Electrical work

Electrical Installations Information from 1st January 2005 Part P - Electrical safety in dwellings

Installations requiring certification

Part P covers all electrical work in domestic dwellings. This includes the installation of a new circuit, any work in a kitchen or bathroom and any work undertaken outside the property (for example, in a garage or garden).

In order to comply, such installations will need to be:

designed and installed to protect against mechanical and thermal damage;

designed and installed so that they will present no electrical shock and fire hazard;

tested and inspected to meet relevant equipment/installation standards.

Part P applies only to installations designed to operate at Low Voltage or Extra-Low Voltage.

Work not requiring certification

Certain types of minor electrical installation work will not require notification. A detailed table of the works that do not need to be registered can be found below, but generally involves work that does not involve the provision. Note that minor work in kitchens and bathrooms is notifiable and would require certification.

BS7671 Certification

To comply with the requirements of the scheme, as of the 1st January 2005 you will be required to provide a BS7671 certificate with each installation.

Please note: If your builder is not fully registered, you MUST ensure that your installations are certified through Local Authority Building Control departments.

Not Required Works

Part P certification is only required for installations of notifiable electrical work in domestic dwellings. In order for you to determine more easily the types of installation that you would need to register, the following list defines the type of work that does NOT need to be certified as being in compliance with Part P.

Work that need not be notified

List 1

Work consisting of:

• replacing accessories such as socket-outlets, control switches and ceiling roses;

• replacing the cable for a single circuit only where damage, for example, by fire, rodent or impact (on condition that the replacement cable has the same current carrying capacity, follows the same route and does not serve more than one sub-circuit through a distribution board;

• re-fixing or replacing the enclosures of existing installation components (if the circuit's protective measures are unaffected);

• providing mechanical protection to existing fixed installations (if the circuit's protective measures and current carrying capacity of conductors are unaffected by increased thermal insulation).

List 2

Work that is not in a kitchen or special location (see below) and consists of:

• adding lighting points (light fittings and switches) to an existing circuit (only if the existing circuit protective device is suitable and provides protection for the modified circuit and other safety provisions are satisfactory);

• adding socket-outlets and fused spurs to an existing ring or radial circuit (only if the existing circuit protective device is suitable and provides protection for the modified circuit and other safety provisions are satisfactory);

• installing or upgrading main or supplementary equipotential bonding (such work will comply with other applicable legislation, such as the gas safety regulations).
  Special locations and installations (any installation work in line with list 2 taking place in these areas MUST be certified):

• locations containing a bath tub or shower basin;

• swimming pools and paddling pools;

• hot air saunas;

• electric floor or ceiling heating systems;

• garden lighting or power installations;

• solar photovoltaic (PV) power supply systems;

• small scale generators such as microchip units;

• extra low voltage lighting installations, other than preassembled, CE marked lighting set