test certificate + compliance statement
4-bed+ / HMO
Quoted
Per-storey + per-fuel-room alarms
- 3+ smoke alarms (one per storey)
- Heat alarm where required
- 1+ CO alarms per fuel appliance
- HMO licensing compliance
- Annual test reminder cycle
Smoke & CO alarms
Welsh smoke-alarm law need updating?
Mains-wired interlinked smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, required for landlords in Wales since 2022. Compliant install, certificate, peace of mind.
At a glance
Quick facts before you read on.
What's included
5 things, no extras on the day- AICO Ei3024 mains alarm
- AICO CO alarm (where gas appliance present)
- Radio interlinking included
- Cable + chases as required
How we quote
Confirmed before work startsTypical 3-bed semi: 2 smoke + 1 heat + 1 CO interlinked.
Certification
NICEIC Part PJob done to standards. Paperwork on the day.
Service area
Cardiff, Penarth, Barry, CaerphillyWelsh law since December 2022 requires mains-wired interlinked smoke alarms on every storey of a rented property, plus a CO alarm in every room with a fuel-burning appliance. We install to the standard, document the install, and leave the certificates landlords need.
What’s required
Under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 and BS 5839-6:2019+A1:2020:
- Smoke alarms: at least one per storey, mains-wired (with battery backup) or sealed-battery type, interlinked (when one goes off, all go off). Hallway and landing positions checked against the Code of Practice. Grade D1 or D2 minimum for rentals.
- Heat alarm, in the kitchen if a smoke alarm would be too easily false-triggered. Some open-plan layouts may need both.
- CO alarms: in every room with a fuel-burning appliance (boiler, gas hob, gas fire, log burner, oil heater). Required since October 2022 across England and Wales.
For owner-occupied homes, none of this is legally required. But the standard is the same, and most home insurance policies now reference BS 5839-6 in their fire-safety requirements.
What we install
We use AICO Ei3024 / Ei3018 series mains-wired interlinked alarms, the industry-standard kit for compliant rentals. Radio-pairing is included so the alarms don’t need to be physically wired together (saves chases through walls and ceilings).
- Ei3024: optical smoke alarm (recommended for living areas, halls, landings).
- Ei3018, heat alarm (for kitchens).
- Ei3028: CO alarm.
- Ei1000G, gateway/hub (optional) for app-based monitoring of alarm status.
All units have 10-year sealed-battery backup so they never need a battery change in their service life.
Pricing
| Property | Alarms | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 1-bed flat | 1 smoke + 1 CO | £180 |
| 2-bed property | 2 smoke + 1 CO | £210 |
| 3-bed semi | 2 smoke + 1 heat + 1 CO | £240 |
| 4-bed detached | 3 smoke + 1 heat + 1 CO | £320 |
| HMO (3+ unrelated) | per-storey + per-room | quote on inspection |
For letting-agent portfolios of 6+ we offer per-property volume rates with a single test reminder per cycle.
Compliance certificate
We provide:
- Test record showing every alarm was triggered and the sequential interlink response was confirmed.
- Written compliance statement referencing BS 5839-6:2019+A1:2020 and the Renting Homes (Wales) Act.
- Minor Works Certificate for the electrical work (mains cabling).
These are the documents your insurance, HMO licensing officer, or property accreditation scheme will ask for.
What we don’t do
- Fit non-interlinked alarms in rentals. Welsh law requires interlinking; non-interlinked alarms are non-compliant.
- Fit cheap alarms. Some £8 supermarket alarms are technically BS-compliant but have 5-year battery life and are loud at frequencies that don’t penetrate doors well. AICO is industry-standard for a reason.
- Skip the test record. Every install gets a sequential test with the dates and times logged. This is what insurers and licensing officers ask to see.
Common mistakes other firms make
- Mounting alarms at the wrong height. Ceiling-mounted alarms must be ≥300mm from any wall. Wall-mounted alarms must be 150–300mm below the ceiling. Wrong placement reduces detection effectiveness.
- Skipping the heat alarm in the kitchen. Smoke alarms in kitchens false-trigger on every roast dinner; tenants disable them. Heat alarms don’t false-trigger, work alongside the smoke alarms via interlink.
- CO alarms in the wrong room. Required in every room with a fuel appliance, including the room where the boiler lives, even if it’s a cupboard.
Workmanship and warranty
12-month workmanship warranty. AICO 10-year manufacturer warranty on the alarms (and 10-year sealed-battery life). Test reminders sent annually so the test record stays current.
Welsh letting law update caught us on the back foot, and we needed compliant interlinked alarms in 11 properties at short notice. PHBLUE did the lot in three days, certificates inside a week, full BS 5839-6 compliance. £2,400 for the portfolio. Sleep better at night.
Recent jobs near you
A few of the jobs we have finished lately, with the postcode and what was involved.
- CF11 April
Pontcanna 3-bed terrace: 2 smoke + 1 heat + 1 CO interlinked.
- CF24 April
Roath HMO, 8 alarms across 3 storeys, full BS 5839-6 compliance.
- CF14 March
Whitchurch detached: owner-occupier, voluntary upgrade pre-2022 alarms.
- CF64 March
Penarth flat, 1 smoke + 1 CO, retrofit interlink to existing landing alarm.
