Undertaking Electrical Work

Electrical Work Around The Home

It is important to use the correct and safe equipment when undertaking electrical work around the home.

In the Uk in 2005 a new part of the building regulations was introduced which can affect all electrical work carried out in domestic dwellings. This new part comes under section “Part P” of the building regulations.

A summary of this requirement is that  people carrying out electrical work in homes and gardens in England (Uk) should follow the requirements set out in Part P of the building regulations to ensure they are complying with the current law. These new rules were implemented to ensure that all electrical work on homes and in the garden are safe.

The new requirement came into effect on January 1st 2005. Any electrical work needs to be carried out by persons who are competent to do the work.

Can Electrical Work Be Carried Out By The Homeowner / DIY’er?

The new Part P of the Building Regulations do not make the carrying out of electrical work in dwellings on a DIY or amateur basis illegal, however one of the the purposes of theses updated  regulations is to aggressively control this activity and promote the concept of such work only being carried out by people who are qualified electricians and so competent to do the neccessary work. This includes the installation and commissioning – testing of the new or altered electrical wiring circuits.

The new rules affect anyone considering work to a home’s fixed electrical system, including DIY enthusiasts.

 

Failure to comply could lead to householders being required to bring the work up to standard and may make it more difficult to sell their homes. For the purposes of Building Regulations a fixed electrical system means those parts of the wiring and appliances that are fixed to the building fabric, for example, cables, sockets, switches, fuse-boxes, immersion heaters and ceiling fittings.  The introduction of a plug to separate what would otherwise be normally considered to be part of the fixed system does not necessarily bring the work out of Building Regulation control.

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Minor Electrical Jobs Around The Home: 

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Minor jobs like replacing electrical sockets used for powering tools will not be affected, but anyone thinking of adding new wiring circuits to their home will have to get building control involved. However, there will be some exceptions for high-risk areas, such as kitchens and bathrooms, which will need notification to the local authority regardless of the type of work being undertaken.