Safer homes start with being switched on
Your home probably feels safe. And most of the time, it is. But electrical hazards don't always make themselves obvious.
They lurk behind walls, in wiring that's decades old, and in everyday habits we've never questioned. That's exactly why being switched on to safety matters.
By the numbers
There's a real gap between how safe people think their homes are and how safe they actually are.
The IET surveyed 2,000 people across the UK to understand how households think about, maintain and interact with their home electrics.
What we found was a revealing mix of complacency, a lack of awareness around essential safety checks, and everyday habits that carry more risk than most people realise. Here are some of the findings:
79%
of people think their home electrics are safe.
70%
haven't had an electrical safety check in the last 10 years.
1 in 5
didn't know checks are recommended every 10 years.
35%
leave chargers plugged in overnight, every night.
18%
regularly daisy-chain extension leads at home.
6%
have attempted extremely high-risk tasks like rewiring.
Switched on to hidden risks
Most of us assume our home is safe because nothing looks wrong. But that's exactly the problem with electrical risks, they don't advertise themselves.
They build up quietly, in ageing fuse boxes and wiring that was installed long before we were streaming TV, charging electric cars, and running smart home systems.
There's a real confidence gap that needs closing, and a lot of homes that need a proper look.
79% confident in electrical safety | 70% had no check in 10 years | Checks needed every 10 years
"An electrical safety check, or what we formally call an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR), is one of those things that's easy to put off. Most of the time, you can't see a problem. But a flickering light, a socket that runs warm, a fuse box that trips a little too often...your system is trying to tell you something.
"The hidden risks are the ones that concern me most, and they're becoming more urgent because the way we use electricity at home has changed so much. We're charging electric vehicles, using Power over Ethernet, operating smart home systems, home offices, and high-draw kitchen appliances, all under the same roof.
"The wiring in many UK homes was installed in an era when a kettle and a television were about as demanding as it got. Putting that kind of modern load through an ageing system that hasn’t been recently inspected is dangerous.
"A proper electrical safety check gives you the full picture of where things stand. It's a few hours of someone's time, and you'll know exactly where you are."
Mark Coles, Technical Regulations Manager at the IET
Switched on to safe habits
A lot of the everyday things we do at home quietly raise the risk, not because we're careless, just because we've always done them that way. Left a charger plugged in overnight?
Linked two extension leads together to reach across the room? Noticed a buzzing socket but left it?
These small habits can have real consequences. Being switched on means noticing them and doing something about it.
35% charge overnight | 18% daisy-chain leads | 6% ignore warning signs
“One of the things I'm seeing more and more is people charging their electric vehicles at home using a domestic extension lead, sometimes linking, or what we call daisy-chaining, two or three together just to reach the car in the driveway.
"It may seem like a practical solution at face value, but it's one of the most dangerous things you can do. An EV draws far more power than a standard household appliance, and a domestic extension lead isn't designed to handle that load for hours at a time overnight.
"The risk of overheating, and ultimately fire, is very real. We’re not just seeing this with EV charging, the same principle applies throughout the home.”
Craig O’Neill, Senior Engineer at the IET
Switched on to DIY don’ts
DIY confidence has dropped sharply: 55% of 18 - 24 year-olds have never changed a lightbulb. Yet a quarter of people are still having a go at higher-risk jobs like changing sockets or light switches.
Knowing what you can and can't safely tackle is a big part of being switched on. And honestly? Most electrical jobs need a qualified professional.
55% of 18 - 24s never changed a bulb | 27% of people attempt socket changes
"What people often don't appreciate is just how serious the consequences can be. The risks range from electrical fires that can devastate a home to electric shocks from something as ordinary as a household circuit. But beyond the immediate danger, there are also longer-term issues.
"If something goes wrong and uncertified DIY work is found to be the cause, your home insurance may not pay out. And if you come to sell, undocumented electrical work can hold up or even derail a sale entirely. Doing the actual job is only a fraction of what a competent electrician actually brings.
"They arrive with specialist test equipment that most people simply don't own, the technical documentation to verify everything meets current regulations, and the knowledge to know what to look for before, during and after the work.
"It's the doing, the testing, and the certifying, that makes the difference between a job that looks fine and one that you can be certain about. Before you reach for the screwdriver, pick up the phone instead.”
Paul Dawson, IET member and Group Technical Manager at LHC Procurement Group
What to do next
Three things you can do to be genuinely switched on:
Check your home
If it's been more than 10 years since your last electrical inspection, or you've never had one, book one now.
It's the single best thing you can do for peace of mind.
Change your habits
Take a fresh look at how you approach electrical safety in your home and the proactive steps you can take to mitigate risk.
Small changes really do make a difference.
Call for help
Don't risk it, call it in.
Every electrician on this register has been assessed and certified to carry out work safely and to current regulations.
About the IET Wiring Regulations
The regulations that keep your home safe and why they’re changing.
The IET co-publishes BS 7671, the national standard for electrical installation in the UK, with the British Standards Institution (BSI).
The Wiring Regulations committee, JPEL/64, brings together experts from across the industry, drawing on international standards and UK-specific requirements to make sure everything is consistent and safe.
These are the regulations every competent electrician follows and they're updated regularly because the way we live keeps changing. EV chargers, solar panels, secondary batteries, smart devices: all of these place new demands on home electrical systems that older regulations weren't written to cover.
You don't need to read them yourself. But knowing they exist, and that they're kept up to date, is all part of being switched on.