Electrical installation – make sure your home is not at risk

Have you checked your electrics lately? Faulty electrical work can be a major risk to you and your family, so here’s what you need to know about safe electrical installation.

Always hire an electrician to
carry out electrical work

Although it is an area often overlooked, your electrics are important to the health and safety of you and your family. According to NICEIC (National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting), there are around 12,500 electrical fires in homes across the UK and about 2,000 non fatal and 10 fatal electric shock accidents each year. Despite this, a survey carried out by the NICEIC found that 42% of those questioned had never had their electrics checked and 59% said they did not use a qualified electrician when carrying out electrical work.

Hiring an electrician

“Domestic electrical work must comply with Part P of the building regulations,” says David Pollock, CEO or the Electrical Contractors Association (ECA). Part P of the Building regulations is designed to reduce electrical fires and shocks. This means that most electrical work needs to be carried out by an electrician who is registered with an approved scheme like the NICEIC, the EC or NAPIT.

You can only carry out electrical work yourself if you are fully competent and can test the work afterwards. Even then you will still need to notify your local building authority before you start and pay a fee.

The easiest way to make sure you conform to building regulations for electrical work is to hire an electrician who is registered with one of the recognised government schemes. They will work to British standards BS 7671: Requirements for Electrical Installations. These associations also make sure that electricians have insurance; check their references and assess businesses registered with them annually.

David Pollock says that: “All ECA members are professionally qualified and any work carried out by them is covered by guarantees backed by insurers. The ECA’s assessment process ensures the highest standards of workmanship, compliance and customer relationships.”

Certified electricians will provide you with:

• An Electrical Installation Certificate as soon as the work is completed to prove it meets British Standards 7671.
• A Building Regulations Compliance Certificate which confirms the work complies with section P; this should arrive within 30 days of the work being carried out.

An electrician will install high
risk garden lighting safely

There are some exceptions to these rules; minor work can be done by someone who isn’t a qualified electrician and you do not need to notify building control, but you must still comply with BS 7671. Minor work includes:

• Replacing an immersion heater
• Replacing a light fitting or damaged accessory such as a socket
• Replacing a damaged cable for a single circuit
• Connecting a cooker to an existing connection
• Adding a socket or light to an existing circuit in the garden, shed, garage, greenhouse or outbuilding

In areas other than high risk ones like the kitchen, bathroom and garden you are also allowed to add a light switch or connect a cooker to an existing connection or circuit and install telephone or IT wiring.

Electrical sockets in the bathroom need to be at least 3m away from the edge of the bath or shower although special electrical shaving units can be located 600mm away. A residual current device needs to be installed to all sockets in bathrooms or gardens and electrical showers need to be fixed on a separate circuit.

It is a criminal offence not to carry out work in compliance with building regulations, this could result in a fine of up to £5,000 and building control may insist you do the work again. If you don’t have the relevant certificates for the electrical work then you will have problems when it comes to selling your home and this could put you and your family in danger.

Electrical surveys

Regular electrical surveys will
protect you and your home

Now that we use far more electrical appliances in the home than we did in the past, it is especially important to maintain and install your electrics properly. Older homes will have been built with less electrical sockets which means that we now overload circuits by using extension leads, which can lead to electrical shocks and fires.

The NICEIC recommend that you get your electrics checked every 10 years at least. Issues that might come up include having to replace old wires which may have been covered in rubber, which decays. These will need to be replaced with new cables which are either grey or white and insulated with a PVC coating.

If you think your electrics need updating you should get your property surveyed by a qualified electrician. They will test and inspect all the electrics and appliances in your home and produce a Periodic Inspection Report advising what action needs to be taken.

How much does hiring an electrician cost?

The price of hiring an electrician will vary depending on where you live and what kind of electrical work you need done. Many electricians charge hourly rates which can start at around £20. An electrical inspection or survey will probably cost a set amount and can be somewhere around £100. Always get at least three quotes for the work and hire a qualified and insured electrician.

AB