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Electrical installations are an integral part of our day-to-day lives. From lighting up our homes to powering machinery, we are dependent on the proper functioning of all of the electrical installations on our property.
The importance of well-maintained electrical installations can be gauged when you turn the electricity off for a few hours. You won’t be able to do even the most mundane tasks such as charging your phone or making a smoothie.
The importance of regular maintenance, testing, and inspections cannot be stressed enough. A great way to ensure the safety and reliability of electrical installation is through electrical certificates.
Electrical certificates are official documents that provide evidence of any electrical work that has been carried out on your property by certified professionals in the field. They ensure that all the installations meet the required standards and regulations and that you stay compliant with the law.
Read on to find out all about the different types of electrical certificates, why they are so important, how often you should get them renewed, and who can provide you with legally-compliant ones:
There are quite a few types of electrical certificates in the UK and each serves a very specific purpose in terms of electrical safety. It is very important for property owners, landlords, tenants, business owners, and basically anyone even remotely involved in electrical installations to know what they are and what they entail.
By getting to know more about these electrical certificates you can ensure the electrical safety of your electrical installations as well as regulatory compliance.
The four most common types of electrical certificates in the UK are:
An Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR), also often referred to as hard wire testing, fixed wire testing, and periodic inspection, is a detailed report that inspects and assesses the safety and current condition of the electrical installations.
It provides all the information related to the health of the installations while also identifying any potential issues and hazards and offering recommendations to fix them. By doing so, it ensures electrical safety, promotes compliance with the law, and protects individuals from electricity-related accidents.
Conducted by certified electricians, an EICR’s main purpose is to evaluate the functionality, compliance, and overall health of the electrical systems within a property. It is an important part of electrical safety for both residential and commercial properties and plays a big role in maintaining it.
An EICR is an extremely thorough process that includes a number of inspections from visual examinations to other testing procedures to assess the safety and functionality of the electrical system.
Some of the most important processes included in an EICR are:
After conducting all the tests and inspections and identifying any defects and hazards, all of the findings are recorded in the EICR. These findings may include issues such as faulty wiring, overloaded circuits, inadequate earthing, and outdated and obsolete equipment.
The report also includes recommendations required for remedial action, which are categorised based on their urgency. Dangerous findings that need to be rectified immediately are labelled as ‘Code 1’. Less urgent issues that are not as critical are categorised into ‘Code 2’ or ‘Code 3’.
Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate (MEIWC), as the name suggests, is to check that any minor work has been carried out as per the electrical safety standards and that the wiring has been tested according to the Wiring Regulations.
With reference to what this piece of document covers, a simple job such as replacing a light bulb would not need to be notified or tested; however, in case of an electrical socket being moved or the wiring being modified, the work would need to be checked and certified.
Specific tasks such as the installation of new sockets, switches, and light fixtures, as well as any minor repairs or alterations all fall under the scope of a MEIWC.
The certificate includes details about the installation and where it was carried out, which may include the address of the property, the identification number of the installation, and any other piece of information for identification purposes.
It also contains the contact details of the certified electrician who carried out the tests and issued the certificate as proof that the work was done by a qualified professional trained to do the job.
The main purpose of the MEIWC is to confirm that all the electrical work has been carried out in accordance with the Wiring Regulations (BS 7671) and that it complies with industry best practices.
The test results may include insulation resistance checks, continuity checks, and other relevant procedures to ensure the overall health and safety of the electrical installations.
The certificate also comes with a statement that declares that all the electrical work has been carried out according to industry standards and is considered safe for use.
It is important to note that a MEIWC is generally issued for minor and small-scale electrical works and does not cover major alterations and extensive work. For that, you may need to get an EICR or another relevant certificate.
The MEIWC simply provides proof in the form of a document that all minor electric works have been carried out by a certified professional and are in compliance with the safety regulations and standards.
A MEIWC is important for property owners, landlords, and occupants, all of whom rely on it to provide proof of satisfactory electrical work and to provide a level of assurance with respect to its safety.
An Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) is another type of electrical certificate that determines that any new installations or alterations to any existing installations are carried out in compliance with the relevant safety standards and regulations.
It is often issued by the electrician carrying out the installation and provides essential information about the installation and the work done, as well as its safety and compliance.
An EIC is different than an EICR as the former is issued for specific work carried out on the property, compared to safety checks conducted on the entire property for the latter.
It provides assurance to the property owners, landlords, and occupants of a property that all the electrical installations meet the required standards. It also works as documented proof for future reference.
The EIC must be accompanied by a schedule of both test results as well as inspections in order to be considered valid.
Part P refers to the laws for the safe installation, alterations, and modification of electrical systems, whereas Part P notifications refer to work that must be notified to the building control authority.
Certain types of electrical work are considered “notifiable”, while some are not. Some examples of notifiable works include new circuit installation, alterations to an existing circuit, and fuse box or consumer unit replacement.
The legal responsibility to ensure that the electrical work meets the Part P standards lies on the property owner. The inability to do so gives local authorities the right to remove or alter any electrical work that doesn’t meet these standards. Not only does this ensure that the installations are safe to use but also protects occupants from electricity-related accidents and injuries.
The frequency at which the tests should be carried out depends on the type of certificate and the electrical safety regulations in place.
An Electric Installation Condition Report is also called a periodic electrical inspection that needs to be renewed depending on the type of property and the usage of the electrical system.
For domestic properties and privately owned homes, it is recommended to conduct an EICR every 10 years or when there is a change in occupancy. For rented properties, the frequency is every 5 years or at every change in tenancy.
When it comes to the frequency of an EICR for commercial properties, the frequency can range from 1 to 5 years depending on factors such as the type of business, the type of electrical installations, how they have been used, and specific industry regulations.
Electrical Installation Certificates are one-time certificates that are issued for either new electrical installations or major alterations. They do not need to be renewed regularly and are required only when significant changes are made to the electrical system.
Part P notifications, like EICs, are also done on a need basis when any relevant notifiable work is being carried out.
Similarly, Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificates (MEIWCs) are also issued for a specific type of work and do not need to be renewed unless further work is carried out.
Electrical certificates such as EICRs, EICs, MEIWCs, and Part P notifications are all incredibly important for a variety of reasons. They ensure electrical safety and regulatory compliance and provide the property owners, landlords, tenants, and insurers peace of mind.
Here are some of the main reasons why they must never be overlooked:
Electrical certificates such as EICRs, EICs, and MEIWCs can be issued by competent individuals who possess the necessary knowledge, skill, and expertise with respect to electrical installations and testing. They can be:
When looking for someone to issue an electrical certificate for your property, make sure you hire someone with the required qualifications and credentials so that the certificates are valid and recognised by the relevant regulatory bodies.
You can go for an individual or a company providing these services. However, make sure you do your research and take into account their experience and adherence to electrical safety standards.
We have been providing electrical services to residential, commercial, and industrial properties for over 40 years and are specialists in all aspects of electrical installations, maintenance, and testing.
All our work is fully insured and we work to meet the standards set by the NICEIC to make sure all your electrical installations meet the current regulations and all the notifiable work is signed off by the local authorities.
If you have unplanned issues within your home or business, we can provide a call-out service to rectify and solve any problems such as circuits tripping, loss of power, broken items that need repairing, or to check if you feel something is unsafe or a potential hazard.
Our team can generate a Visual Inspection Report (VIR) to identify anything visual that does not comply with the standards or looks unsafe, as well as a full Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) where we will identify and test each circuit to make sure they are not deteriorating and are safe for use within the current standards and regulations set by the BS 7671.
We can also provide PAT testing of appliances to make sure that any items such as kettles, computers, and microwaves are safe for use in the home and workplace.
Contact us here or call us at 0800 612 3001 to get in touch with our professional electricians for more information on the different types of electrical certificates.
