DIY and Domestic Electrical Installations

roger56

I hope this short post will help any electrical "DIYers" become aware of the new regulations for Domestic Electrical work. It may also become a useful "sticky".
Please note that the links relate to regulations covering only England and Wales.

Virtually all electrical work in domestic installations is now covered by building regulations (Part P), and work is most likely NOTIFIABLE and MUST be carried out by a person suitably qualified to do so. Failure to do so is now a criminal offence, your house insurance will also be invalidated.

What is Part P - this link will help you to understand what Part P of the building regulations is about:
http://www.partp.co.uk/consumer/index.asp
You can download a copy of the full Part P document here:
http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/england/professionals/en/4000000001253.html

How do I know what is NOTIFIABLE? Read this guide:
http://www.niceic.org.uk/downloads/homeleaflet.pdf

This chart may also help you decide if Part P applies - it's aimed at electrical contractors but is easy to understand:
http://www.niceic.org.uk/partp/does_partp_apply.html

How can I find a suitable electrician? Start here - just enter your postcode:
http://www.niceic.org.uk/common/contractor_search.html

How do I know the work has been completed and tested and is satisfactory?
Simple, the electrician doing your work must issue a traceable certificate (which you will soon need to show when moving house). There are two types, you should receive one depending on the type of work carried out - here are examples - don't worry about understanding them, just know what they may look like:
A "Domestic Electrical Installation certificate":
http://www.niceic.org.uk/Specimencerts/DCN2%20cert.pdf
OR
A "Minor Works Certificate":
http://www.niceic.org.uk/Specimencerts/HM%20MEW%20Cert%20Rev%20july%202.pdf

So be safe, use a qualified electrician. You may wish to learn a little of what unsafe electrical work can do to the human body - ultimately it can kill:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/injuries.htm

travel_freak

Hi Roger56

Thanks for your useful post which I am sure will help many. There are a couple of things I'm confused about and wondered if you could help.

When you talk about works being "notifiable" to building regulations, if you have someone who is Part P qualified to do the work and they give you a certificate do you, as homeowner, still have to "notify" the Council of the works you've had done and show them the certificate? Do the COuncil come out and inspect for example? Or, if you have a Part P person do the work, is that all that you have to do?

Also, if you find someone displaying the NICEIC logo etc., does this mean they are also Part P qualified or is NICEIC and Part P two different things so that you have to specifically find a Part P qualified person to do the work?

Many thanks.

Regards,

roger56

Interesting questions - I'll try to answer clearly but initially it can be confusing.

Being Part P qualified alone is not enough, any electrician carrying out Domestic Electrical work must be a member of a "competent person" scheme (eg BSI, NAPIT etc) to self certify his work. The definition of a "competent person" is not perhaps what you expect. This link explains the situation:
http://www.partp.co.uk/consumer/consumer_whatcp.asp
So your certificate will be invalid if it has not been "processed" through the "competant person" scheme - it must have a traceable and valid certificate number. A full list of competent person schemes is here
http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1131138&syncNav=1#5
If your electrician is a member of a competant person scheme he will gladly prove it to you and you do not have to notify building control as he is legally entitled to "self certify".

There is an exception. I'm Part P qualified - did it for interest, and also do electrical work for interest only, not a job though I'm a qualified electronics engineer. I chose not to be a member of a competent person scheme simply because it would cost around £1500-£2000 per year to start and then £400-500 per year to maintain membership of eg "BSI". For me it's not viable.
So I use the alternative route. I notify building control I'm doing the work, pay the fee and they inspect it. I still have to fill in the certificates and do all the testing with calibrated test equipment. This route does limit my options a bit, as the added cost prohibits me doing simpler things such as wiring a shower. I tend to stick to new builds and extensions.

"NICEIC" is just one competant person scheme, "BSI", "NAPIT" are examples of others. The key is that any member of NICEIC or BSI must also be Part P qualified ie qualified to carry out Domestic Electrical Installations.

In essence, Part P qualified means you are aware of the legal requirements of Domestic Electrical Installations - it means you've been made aware of Part P of the building regulations and any others that are relevant, especially
fire safety (PartB) - provision of fire alarm, preventing fire spread through trunking etc.
disabled access (Part M) - putting switches and sockets within reach of disabled people.
Structure (Part A) - where and where not to drill holes in joists etc.

You also need to be aware and understand much of BS7671 Requirements for Electrical Installations.

All this may seem a lot, but it's really about your safety. Much is common sense.

jillie1974

it mentions showers as i already have a shower and am just having it replaced do i tell and who?
its all very confusing!

roger56

jillie1974 wrote:

it mentions showers as i already have a shower and am just having it replaced do i tell and who?
its all very confusing!

Yes it can seem very confusing.

To answer your question, yes even a replacement is notifiable as it's in a bathroom which is considered a "special location".
Find a qualified electrician. Before agreeing to any work get in writing,
- a quote
- confirmation that your electrician is a member of a "competent person" scheme. Notification will then be part of his legal responsibility.

Read this guide, it helps:
http://www.niceic.org.uk/downloads/homeleaflet.pdf

travel_freak

Hi Roger 56

Just a line to say thanks so much for taking the time to prepare such a detailed reply and adding the helpful links. Now I think I understand, though confusing it certainly is!

I'm sure your posts will help a lot of other people thinking about doing electrical work in the home.

Regards,

llcoolfay

When did the PartP thing come into force?

roger56

Part P came into force on 1st January 2005.

Coveredinbees!!!!

You can still do the work yourself but you have to get in touch with the building control department of your local council before you start any work and they will get it inspect. Trouble is they will charge you an arm and a leg for the pleasure but if you know what you are doing it may still be cheaper than getting an electrician in.

There are still cowboys out there who say they are part P but either don't pay their fees or just aren't. Make sure they are registered and not just saying they are by contacting the NIC EIC

I think it's just a way of extracting more money out of the pockets of the honest and to stop electricians doing jobs cash in hand as everything now has to be traceable so everything has to go through the books. It's stupid I do electrical installations all the time at work but can't put a plug socket in my own kitchen!! Thanks Mr Bliar.

Ken68

It's Health and Safety gone mad.A money making scam.
I can see the insurance companies chucking out any claims involving electrical equipment.
What about all the DIY fanatics out there!!!.
Can only suggest that they pre-date their work.

weekendwarrior

Ken68 wrote:

It's Health and Safety gone mad.A money making scam.
I can see the insurance companies chucking out any claims involving electrical equipment.
What about all the DIY fanatics out there!!!.
Can only suggest that they pre-date their work.

Exactly, people are doing just that!

Part p has done nothing to improve electrical safety and most of the deaths from electricity are from people cutting through the cord of the appliance outside ( mainly lawn mowers).

All the electrical wiring in my home and my friends houses was all done before December 2004

Now people that have old fuse type consumer units are thinking twice before having them replaced with a new split way unit because of the cost of the installation and the testing, which is now a few hundred pounds.

Basically Part P= stealth tax.