Building Regulations and electrical works

All new electrical work in a dwelling (for example a house, flat or small commercial premise linked to domestic accommodation) must be designed and installed to account for the new Part P of the Building Regulations.There are two categories of electrical works:

Non-notifiable work

These are works which are very minor. They may be carried out by a competent person who can issue a Minor Works Certificate to the owner upon completion on a DIY basis providing the works are tested upon completion by a competent person and the Minor Works Certificate issued.

Work consisting of:

• Replacing accessories such as socket outlets, control switches and ceiling roses
• Replacing the cable for a single circuit only, where damaged, in other words by fire, rodent or impact
• Re-fixing or replacing the enclosures of existing installation components
• Providing mechanical protection to existing fixed installations.

Work that is not in a kitchen or special location and does not involve a special installation and consists of:

• Adding lighting points (light fittings and switches) to an existing circuit
• Adding socket outlets and fused spurs to an existing ring or radial circuit
• Installing or upgrading main or supplementary equipotential bonding

Notifiable work

Special locations and installations:

• Locations containing a bath tub or shower basin
• Swimming pools or 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 micro CHP units
• Extra-low voltage lighting installations, other than pre-assembled, CE-marked lighting sets

All works except those detailed in the lists above are notifiable to the Building Control Team and need to be checked in one of two ways;

Either -arrange for the works to be inspected and tested by a person who is a member of the Competent Person Scheme.

Or - Deposit a Building Regulations Application (Full Plans or Building Notice) with the Building Control Team.When depositing plans with your application, either of the following statements should be added to the drawings:

Where you are not intending to use the Competent Persons Scheme:

All wiring and electrical work will be designed, installed, inspected and tested in accordance with the requirements of BS7671, the IEE 16th edition Wiring Guidance and Building Regulation Part P (electrical safety). On completion of the works a copy of the Installer’s Electrical Installation Test Certificate compliant with BS7671 is to be provided to the client and the Council Surveyor.

and

• Prior to covering all wiring/cables and on completion of the work, the applicant is to ensure that the installation is inspected by a competent person. In addition to the Installation Certificate, an additional competent person’s Electrical Installation Test Certificate compliant with BS7671 is to be provided to the client and the Council Surveyor.

If you are intending to use the Competent Persons Scheme

• All wiring and electrical work will be designed, installed, inspected and tested in accordance with the requirements of BS7671, the IEE 16th edition Wiring Guidance and Building Regulation Part P (electrical safety) by a competent person registered with an electrical self-certification scheme authorised by the Secretary of State.

and

• The competent person is to send to the local authority a self-certification certificate within 30 days of the electrical works' completion. The client must receive both a copy of the self-certification certificate and a BS7671 Electrical Installation Test Certificate.

Inspections by the Council Surveyor

At commencement of works you should tell us in the normal way and inspections of the installation will be carried out  (if part of a building scheme at the same time as other inspections). At completion of works you will have to provide us with an Electrical Installation Certificate signed by a competent person. Until this certificate is received a Completion Certificate for the whole of the works cannot be issued.