Electrical Certification UK
Are you looking to get your home or business certified to be safe and at par with local authority building regulations? You need an expert electrician to inspect your property and offer the appropriate safety certification.
Here’s a guide on how to get an electrical installation works certificate by an approved electrician like Nikola Electric Ltd.
Considerations when looking for electrical certification in the UK
Getting a building regulations compliance certificate is necessary for people with private rented properties concerned about the safety of occupants. The professional certification verifies the status of all electrical wiring, the worthiness of the consumer unit, and general wear and tear, among others.
Ultimate Guide To Electrical Certification UK
Are you looking to get your home or business certified to be safe and at par with local authority building regulations? You need an expert electrician to inspect your property and offer the appropriate safety certification.
Here’s a guide on how to get an electrical installation works certificate.
Considerations when looking for electrical certification in the UK
Getting a building regulations compliance certificate is necessary for people with private rented properties concerned about the safety of occupants. The professional certification verifies the status of all electrical wiring, the worthiness of the consumer unit, and general wear and tear, among others.
Here are the considerations when considering building regulations electrical installations:
- Cost of the professional certification
- Type of electrical installation certificate you need
- Requirements to get the electrical certificate
- Get the right domestic installer for the job
Electrical Inspection and Testing
Electrical systems need detailed and routine checkups. Only professional electrical contractors undertake routine inspection and testing of electrical systems.
Afterwards, the domestic electrical installer will give you a document with the findings. You need a fully qualified electrician with appropriate electrician qualifications to do the inspection.
Stages Of Electrical Inspection And Testing
Inspecting and testing your property by a competent person electrical involves three steps, including:
Stage One: Inspection
The step involves getting a registered competent person to check that your electrical system meets industry safety standards. These may include loose fixings, signs of overheating, missing screws and covers.
The competent person electrical will ensure that all enclosure doors and switchgear accessibility are secure. The domestic installer also ensures that all appropriate labelling meets the local authority standards.
Stage Two: Fixing
During this stage, the electrician will do the necessary remedial work. The technician also ensures that everything works correctly by turning them on and off. Another task during this stage is checking the residual current flow for the circuits.
Stage Three: Report
The electrician will make a detailed Electrical Inspection Condition report of the findings after the Inspection. This report includes defects identified and fixed by the electrician. According to urgency, other defects that need remedial work are also in this report.
Codes in Electrical Inspection And Testing
The report from domestic electrical installers includes codes showing the seriousness of the problems discovered, as highlighted below:
- C1 – urgent remedial work
- C2- needs improvement
- C3- needs further investigation
- c4 – no compliance with BS 7671
Purpose of Electrical Inspection
The periodic inspection aims to protect occupants of a property from electrical shock. Additionally, the inspection limits the chances of heat and fire hazards resulting from wiring defects.
The inspection certifies that your wiring is not faulty and free from corrosion and damage, which may cause safety hazards. Inspecting your property allows following local authority regulations to prevent electrical hazards. The purposes of an electrical inspection include:
- Discovering defects in electrical work
- Revealing overloaded circuits or systems
- Discovering the likelihood of electrical shock or fire hazard
- Checking for any deficiency in bonding or earthing
- Checking for faulty wires
The electrical installer will give you a report after inspection that you can use to get a loan or mortgage against your property. You can also use the electrical safety report to claim compensation from your insurance company for any damage to your property. The report also comes in handy when making lease agreements.
EICR
An Electrical Inspection Condition Report (EICR) is an approved document after inspecting the electrical works on your property by a fully qualified electrician. An EICR certifies all electrical installations and systems meet local authority standards,
The EICR ensures the safety of all electrical installations on the property. It also highlights damage, wear, and tear that may cause potential hazards. This report guarantees that all components meet wiring regulations from the Institute of Engineering and Technology.
Factors That Determine When To Get EICR
The frequency of getting an EICR varies according to various factors, including:
- Environmental conditions like earthquakes that may affect electrical installations
- Poor handling of electrical installations such as vandalism
- A change in the use of the premises
- Concerns by the householder regarding the condition of the electrical installation
- Nature and use of the property
- Age of the electrical installation
After getting an electrical installation works certificate, you give copies to your current tenants within 28 days after the inspection. You also must give copies of the electrical safety standards report to prospective clients.
The local authority building control office may also send a written request to send them a copy of the building regulations compliance certificate within seven days. You must also give the electrician your past report before the next inspection. This gives him a background of your electrical wiring.
Electrical Certificate
An electrical certificate is an approved document you receive from electricians after checking the electrical system on your property. The certificate verifies that your electrical installation meets the electrical safety standards.
All landlords must get an electrical certificate after every five years from experienced and certified electrical contractors or electrical installers. You need the building regulations compliance certificate for insurance even when your property is not private rented. The electrician will inspect the extractor fan, fuse boxes, wiring, sockets, plugs, and light fittings.
The process takes about three to four hours and costs between £150 – £240 for an average-sized home. Only registered electricians issue an electrical certificate after completing the inspection and confirming that your electrical system meets the standards.
Why Hire Part P Registered Electrician
Part B is a building regulation covering how fixed electrical installations don’t come with any risk of fire or electrical shock. Domestic electrical installers should have appropriate electrician qualifications to undertake any remedial work.
According to Part B, only competent persons are ideal for handling remedial work to electrical safety standards. The categories of remedial work include:
Notifiable Work
Notifiable remedial work includes wiring a new circuit, the whole house, and the electrical installation of a new property. Other notifiable remedial work includes replacing a fuse box and adding or adjusting a current circuit in a particular location.
Minor Work
This is electrical work not done in a special location, including the addition of lighting points to a current circuit. Minor remedial work also includes adding socket outlets to a current circuit. Replacing only the damaged part of a circuit is part of minor work.
Other tasks that are part of minor work for domestic installers include:
- Installation of outside lights
- Replacement of accessories like control switches
- Installation of sockets from a current circuit
Part P Compliance
You must understand the importance of leaving a registered technician to handle notifiable and minor remedial work on your property matches. Alternatively, it must be a sign-off from the local authority’s building control. You have two options to have remedial work meet Part B regulations, including:
Registered Competent Person
Ensure to entrust competent persons to handle remedial work. Check the competent person electrical register to be sure that you’re working with a domestic electrician with professional certification in the industry.
Such electricians are registered by the government-approved electrical competent person scheme operators and have relevant electrician qualifications. Entrusting remedial work to electricians from a competent persons scheme ensures that it complies with local authority electrical safety standards.
Unqualified Registered Domestic Electrician
The electrician must notify the local authority before undertaking any notifiable work. This process involves submitting a customer application form at the building control office.
After completing the work, the local authority must get a domestic electrician from an electrical competent person scheme to verify the work and issue an electrical installation certificate.
