The hidden cost of net zero

I have been aware of most of the issues mentioned for quite some time, I rarely see a domestic property that has an electrical supply suitable for the installation of an EV charger, it is easy to see why those carrying out EV charger installation work do a “remote survey” with potential customers being told to send photos rather than a surveyor wasting time and money going to have a look prior to submitting a quote as there are so many properties where it is just not viable.


This section made interesting reading:

”Before 1990, when new streets and houses were built, a three-phase cable was buried down the street. The wires had dif- ferent colour insulation on them, – red, yellow or blue – so it was easy to identify the phase of the supply for any given house. Next- door houses would be connected to different phases – in other words to a different one of the three wires. So No 2 would be con- nected to red, No 4 to yellow, No 6 to blue, and No 8 to red again. This meant that the load on the three phases should be roughly the same. Later EU ‘harmonisation‘ meant that this simple and ef- fective system was thrown away. In more recent cabling, the three live phases are all insulated in brown (with neutral in black and the earth green and yellow). So now it is nearly impossible to identify which phase goes into which house. “


I had not realised that phases are not being identified in cables supplying new buildings. 


Andy Betteridge

Is there such a thing as a UK compliant three phase domestic consumer unit?


Andy Betteridge

Is there such a thing as a BS EN 61439-3 compliant three phase domestic consumer unit?


Andy Betteridge 

From a Hager three phase distribution board brochure:

A fundamental principle of BS 7671 is that all equipment must comply with the appropriate British Standard. For distribution boards BS EN 60439-3 is applicable.

https://www.hager.co.uk/files/download/0/3180_1/0/Guide_to_Commercial_Installations.pdf

That regulation does not stop me fitting a 3 phase board Andy, it is not similar to a domestic CU, and probably not an assembly in the same way either. Ther are complete standards there, the domestic CU is a bit of an odd animal because it has its own standard.

Surely a three phase distribution board is always made of metal? I've fitted a few three phase domestic DBs over the years and dont kn ow why they wouldn't comply? I certainly wouldn't call them "domestic" though as they are the same DBs I'd fit in a commercial building. 


I didn't know you could get a three phase DB any other way unless you used three single phase boards perhaps? These would then be metal anyway?


Kind Regards

Tatty