The Government introduced electrical safety rules in 2005 for the Building Regulations in England & Wales. This means that now, almost all fixed electrical installation work carried out in domestic homes and must, by law, meet these Building Regulations.
Part P of the Building Regulations states that anyone carrying out electrical installation work in a home must make sure that the work they undertake is designed and installed to protect the people inside from fire and electric shocks. Part P applies to both to new homes and to any changes made to existing installations, including any existing parts that have been rewired.
What electrical work is covered by this law?
All electrical installation work whether that be in a home, garden, conservatory or outbuilding must meet the Building Regulations outlined by the Government. Apart from some minor types of work, all electrical work must either be reported to the local authority building control department, or be carried out by a qualified electrician who is registered with one of the Government Approved scheme providers.
Who is responsible for checking that the electrical work meets the requirements of Part P?
By law, it is the responsibility of all homeowners and landlords to be able to prove that all undertaken electrical installation work meets Part P, or they will be committing a criminal offence. Local authorities can make homeowners or landlords remove or alter any work that does not meet Part P of the Building Regulations.
What do I need to do before electrical installation work can be carried out?
You must follow one of the following two procedures :
- Tell your local authority building control department about the installation work before it starts.
- Employ a qualified electrician who is registered with one of the Government-approved Part P schemes
AEL Systems recommend that you use one of our registered electricians to do the electrical installation work as this provides you with the following advantages:
- You will not have to pay any building control charges
- Our electricians can deal with everything for you
- Our electricians will arrange for you to receive a certificate that confirms the work meets Building Regulations
- You will have direct access to a formal complaints procedure if the work doesn’t meet Building Regulations
- You can choose to take out an insurance backed guarantee when you have the work done, and you can make a claim on this insurance if the work is later found not to meet Building Regulations.
What does Part P of the Building Regulations mean for me?
If you use our registered electricians, you can expect to have completely safe electrical installation work done, and you can be sure that the work will meet the UK national standard, BS 7671 (Requirements for Electrical Installations). When the work is finished we will provide you with:
- An Electrical Installation Certificate or Minor Works Certificate that confirms that the work meets BS 7671
- A Building Regulations Compliance Certificate that confirms that the work meets the Building Regulations.
If you would like a free of charge full site survey, please contact us and an experienced electrical engineer visit your site and make their recommendations accordingly.
