Building Control
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Part P of the Building Regulations came into force on the 1st January 2005 and from this date the design, installation,
inspection and testing of electrical installations will be controlled under the Building Regulations. The new Part P will
mainly apply to dwelling houses and flats including gardens and outbuildings such as sheds, detached garages and greenhouses.
All electrical work must comply with the Building Regulations but the type of work is separated into notifiable and non notifiable of which examples are given later.
There are two routes available to ensure compliance with Part P:-
- Use an electrician/installer who is registered with a competent persons scheme, in which case a building regulation application would not be required although the work may still be notifiable. We would strongly encourage the use of electricians/installers who are part of a competent persons scheme .
- Submit a Building Regulation application to the Local Authority:
i). Where an electrician registered with a recognised trade body such as NICEIC, ECA & NAPIT (who need not be registered under a competent persons scheme) tests the work and issues a design, installation and test certificate under BS7671. Building Control will accept the certificate as evidence that the work complies with Part P. Additional inspections by Building Control may also be carried out in conjunction with the acceptance of a certificate ( a list of those electricians competent to inspect and test will be available on the internet at labc-services.co.uk)
ii). Where the work is carried out by an unregistered electrician or is a DIY installation, the applicant will be required to have the work inspected and tested by a registered electrician as in i) above.
Application form for Notifiable Electrical Work (PDF format (116KB) - where installer is not in a Competent Persons Scheme document is in
Examples of Notifiable/Non Notifiable work
Except as identified in the chart below, notification of proposals to carry out electrical installation will be given to a Building Control body before work begins unless the work is undertaken by a person registered with a Part P self certification scheme.
Whether or not work is notifiable is dependent on the nature of installation work proposed and it's location within a dwelling. The location is important because some 'special installations or locations', such as kitchens and bathrooms may pose a greater risk to people.
| Type of Work | Area outside of bath/shower rooms and kitchens Notifiable? | Within
a bath/shower room or kitchen (special location) Notifiable? |
|---|---|---|
| Complete new/rewire of installation | Yes | Yes |
| Consumer unit change | Yes | Yes |
| Installing a new shower circuit | Yes | Yes |
| Installing an additional socket | No | Yes |
| Installing an additional light | No | Yes |
| Addition of a fused connection unit to ring final circuit | No | Yes |
| Installing a new cooker circuit | Yes | Yes |
| Connecting a cooker to an existing connection unit | No | No |
| Installing or upgrading main or supplementary equipotential bonding | No | Yes |
| Replacing a damaged cable for a single circuit | No | No |
| Replacing a damaged socket outlet | No | No |
| Replacing a light fitting | No | No |
| Installation and fit of a storage heater, including final circuit | Yes | Yes |
| Fit and final connection of storage heater | No | No |
| Installing extra low voltage lighting (not CE marked sets) | Yes | Yes |
| Taking a new supply out to a garden shed | Yes | N/A |
| Installing a socket in a garden shed | Yes | N/A |
| Installing a light fitting in a greenhouse | Yes | N/A |
| Installing a pond pump, including supply | Yes | N/A |
| Installing a hot air sauna | Yes | Yes |
| Installing a solar photovoltaic power supply | Yes | Yes |
| Installing ceiling or floor heating | Yes | Yes |
| Installing a small scale generator | Yes | Yes |
| Note. This list is not exhaustive and further guidance can be found in Part P of the Building regulations. Reference should be made to Table 1 Part P of which there are certain conditions attached to the above types of work |
Competent Persons Schemes
There are currently five full scope schemes in operation, who can carry out electrical work and five defined-scope schemes for other trades who can carry out a limited amount of electrical work (e.g. gas fitters, kitchen fitters, alarm installers and electric garage door fitters).
Full scope schemes
BRE Certification
Ltd.
British Standards Institution
ELECSA Ltd
NAPIT Certification Ltd
NICEIC Certification Services Ltd
Defined
scope schemes
CORGI
ELECSA Ltd
NAPIT Certification Ltd
NIC Certification Ltd
OFTEC Ltd
Building Regulation Applications
If you intend to submit a full plans application for notifiable electrical work we will require a note on the plans which states:
"All electrical work required to meet the requirements of Part P(Electrical Safety) must be designed, installed, inspected and tested by a competent person to do so".
Prior to completion, the Local Authority should be satisfied that Part P has been complied with. This may require an appropriate BS7671 electrical installation certificate to be issued for the work by a person competent to do so.
Other useful guidance
Information on Part P can also be found on the following web sites:
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