Which Scheme is best to join?

[electrospark]

After 12 years of working for someone else its time to start building up my own company. I have been looking at the various schemes but which one s best for domestic installer? Nic, napit or elecsa?
Nic seems A lot more involved to get started with several assesments etc. the other 2 schemes seem relatively straight forward to get going.
My main work will be domestic and involve condition reports etc. I'm apprentice trained and up to 2391 and done hundreds of pirs in the past..

What are thoughts on the schemes. Thanks

 

[1john]

I think you may be hard pressed to find someone who has experienced more than one of the schemes, Ive been an NICEIC approved contractor since way before it was a requirement and I've never had the urge to go anywhere else, I have a (roughly) annual half day assessment and it's not really a big deal, we look at some jobs, chat about changes within the regs and I moan about all the new domestic installers in the market place! From my point of view the NIC have a more prominent position as they have been around since the 1050's iirc. The ECA is long established also. Elecsa has been formed for the self certify scheme and also NAPPIT but I think they are a sub division of the ECA.

It all comes down to price really if your starting out, how much is the annual fee and how much does each notification cost. Which logo will look nicer on your stationary or van if you plan to advertise on your vehicle.

 

[electrospark]

I think you may be hard pressed to find someone who has experienced more than one of the schemes, Ive been an NICEIC approved contractor since way before it was a requirement and I've never had the urge to go anywhere else, I have a (roughly) annual half day assessment and it's not really a big deal, we look at some jobs, chat about changes within the regs and I moan about all the new domestic installers in the market place! From my point of view the NIC have a more prominent position as they have been around since the 1050's iirc. The ECA is long established also. Elecsa has been formed for the self certify scheme and also NAPPIT but I think they are a sub division of the ECA.

It all comes down to price really if your starting out, how much is the annual fee and how much does each notification cost. Which logo will look nicer on your stationary or van if you plan to advertise on your vehicle.

Thanks John, yes I have to agree the Niceic is by far the leader and would look nice on my van. I think Nappit is the cheapest and I can do reports straight out. Maybe once I have a few jobs behind me after a year or two I could change I suppose.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Elecsa has been formed for the self certify scheme and also NAPPIT but I think they are a sub division of the ECA.

NAPIT was around long before Part P etc, and it did have an honourable tradition of only registering individuals with real qualifications, (rather than companies with 1 qualified person and a bunch of knuckle-draggers) before it joined all the other prostitution concerns in a race for the bottom.

 

[1john]

Really? Well you learn something new every day. I had never heard or seen of them until part P kicked off, the ECA and NIC were common though.

 

[streetlighter]

ELECSA is part of the ECA I'm with them and would recommend them. Half day assessment they check your qualifications and paperwork then a site visit covering safe isolation and inspection and testing.
You notify the jobs you need to online and it cost £1.50 per job well plus the annual £440 fee inc VAT