Cost & commercial
Two workshops that look alike from the door can receive LEV testing quotes that are worlds apart. The gap is rarely one firm overcharging - it usually reflects real differences in what has to be measured, how long it takes, and what lands in the report. Knowing the drivers lets you compare quotes on a fair basis.
The short answer
Two workshops that look alike from the door can receive LEV testing quotes that are worlds apart. The gap is rarely one firm overcharging - it usually reflects real differences in what has to be measured, how long it takes, and what lands in the report. Knowing the drivers lets you compare quotes on a fair basis.
The detail
The largest variable is the number of extraction points. Every hood, booth or capture point is measured individually for capture or face velocity and static pressure, so a system with twenty points takes far longer than one with three, whatever the two units look like from outside. Next comes the number of separate systems, since each fan and its ductwork is a distinct examination with its own readings and its own certificate.
Access and complexity move the figure again. Points at height, behind machinery, or in a live production area take longer to reach and test safely, and a system with long or branched ductwork has more to inspect. Location matters too - a distant site carries travel that a local engineer avoids, which is why a firm without cover in your area can quote higher for the same work.
The quiet driver is paperwork. Where a system has no commissioning data, the examiner has to establish a benchmark by retrospective commissioning before the reading means anything, and that adds time. Report depth varies widely as well: a full report with velocity readings, schematics, photos, clear pass or fail labelling and a logbook entry is a bigger job than a one-page certificate, and it is the version the HSE actually expects to see.
Timing and grouping shift the figure as well. A one-off visit to a single system carries the full attendance and travel on its own, whereas a site that books several systems together spreads that cost across the lot. This is why an identical system can be quoted higher as a standalone job than as one line in a larger visit, and why the way you package the work matters almost as much as the work itself when the numbers land.
What it means for you
Put the quotes on the same footing before comparing. Confirm each is pricing the same number of points and systems, that the engineer holds P601, and that a full benchmarked report and logbook are included rather than a bare certificate. A cheaper number that counts fewer points or omits the report is not the same product.
Ask what happens on a fail, too. A quote that includes retest terms and clear remedial advice saves you a second mobilisation later. The right comparison is not the lowest figure but the one that leaves you genuinely compliant and able to hand the HSE a complete record.
Finally, weigh the provider, not only the price. Local cover, a P601 qualification, a clear report and sensible retest terms are all part of what you are buying, and a firm that has them will usually explain its quote line by line. If a number cannot be explained, that is the surest sign the comparison is not like for like, and often the sign that something has been left out to reach it.
The service behind the guide
Sibling guides
What drives the price · How points affect the cost · Why a system passed then failed
Questions
Usually because it has more extraction points or systems, harder access, more travel, or missing commissioning data that must be re-established before testing.
Yes. Each hood or point is measured individually, so time and cost scale with the number of points more than with the size of the room.
Without commissioning data the examiner must set a benchmark by retrospective commissioning before readings can be judged, which adds time to the job.
Confirm both price the same points and systems, both include a P601 examiner and a full benchmarked report and logbook, and both state retest terms.
No. The HSE expects the whole report with readings, schematics and recommendations, not just the summary sheet, so a bare certificate is a false saving.
Phoenix Duct Clean · by the numbers
Send us your system and point count and we will explain exactly what each line of the quote covers.