Most Britons believe their home is electrically safe when in fact new data suggests otherwise.
The warning by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) follows research that has identified a “concerning” confidence gap in home electrical safety across the UK.
While almost eight in ten adults (79%) said they felt confident about the overall electrical safety of their homes, fewer than a third (30%) had had their household electrics checked by a qualified electrician in more than a decade.
One in five (20.1%) did not even know that checks were required at all. These findings highlight a growing misalignment between how safe homes feel and how safe they actually are, said the IET.
Electrical fires in the UK continue to rise, with statistics showing there are around 19,300 accidental domestic fires linked to electricity each year, accounting for about 53% of all accidental house fires in England, according to electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk.
Everyday risks from overloaded sockets to faulty wiring continue to cause thousands of avoidable hazards.
The warning has come as the IET and the British Standards Institute (BSI) have published the latest amendment to the IET Wiring Regulations (BS 7671:2018+A4:2026), the UK’s national standard for electrical installations.
The amendment, said the IET, reflected the reality of modern electrical life, namely the increasing adoption of Power over Ethernet (PoE) to support smart home technologies, growing use of battery storage systems and homes under increasing electrical load.
With this changing electrical environment, the IET has urged the public to reassess the safety of their own homes.
The research also suggested there is a widening gap in basic electrical literacy, particularly among younger adults, with more than half of 18-24-year-olds (55%) saying they had never even changed a lightbulb.
Confidence in other simple tasks, such as turning the power off at the fuse box, is also declining across age groups.
Yet, despite this lack in basic know-how, a significant number of people were still attempting higher-risk jobs:
- 27% have taken apart or replaced fittings such as plug sockets or light switches
- 18.7% have carried out more advanced work like installing new lighting
- 6% have attempted rewiring, one of the most dangerous electrical jobs in the home
These are all tasks that should be carried out by a qualified professional, the IET warned, and this low confidence but high-risk behaviour creates avoidable dangers inside the home.
More than a third of people (34.6%) regularly left chargers or appliances plugged in overnight, increasing the risk of overheating.
A fifth (18.3%) ‘daisy‑chained’ extension leads, which is a common cause of socket overload.
A tenth (10.9%) continued using damaged sockets, and 14.6% even taped over frayed or damaged wires, masking serious hazards.
A total of 5.9% admitted to ignoring warning signs such as burning smells, buzzing or flickering lights.
Mark Coles, head of technical regulations at the IET, said: “Too many people assume their installations are safe because nothing looks wrong but electrical faults rarely give clear warning signs. The IET’s research shows a worrying gap between confidence and reality, with most homes going five, ten or even more years without a professional inspection.
“At the same time, people are unknowingly taking risks with everyday habits and DIY tasks that should be left to a qualified electrician. The latest version of the IET Wiring Regulations reflects the way modern homes are changing but standards alone aren’t enough. We need people to be more switched on to the risks inside their own homes, because small issues can escalate quickly if they go unchecked.”
Separately, the IET earlier this month urged households to check electrical safety before using plug-in solar products.
The government is moving to make these devices available in UK shops as soon as possible. The IET said that, while it supported that ambition to broaden access to affordable, low-carbon energy, it was essential households understood that plug-in solar products are not typical appliances.
Unlike a kettle or a phone charger, these devices introduce a new source of electricity directly into a home’s wiring system, which may not have been designed or maintained to handle this safely, it warned.
More than 19,000 accidental domestic fires have been linked to electricity each year, the IET has warned. Image: Pexels
