As a chartered electrical engineer with over 15 years of experience, I am seeking clarification on the necessity of certification or licensing for domestic electrical installations.
As a chartered electrical engineer with over 15 years of experience, I am seeking clarification on the necessity of certification or licensing for domestic electrical installations.
No.1 requirement is for competence (as distinct from qualifications). In principle anyone, without any qualifications, is permitted to carry out domestic electrical work in general. There are a few procedures to follow however, some of which depends on exactly which part of the UK the installation is in...
Domestic electrics in general come under part P of the building regulations in England - which requires certain work (e.g. new circuits, consumer unit replacement or new work in zones of a bathroom or sauna) to be "notified" - which involves paying a fee to a building control organisation, who will check the work, and issue a completion certificate. Professional electricians may join a competent persons scheme which allows them to self-certify for building regs (and avoids the expensive fee). Wales is similar, but with a slightly different version of part P. Scotland has a different system altogether, but I think similar outcomes. NI is different again.
For private rented homes, there's an additional layer of legislation - the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector Regulations (in England at least).
Overall though, BS 7671 is main thing to follow - some of the details are quite different for domestic installations from say commercial or industrial - so deep knowledge in another area doesn't guarantee competence in domestic work. BS 7671 of course requires issuing of a certificate for all new work - which is quite separate from the building control certification, and should be done regardless of whether the work is notifiable under building regs or not.
- Andy.
Dear Andy
Thank you for detailed information
Dear Andy
Thank you for detailed information
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