Electrical Safety

With effect from 1st January 2005, Part P (Electrical safety) of the Building Regulations will come into force, these mean that only very limited work can be carried out by non-certified people without notification to the local Building Control authority.

Work which can be carried out by a non-certified individual without notification consists of:

Replacement of fittings such as sockets, switches and light fittings.
Replacement of the cable for a single circuit where it has been damaged.
Work that is not in the bathroom or kitchen and consists of:
Adding additional lighting, light fittings and switches, to an existing circuit.
Adding additional sockets and fused spurs to an existing ring or radial main.
Installing additional earth bonding.

All this is conditional upon the use of suitable cable and fittings for the application, that the circuit protective measures are unaffected and suitable for protecting the new circuit, and that all work complies with all other appropriate regulations.

All other work must either be carried out by certified individuals/companies or notified to the local Building Control before work begins, this includes:

All new or modifications to the electrical wiring within bathrooms or shower rooms.
Installation or modification of electric under floor or ceiling heating.
Garden lighting or power installation.
Other specialist electrical installation, examples being, Photovoltaic Solar and micro CHP power systems.
If in doubt, check with the local Building Control.

These rules do apply to DIY activities, anyone carrying out DIY changes which are notifiable will have to submit a building notice to the local authority before starting work and pay the fee to have the work inspected and tested.

In future, problems may be encountered when trying to sell a property which has had notifiable electrical work carried out but for which the appropriate certificate cannot be produced.
 

If you are an electrician with the necessary certifications please let us know we will put your details on the site