Providing your electrical installation is safe and meets the current for an electrical installation then you won't need to upgrade. Of course, it's very difficult to ascertain this information just by "looking" at your installation without testing, so the best way to check is to have an electrical inspection on your property.
There are however some tell-tale signs that you would benefit from upgrading your fuse box, these being:
- You have an old fuse box with a wooden back, cast iron switches, or a haphazard mixture of both – these will need replacing, for your own safety.
- You have decided to rent out your property and are aware your electrics have not been upgraded for several years;
- You don't have any provision of residual current devices (RCDs) for wiring buried in the walls, sockets circuits and outlets that may be used to plug in outdoor electrical equipment.
- You are planning a building or improvement project such as a new electric shower, Solar PV, an extension or an attic conversion and additional wiring and new circuits will need to be installed.
Unsafe Electrics could put your tenant's life in danger and put you at risk of a significant fine, civil damages or even imprisonment.
Don't take the risk – get a modern Consumer Unit with RCD Protection fitted today.
Landlords must comply with statutory regulations or face significant risks
The Landlord & Tenant Act 1985, and several other statutory regulations, requires that electrical equipment is safe at the start of every tenancy and maintained in a safe condition throughout the tenancy.
Failure to comply with the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994 and the Consumer Protection Act 1987 is a criminal offense and may result in:
- A fine of £5,000 per item not complying
- Six months' imprisonment
- Possible manslaughter charges in the event of deaths
- Tenants may sue you for civil damages
- Your property insurance could be invalidated
- Electrical accidents happen more often than you think
Information from the Electrical Safety Council reveals the following frightening statistics:
- About 70 people die and 1.2 million are injured in electrical accidents in UK homes each year
- Approximately 50% of fires in UK homes are caused by electrical faults (that's about 21,000 per year)
- Almost all electrocutions in the home and 20% of fires with an electrical origin could have been prevented by having RCD protection.
Residual Current Device (RCD) is a must have safety device which switches electricity of in a fraction of a second if you get an electric shock. Old fuse boxes don't have RCDs and can take significantly longer to switch off electricity –the difference between life and death.
Operating the RCD test button provides assurance that it is operating correctly. If RCDs are regularly tested by operating the test button, problems can be detected.
Previous versions of BS 7671 required a label to be installed advising the user to press the test button quarterly, this has changed to six months in the current version of BS 7671:2018, as indicated in Regulation 514.12.2.
A good way of remembering to test your RCD, do it when you change the clocks, that way it will be done twice a year.
The requirements for non-combustible consumer units were introduced in the 17th Edition of the IET Wiring Regulations (BS 7671:2008+A3:2015).
Regulation 421.1.20 of BS 7671:2018 states, for consumer units and similar switchgear assemblies in domestic premises, to be manufactured from non-combustible materials or be enclosed in a cabinet constructed from non-combustible materials.
There are requirements for consumer units and similar switchgear assemblies in domestic premises to be manufactured from non-combustible materials or to be enclosed in a cabinet constructed from non-combustible materials.
The requirements are identified in BS 7671:2018 Regulation 421.1.201, but there are no requirements for fire-rated glands or internal and/or external intumescent seal, pad, strip or similar to be used to seal a consumer unit.
Manufacturer's instructions should be followed.
Most circuits within a domestic installation now require RCD protection. Regulation 411.3.4 of BS 7671:2018 requires that all luminaires within domestic (household) premises, are to have additional protection by a 30 mA RCD when installed in an AC final circuit.
This new Regulation was introduced in the 18th Edition of the IET Wiring Regulations, it means that electrical installers have to provide RCD protection for all new lighting circuits, and for existing circuits which are significantly altered in domestic (household) premises.
Methods of reducing an earth fault include keeping the meter tails as short as possible, the installation of proprietary clamps and glands to secure the cables and prevent strain on the terminations, minimising the risk of damage to the meter tails and a subsequent earth fault.
Different types of RCD exist, the appropriate type of RCD shall be selected, depending on the type of residual direct current which is produced from the equipment it's protecting.
If any element of residual direct current is present such as produced from electronic equipment, this can 'blind' a Type AC RCD and prevent it from operating.
Regulation 531.3.3 of BS 7671:2018 states that Type AC RCDs are only suitable for sinusoidal residual current.
It is important to select the appropriate device for the type of equipment which is likely to be used in the installation. Manufacturers of equipment should provide guidance on which type of RCD is required.
Residual Current Device (RCD) is a generic term to cover a wide range of residual current detecting devices.
Unless it is a Residual Current Breaker with Overcurrent protection (RCBO), Residual Current Circuit Breakers (RCCBs) do not provide overcurrent protection.
There are two different ratings on an RCCB - the tripping current rated in milliamps, and the current carrying capacity rating. It's important to remember that the device is not designed to trip at the current capacity rating value and additional protection against overload is required.
It's no longer acceptable to rely on diversity alone, BS 7671:2018, Regulation 536.4.202 states that overload protection shall not solely be based on the use of diversity factors of the downstream circuits.
In order to achieve overload protection of the RCD circuits, the rating shall be selected to coordinate with the upstream fuse, which is likely to be the distributors fuse.
