What This Requirement Covers
Approved Document P requires that electrical installations in dwellings are designed and installed to protect persons from fire and injury. It applies to all electrical installation work in houses, flats, and their associated gardens, outbuildings, and common parts.
The key principle is that electrical work must comply with BS 7671 (the IET Wiring Regulations, currently 18th Edition, Amendment 2). Building Regulations compliance is demonstrated either through a registered competent person scheme or by Building Control notification.
Key Requirements
Notifiable Work
The following electrical work must be notified to Building Control (or carried out by a registered competent person)
- Installation of a new consumer unit (fuse board)
- Complete rewiring of a dwelling
- Addition of a new circuit
- Any electrical work in kitchens, bathrooms, and outdoors (including gardens and outbuildings) that involves new circuits or the installation of new consumer units
- Any electrical work in special locations as defined by BS 7671 (swimming pools, saunas, etc.)
Non-Notifiable Work
The following electrical work does not need to be notified
- Replacing sockets, switches, and light fittings on a like-for-like basis
- Adding sockets, switches, or light fittings to an existing circuit in a room that is not a kitchen, bathroom, or outdoors
- Replacing a consumer unit on a like-for-like basis (provided by a competent person and a minor works certificate is issued)
Competent Person Schemes
- Electrical installers registered with a competent person scheme (e.g., NICEIC, NAPIT, ELECSA, BSI) can self-certify their work without involving Building Control
- The installer issues an Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) or Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate (MEIWC) to the householder
- The competent person scheme notifies Building Control on the installer's behalf
BS 7671 Key Requirements
- RCD protection: All circuits in dwellings must have RCD (Residual Current Device) protection with a maximum rating of 30 mA and a maximum disconnection time of 300 ms (or 40 ms for socket circuits)
- Consumer units: Must be constructed of non-combustible material (metal consumer units have been standard since January 2016 under Amendment 3 to BS 7671:2008)
- Cable installation: Cables in walls must be installed in prescribed zones (horizontally from accessories, vertically from accessories to the ceiling) or must be protected by an RCD
- Bonding: Main equipotential bonding and supplementary bonding must be provided as required by BS 7671
- Certification: An Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) must be issued for all new installations, and a Minor Works Certificate for minor alterations
Practical Compliance Tips
- Always use a competent person scheme registered electrician for notifiable work; this is the simplest compliance route
- Retain all electrical certificates (EIC, MEIWC) with the property documents; they are required when selling
- If you carry out non-notifiable work yourself (e.g., adding a socket in a living room), the work must still comply with BS 7671
- A Periodic Inspection Report (EICR) is recommended every 10 years for owner-occupied properties and every 5 years for rental properties (mandatory for rental properties in England since April 2021)
- When buying a property, check for electrical certificates for any recent work; absence of certificates for notifiable work may indicate non-compliant installations
- Do not ignore the requirement for RCD protection; RCDs save lives by detecting earth faults that can cause electrocution
- Consider the capacity of the existing electrical supply when adding new circuits; a supply upgrade may be needed