Latest Electrical Regulations

26 Jul Latest Electrical Regulations

If you plan on having any electrical work carried out either in your home or business, there are regulations you need to follow. It is extremely important you are familiar with the latest electrical regulations as failure to comply with them can be both costly and dangerous. So what are the latest regulations and why are they important?

Understanding Part P Building Regulations

Electrical safety falls under Part P of the Building Regulations 2010. They were last updated in April 2013 and are there to ensure any electrical work carried out is done so safely. All electricians working in England and Wales have to follow Part P of the regulations. In Scotland they need to follow the Building Standards System, whereas in Northern Ireland there are currently no statutory requirements.

The changes made to the regulations in 2013 didn’t actually come into effect until 2014. So what were the changes you should be aware of?

Notifiable changes – The new regulations reduced the number of electrical jobs which need to be approved before being completed. This largely affected work such as outdoor and kitchen electric work. With commercial electrical work, if it’s carried out within the premises, notification will usually still be required.

There has been some concern expressed regarding the elimination of the outdoors and kitchens from Part P due to the potential risks it poses for homeowners.

The use of registered third parties – If an electrical contractor isn’t registered as a competent person (part of the government’s Competent Persons Scheme), they can hire a registered third party to certify the notifiable electrical installation work rather than using a building control body.

Those were the main couple of changes made to the regulations. So in terms of business electrical installations, not much has changed over the past few years.

Main factors to be aware of

Part P of the Building Regulations is pretty extensive. There are also other sections of the Building Regulations which can impact electrical work carried out such as:

·         Part A – Relating to the size of notches and holes in roof and floor joists

·         Part B – Relating to fire concerns for certain types of electrical work

·         Part L – Relating to energy efficiency lighting

So not only should you have good knowledge of Part P, but it would also help to have an understanding of other Building Regulations to ensure the work being carried out is above board.

Of course, one way to ensure you are meeting electrical regulations is to hire a company you can trust. They will have expert knowledge on the law and be fully competent to carry out electrical installations in a safe, efficient manner.