To achieve overload protection of RCDs, the rated current of the overcurrent protective device shall be selected according to the RCD manufacturer's instructions.
Lightning strikes are the most common source of extreme transient overvoltage's, where total outage of an unprotected system can occur, with significant damage to equipment and cable insulation through flashover, potentially resulting in loss of life or injury due to fire or electric shock.
Switching transients may also occur, for example, due to interruption of short circuit currents, such as a fuse blowing. Whilst this may be of a lower magnitude than a lightning strike, it is likely to happen more frequently.
BS 7671:2018, Regulation 443.4 states that protection against transient over voltages shall be provided within single dwellings unless the value of the installation and equipment therein does not justify such protection.
Surge Protective Devices (SPDs) are relatively inexpensive when compared to the cost of an electrical installation and expensive electronic equipment such as PCs and TVs, it is difficult not to justify the installation of SPDs.
Earthing is not bonding, and bonding is not earthing, they are different concepts.
Earthing is provided to connect exposed-conductive-parts to the main earthing terminal, to provide a path to earth for fault current in the event of a fault.
Protective bonding is provided to connect extraneous-conductive-parts to the main earthing terminal, to prevent a potential difference occurring and creating a hazardous touch voltage.
It's a common misconception that all water pipes require protective bonding to be installed. If the incoming water service pipe is made from plastic and there is not any fortuitous contact with Earth, it is not an extraneous conductive part and does not require bonding.
It's unlikely that, unless specifically trained and experienced to do so, a gas engineer will have insufficient knowledge of electrical installations to carry out the work.
The term 'skilled person' is used throughout BS 7671:2018, they are different terms, but they all mean the same thing, the person carrying out the electrical work is required to have adequate education, training and practical skills.
An assessment of the existing installation will be required in accordance with Regulation 132.16, to determine if the existing installation, including the distributor's equipment and earthing and bonding arrangements, are adequate for the altered circumstances.
It's a common misconception that all water pipes require protective bonding to be installed. Protective bonding is installed to prevent Earth potential from outside the installation being brought inside.
A plastic pipe is not conductive; therefore, it cannot introduce Earth potential into the installation. However, it must be verified that there are not any fortuitous connections with Earth throughout the installation.
Some smaller, lower capacity electric vehicles have a charger with a standard 13 A plug. This is called Mode 1 or Mode 2 charging. Whilst it is possible to plug this into a standard 13 A socket-outlet, BS 7671:2018+A1:2020 has requirements for a socket-outlet which is intended for Electric Vehicle (EV) to be of a particular type.
Regulation 722.55.101.0.201.1 of BS 7671:2018+A1:2020, requires each AC charging point to incorporate a socket-outlet complying with BS 1363-2, to be marked 'EV' on its rear.
BS 1363-2 requires EV marked socket-outlets used for charging electric vehicles to be subjected to additional testing requirements. For example, the socket and switch contacts being tested with an inductive load, as opposed to a resistive load for a normal 13 amp socket-outlet.
The requirements for RCD protection refer to the point itself as opposed to the final circuit supplying the equipment. However, there may be other requirements for the final circuit to be RCD protected such as for fault protection, if it were connected to a TT earthing arrangement. If this is the case, it is important to select the correct Type of RCD and to ensure selectivity upstream from the charging equipment.
BS 7671:2018+A1:2020, Regulation 722.531.2.101 requires the charging point to be RCD protected by its own RCD of at least a Type A, having a residual operating current not exceeding 30 mA. It is likely that the RCD will be installed within the charging equipment, but this must be verified with the supplier of the charging equipment.
Most EVs and EV chargers in the UK are compatible. But for non-rapid charging you will usually have to supply your own cable, which comes with and is stored inside the vehicle.
For non-rapid charging, EVs available in the UK will either have the above Type 1 inlet socket or Type 2 inlet socket.
Luckily your EV will be supplied with a cable that has the plug it requires, and at the infrastructure (charger) end, the cables are all compatible.
Rapid chargers use what are known as tethered cables i.e. they are permanently connected to and cannot be removed from the charging unit.
In the UK most rapid chargers have two cables providing the two most popular rapid charge connectors (CHAdeMO and CCS) so you simply select and use the one that fits your EV.
The Renault Zoe is the only EV sold in the UK that takes AC rapid charging which uses a different connector, but many rapid chargers will also have this available on a third tethered cable.
Tesla uses its own rapid chargers known as Tesla Super Chargers and these cannot be used by other types of EVs. Some Tesla 'destination chargers', found in hotel car parks and elsewhere, can be used by other EVs though.
Any RCD(s) associated with an EV Charging installation, should be tested in accordance with BS 7671:2018+Amd1:2020, Regulation 643.8.
Best practice would suggest that this also includes any RCD forming part of the charger equipment itself, thereby helping protect the installer's future liability.
Such RCD testing will require suitable test equipment appropriate to the Type of RCD provided, and be undertaken taking account of the RCD or charging equipment manufacturer's instructions.
The requirement for regular testing at six monthly intervals, using the test button (if fitted), should also be brought to the attention of the client.