For peace of mind: Stay within the law.

 

PART P BUILDING REGULATIONS: 1st JANUARY 2005

If you are planning to extend or alter the electrical installation in your home, such as providing extra sockets in bedrooms, or changing your lighting arrangements please resist the temptation to have go at the installation yourself. From 1st January 2005 you may be breaking the law.

New electrical safety law is there to protect you and any visitors into your home. Entitled Part P the new legislation aims to tighten up electrical safety by clamping down on cowboy electricians and on homeowners doing DIY electrical work. It is due to the high instance of injury, fatality and damage to properties through fire that the government has moved to introduce this regulation. Part P of the Building Regulations requires that any new fixed electrical installations in dwellings shall be suitably designed, installed, inspected and tested so as to provide reasonable protection against the cause of fire or injury to persons. Any electrical work completed in dwellings must be notified to Building Control by a Part P accredited electrician or you could find yourself liable for damage.

Special locations or installations:

Kitchens Extra Low Voltage lighting installations
Locations containing a bath or shower Solar voltaic power installations
Electric underfloor heating or ceiling heating Hot air saunas
Garden lighting or power installations Swimming pools
Electrical work in dwellings need to be notified to a Building Control body before work commences, unless the proposed work is to be undertaken by a prescribed competent person or business authorised to self-certify compliance on completion of the work or the proposed work is is minor and falls outside the classification of special location or installation.