How the job runs
- 01
Property survey
30 minWalk through the property, identify storey count, fuel appliances, kitchen layout, escape routes. Quote based on alarm count and cable runs.
- 02
First-fix cable
1–2 hoursMains cable run from consumer unit to each alarm position. Where ceiling chases are needed, plaster patched. Hardwired alarms get cable; sealed-battery interlinked alarms (where mains isn't possible) get radio-pairing.
- 03
Alarm fit
30 minAICO Ei3024 mains smoke alarms, Ei3018 mains heat alarms, Ei3028 CO alarms. All radio-interlinked.
- 04
Test
15 minSequential test: alarm 1 triggered, all 4 should sound within 10 seconds. Alarm 2 triggered, same. Test repeated for every alarm.
- 05
Certify
Same dayBS 5839-6 compliance certificate handed over on the day. Test record stored for 7 years. Annual reminder cycle pre-booked.
Common questions
Are you NICEIC registered?
Yes, PHBLUE's electrical work is carried out by NICEIC-approved engineers. Notifiable work (Part P) is registered with your local Building Control automatically through NICEIC. You get the certificate emailed within 14 days.
How much does an EICR cost in Cardiff?
Domestic EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report) starts at £150 for a flat or 1–2 bed home, £180 for 3–4 bed, £220 for 5+ bed. Includes the full report, photographs, and a follow-up phone call to walk you through any C1/C2/C3 codes. Landlord packages combining EICR + smoke/CO checks save £25.
My RCD keeps tripping - what's likely wrong?
Almost always one of three things. A failing appliance pulling the circuit down (we'll isolate by elimination). A damaged cable connection in the wall, usually behind a socket or switch where the live and neutral have crept closer over time. Or an end-of-life RCD, since modern dual-RCD consumer units are rated for around 15 years.
Do I need a new consumer unit?
If yours is a wooden-back, plastic-back, or pre-2008 metal unit without RCD protection, yes, because Wiring Regs (BS 7671) require it for compliance. A standard CU swap is £550–£750 fitted, NICEIC-certified. We'll check yours during an EICR or any other visit free.
Can you fit EV chargers?
Yes, OZEV-approved installer for 7kW home wallboxes (Pod Point, Easee, Wallbox, Hypervolt). Survey is free for households with off-street parking. We handle the DNO notification if your supply needs upgrading. The OZEV £350 grant ended in March 2022 for homeowners, but it's still available for renters and flat-owners under EVHS.
What's the smell of burning from my socket?
Switch off the circuit at the consumer unit and ring us. Don't wait. Burnt connections behind a faceplate progress fast, so what's a hot socket today is a wall fire next week. We treat these as priority callouts.
How quickly can you come out for an emergency?
For genuine emergencies (gas leak, no heat in winter, burst pipe) we aim to be on site within 60 minutes anywhere in Cardiff and within 90 minutes for Penarth, Barry, and the Vale. Out of hours, your call goes to a triage line that wakes Nigel for true emergencies.
Do you charge a call-out fee?
No call-out fee for jobs we go on to quote. Diagnostic visits where we don't carry out work are charged at our standard hourly rate, which we'll always tell you about up front.
How does the heat pump grant work?
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme pays toward an air-source heat pump install at one of two rates. If your home currently runs on oil or LPG you get £9,000, an uplift for off-gas-grid homes that runs until 31 March 2027. If you're on mains gas it's £7,500. The voucher is applied for through the installer before the work starts, so you never handle the paperwork or the money. The grant is discounted at the point of sale.
Are you Gas Safe registered?
Yes, every gas engineer who works under PHBLUE is Gas Safe registered. You'll see our registration number on every quote, every invoice, and every Gas Safety Certificate. You can also verify us directly on the Gas Safe Register's public lookup.
What areas do you cover?
Cardiff and the surrounding South Wales region, primarily Cardiff, Penarth, Barry, Caerphilly, Llandough, Roath, Rhiwbina, Whitchurch, and Cowbridge. If you're nearby and we don't cover your postcode yet, drop us a message and we'll see what we can do.
Do you charge a call-out fee?
No, not for any job we go on to quote or carry out. Diagnostic visits where we don't end up doing work are charged at our standard hourly rate (£90 first hour, £55 after) and we'll always tell you that up front.
Are quotes fixed price or estimates?
Fixed-price for everything we can survey: boiler installs, bathrooms, EV chargers, EICRs, central heating refurbs, heat pumps. Variable-rate for diagnostic and repair work, but with hourly rates published on every relevant page so you know before we start.
Can you take a deposit and stage payments?
For jobs over £3,000 we take a 30% deposit at scheduling, 50% on day one, balance on completion. That covers our materials outlay without exposing you. Smaller jobs are paid on completion. We accept bank transfer, card, and Apple/Google Pay; no cash in hand.
Do you offer finance?
Not directly: we're not authorised to broker credit. For boiler installs, Worcester Bosch and Vaillant both run their own finance schemes (0% over 12 months on installs through accredited installers like us). Ask at quote stage and we'll send you the application link.
Do you give written quotes?
Always. Every job over £200 gets a written, itemised, fixed-price quote before any work starts. The quote is yours to keep, valid for 30 days, and the price on it is what you'll pay: line-item breakdown for materials, labour, and any provisional sums.