completelycharged
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- Mar 7, 2018
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Still working through some of this, so it may change....
The reason for this post is that any fixed electrical installation in the UK below 1500V DC is covered, no exemptions, however the way to deal with this situation will be explained. No, you don't need a certified electrician to carry out work under Part P......
All battery builds that have any 'fixed wiiring' in the UK are covered by various regulations, regardless even if they are only 12V....... this includes hooking up an inverter that onlysupplies a separate 'off-grid' (non grid syncronised) circuit.
Electrical regulations are something that is not very well understood because of all the variations in each country and multitude of regulations added on top of other regulations that are then added onto again. Some "standards" are also just that and not legally binding with any statutory instrument / instrument of law.
Separately this mountain of regulation then becomes like a stack of cards with points that are completely unintended legal consequences, gaps or open to application in a way not originally intended but fully legal. The financial system is full of them more commonly known as 'tax loopholes' and it is quite ammusing for a UK tax return to now ask for participation in tax avoidance schemes. Don't correct the mountain of regulation, just apply a sticking plaster, "honest guv".
Anyhow, Part P was the change that appeared to stop home DIY from any eletrical work beyond simple items (or not so simple in actuality just a poor implementation), or does it.....
Part P of the building regulations 2010 (2214) is the legal instrument to now 'catch' electrical installations in the UK and specifically states 'intended to operate at low or extra-low voltage' and the definition of 'extra-low voltage' is less than 120V DC (or less than 50V AC). This then covers any battery build, even if it is 12V DC if it contains any fixed wiring. Low voltage is less than 1500V DC.
Part P, clearly states 'reasonable provisions shall be made in the design and installation of electrical installations in order to protect persons operating, maintaining or altering the installation fform fire or injury'. i.e. reasonable provisions to protect people in a house using the electrical parts. - i.e. Part P is for Health and Safety but does not stipulate specific explicit standards to apply at this stage.
The second section of Part P then covers :
(a) 'in or attached to a dwelling' - i.e. solar panels fixed to the the roof or your inverter fixed to the wall connected to fixed 240V wiring.
(d) 'in a garden or in or on land associated with a building where the electricity is from a source located within or shared with a dwelling' - this is more interesting regarding the source 'shared with' because this would then cover a grid inverter (solar or battery) and an inverter in the shed sharing the electrical wiring.
Part P does not, however stipulate any specific standards and instead relies upon the legal application of the word 'reasonable' (more to follow).
The only specific general exclusion is under Schedule 4 for 'telephone wiring or extra-low voltage wiring for the purpose of communications, information technology, signalling, contreol and similar purpose.' This is so that your internet cable is excluded if it has power over ethernet for example. So, no, battery builds are not actually excluded if they have any fixed wiring.....
The reason for this post is that any fixed electrical installation in the UK below 1500V DC is covered, no exemptions, however the way to deal with this situation will be explained. No, you don't need a certified electrician to carry out work under Part P......
All battery builds that have any 'fixed wiiring' in the UK are covered by various regulations, regardless even if they are only 12V....... this includes hooking up an inverter that onlysupplies a separate 'off-grid' (non grid syncronised) circuit.
Electrical regulations are something that is not very well understood because of all the variations in each country and multitude of regulations added on top of other regulations that are then added onto again. Some "standards" are also just that and not legally binding with any statutory instrument / instrument of law.
Separately this mountain of regulation then becomes like a stack of cards with points that are completely unintended legal consequences, gaps or open to application in a way not originally intended but fully legal. The financial system is full of them more commonly known as 'tax loopholes' and it is quite ammusing for a UK tax return to now ask for participation in tax avoidance schemes. Don't correct the mountain of regulation, just apply a sticking plaster, "honest guv".
Anyhow, Part P was the change that appeared to stop home DIY from any eletrical work beyond simple items (or not so simple in actuality just a poor implementation), or does it.....
Part P of the building regulations 2010 (2214) is the legal instrument to now 'catch' electrical installations in the UK and specifically states 'intended to operate at low or extra-low voltage' and the definition of 'extra-low voltage' is less than 120V DC (or less than 50V AC). This then covers any battery build, even if it is 12V DC if it contains any fixed wiring. Low voltage is less than 1500V DC.
Part P, clearly states 'reasonable provisions shall be made in the design and installation of electrical installations in order to protect persons operating, maintaining or altering the installation fform fire or injury'. i.e. reasonable provisions to protect people in a house using the electrical parts. - i.e. Part P is for Health and Safety but does not stipulate specific explicit standards to apply at this stage.
The second section of Part P then covers :
(a) 'in or attached to a dwelling' - i.e. solar panels fixed to the the roof or your inverter fixed to the wall connected to fixed 240V wiring.
(d) 'in a garden or in or on land associated with a building where the electricity is from a source located within or shared with a dwelling' - this is more interesting regarding the source 'shared with' because this would then cover a grid inverter (solar or battery) and an inverter in the shed sharing the electrical wiring.
Part P does not, however stipulate any specific standards and instead relies upon the legal application of the word 'reasonable' (more to follow).
The only specific general exclusion is under Schedule 4 for 'telephone wiring or extra-low voltage wiring for the purpose of communications, information technology, signalling, contreol and similar purpose.' This is so that your internet cable is excluded if it has power over ethernet for example. So, no, battery builds are not actually excluded if they have any fixed wiring.....