Harkins & Vickers

Our journey began 30 years ago and to this day we remain an established brand in the city of Edinburgh, throughout this time we have sharpened our skills and honed our talents allowing us to become experts in all aspects of electrical work. We have received countless positive reviews, completed huge bespoke projects, and made a ton of friends and connections along the way. With Keith Gunn thriving in Edinburgh, it seems like the perfect time to offer our services to the wider public under the banner of H&V solutions.

We aim to draw from our learned skills, knowledge, and experience to catapult H&V into one of the best electrical solutions companies in Scotland and beyond.

Breaking Into A New Market

In our expansion, the next natural step for us is Glasgow, a beautiful city with a huge electrician market. We have worked in Glasgow before, however, H&V’s main aim will be to penetrate this market. We have found that despite having the backing of a strong brand such as Keith Gunn, this has been a difficult challenge.

To ensure the business thrives in a new market we have had to ensure we have the best processes at all levels of the business. This included creating a new website with a state-of-the-art booking system that allows customers to get a quick and easy quote for every service we offer without having to go through a lengthy enquiry process. Creating a top-class website was essential to keep the business relevant in a landscape where digital marketing is becoming increasingly prevalent. We also had to design new branding and find new premises to set up shop in Glasgow, you can see our branding for yourself here. (Image of H&V vans).

Building a customer base in a new city has also been an exciting challenge for us. Our client base in Edinburgh has become large over the years and we hope that our name has travelled across the central belt, however, we must rapidly grow our Glaswegian awareness if we are to obtain a sizeable market share in the city. This involves employing direct outreach strategies and using digital marketing aimed at potential Glaswegian clients.

Closing Statements

I am hugely excited to embark on this journey with my business partner and friend Simon Vickers

Keep an eye out for our new fleet on the street!

In the modern world safety and compliance is more prevalent and necessary than ever. Many rules and regulations are put in place every year by the UK government to ensure the country is a safer place for everyone to live in. The responsibility often lies with regular people to stay up to date with these regulations and adjust their lives accordingly, at Keith Gunn we aim to make this process as seamless as possible and save you the headache.

NICEIC Qualified
As a landlord you have a legal responsibility to ensure your property is safe for tenants, this includes making sure the person carrying out work on the property is appropriately qualified. All Keith Gunn Electricians are NICEIC qualified. This means we are the best in the business for carrying out all your electrical needs from a light fitting to home rewiring.

Being NICEIC qualified means our electricians are fully insured and regularly assessed, using a fully qualified electrician is also the safest way to go about having any work done as it safeguards you if any problems arise. NICEIC courses are developed by industry-leading experts ensuring those who are assessed have the knowledge to complete any electrical job in any environment be it historical buildings or new builds (NICEIC, 2022).

Smoke Alarms
One of the most crucial areas for keeping a home safe is making sure it is protected against fire, at Keith Gunn, we can help you with smoke alarm design, installation & verification. For our landlord clients, there are specific laws you must adhere to such as having mains wired smoke alarms in every room that is used by tenants and heat alarms in kitchens.

We have plenty of experience installing all kinds of smoke alarm systems in Glasgow and Edinburgh and we will strive to provide you with the perfect tailored solution.

Rewiring
If your home hasn’t been rewired in the last 25 years it is recommended you consider a rewire service to ensure whoever resides in the house is safe as bad wiring can be dangerous. It is also recommended that you upgrade your fuse box, if you are performing renovation work all wires will also have to be checked to ensure they can withstand the additional electricity load.

To rewire a 3-bedroom house in Edinburgh or Glasgow it will usually cost between £3500 to £5000. For this price, we will cover all aspects of the rewiring including the socket repositioning, data cabling and of course the electrical rewiring itself.

Rewiring your home can offer many benefits such as increasing your home’s overall energy efficiency which can reduce your electricity bill in the long run. Furthermore, we can offer energy-efficient bulbs with our rewiring service making your home even more energy-efficient which will have a positive effect on the environment and your bank account.

EICR & PAT Testing
It is estimated over half of the home fires in England are caused by electrics and half of these are directly caused by faulty electronics (LP, 2020). An EICR and PAT test determines the working condition of all the fixed wiring, electrical installations and portable appliances in a property.

Landlords have a legal requirement to ensure the safety of their tenants, and this includes performing an EICR and PAT test every 5 years or before every new tenancy. These tests are a simple way for landlords to meet their legal requirements, at Keith Gunn we can provide all relevant certificates for landlords to distribute to their tenants and all other relevant bodies.

References
NICEIC | Practical training courses to enhance your industry knowledge

PAT Testing for Landlords – Everything You Should Know (lettingaproperty.com)