Last year saw the publication of the 18th Edition IET Wiring Regulations. The regulations apply to the design, erection and verification of electrical installations; and additions and alterations to existing installations.
Also known as BS 7671:2018 Requirements for Electrical Installations, these changes were issued on 2nd July 2018 and came into effect on 1st January 2019. The period between publication and application gave a 6-month window for electrical contractors and others responsible for installing and maintaining electrical installations to become familiar with the new regulations.
Whilst there are many small changes from the previous 17th Edition, some of the significant updates in the new 18th Edition cover include:
- Protection Against Electric Shock – changes to regulations relating to protective equipotential bonding and those relating to disconnection times.
- Protection Against Thermal Effects – of particular relevance to fire, a new regulation has been introduced recommending the installation of arc fault detection devices (AFDDs) to mitigate the risk of fire in final circuits of a fixed installation due to the effects of arc fault currents.
- Protection Against Voltage Disturbances – stipulating that transient over-voltage protection has to be installed when (amongst others) the consequences caused by over-voltage results in interruption of commercial or industrial activity.
- Inspection and Testing – this has been revised to align Inspection and Testing requirements to other revisions within the 18th Edition.
- Energy Efficiency – recommendations for the design and erection of electrical installations with local production and storage of energy to optimise the use of electricity. These are listed in a new appendix.
This doesn’t mean that existing electrical installations installed in accordance with earlier editions of the wiring regulations are now unsafe or require upgrading, but any new installations, alteration or additions made from 1st January 2019 onwards will need to comply with the new regulations.
It is always recommended to hire contractors who are members of a trade body such as NICEIC when choosing an electrical contractor to inspect and test electrical installations within your premises. Many commercial insurance contracts contain a fixed wiring electrical inspection condition and generally stipulate use of an NICIEC contractor.
For more information, please contact us on 01923 298435.