Chapter 17
Regulations
In most countries the supply of electricity is governed by legislation and we ought not to
conclude this book without an account of the rules which apply in the UK. We have to
refer to both the Electricity Safety Quality, and Continuity Regulations 2002 and the
Electricity at Work Regulations 1989.
The Electricity Safety Quality, and Continuity Regulations 2002 place an obligation
on the Distribution Companys to provide a supply of electricity to everyone in their area
who asks for it. They naturally charge for the electricity and may make a charge for
making the connection to their distribution system. This will depend on how much they
have to extend that distribution network in order to reach the new consumer’s premises.
The Acts also confer power on certain government departments to make further
regulations to control the supply of electricity.
These deal chiefly with the standards of service and safety to be met by the
distribution companies, and are not of direct concern to the designer of services in a
building who is concerned with what happens on the consumer’s side of the connection
and not with what goes on in the road outside. The Regulations do, however, give the
distribution company some powers of supervision over the consumer’s installation. The
chief of these is that the Company may not connect a consumer’s installation to its supply
if it is not satisfied that the insulation meets a prescribed value and that the installation
has adequate protective devices. If a consumer does not comply with the regulations, the
company may refuse to connect a supply, or if it has already been connected may
disconnect it.
These Regulations are somewhat general and it is conceivable that there could be
doubt about their precise interpretation. In practice, difficulties hardly ever arise, and
there are probably two reasons for this. First, distribution companies do not in practice
inspect installations and are content with the installer’s certificate of completion showing
the insulation resistance. Second, and more importantly, installations complying with the
Institution of Electrical Engineers’ Regulations for the Electrical Equipment of Buildings
BS7671 are deemed to comply with the Electricity Safety Quality, and Continuity
Regulations 2002. This brings us to consideration of the IEE Regulations, and we can
note a curious, and perhaps typically British, feature about them. They are the most
important regulations which in practice have to be observed and yet they are published as
a National Standard and have no legal standing of their own. They may however be used
in a court of law to claim compliance with a legal requirement. This comes about in the
following way.
There is no legal need for an installation to comply with the IEE Regulations. If an
installation satisfies the Electricity Safety Quality, and Continuity Regulations 2002 the
law does not care whether or not it also satisfies the IEE Regulations. But the law also
says that if it happens to satisfy BS 7671 it will be deemed to satisfy the Electricity
Safety Quality, and Continuity Regulations 2002, and in practice this is the easiest way of
showing that the Electricity Safety Quality, and Continuity Regulations 2002 have been
satisfied. As a result everyone in the industry is familiar with the IEE Regulations, but
very few people are aware of the curiously roundabout legal sanction behind them.
The sixteenth edition of BS 7671 was issued in 1991 with subsequent amendments to
BS7671:2004. References to the Regulations in this book are to this edition.
Part 1 of the Regulations sets out the scope, object, and fundamental principles; Part 2
contains definitions of terms; Part 3, assessment of general characteristics, lists the main
features of an installation which have to be taken into account in applying the subsequent
parts; Part 4 describes the measures to be taken for protection against the dangers that
may arise from the use of electricity and Part 5 deals with the selection of equipment and
accessories and with the details of construction and installation. Part 6 deals with special
locations. Part 7 is concerned with inspection and testing and there are six appendices
giving further need to know information.
Further information is given in a set of Guidance notes published by the IEE,
Guidance Note 1 often being referred to in this book, which gives further information on
means by which the regulations are complied with.
Chapter 13 of Part 1 of the IEE Regulations states Fundamental Principles. If this
chapter is not complied with, it may be taken that the distribution company would be
justified in disconnecting the supply. Parts 3 to 6 of the Regulations set out methods and
practices which are considered to meet the requirements of Chapter 13. A departure from
these parts of the Regulations does not necessarily involve a breach of Chapter 13 but
should be given special consideration. In fact the Regulations make clear that they are not
intended to discourage invention and that departure from them may be made if it is the
subject of a written specification by a competent body or person and results in a degree of
safety not less than that obtained by adherence to the Regulations.
If a manufacturer wishes to introduce a new technique which is not envisaged in the
current edition of the Regulations, application can be made for a certificate from a
qualifying body.
Much of what has been said in previous chapters is based on the methods and practices
described in BS 7671 and there seems little point in attempting either an abridgement or a
gloss on the Regulations here. The Regulations do not contain instruction in the basic
engineering principles on which they are based; they are regulations and not a textbook.
Engineers who have followed a suitable course and understood the principles of electrical
services should be able to read and understand the regulations without the interposition of
a detailed commentary. Designers who follow the principles we have tried to explain in
this book ought to find that their schemes almost inevitably comply with the regulations.
The other main source of legislation we have to refer to are the Electricity at Work
Regulations 1989. These are concerned with safety in all places of work, but do not
themselves contain detailed rules for the use of electricity. Compliance with BS 7671 will
Regulations 263
almost inevitably satisfy all the requirements of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989,
and the design principles explained in this book take into account the requirements of the
Regulations.
Regulations
In most countries the supply of electricity is governed by legislation and we ought not to
conclude this book without an account of the rules which apply in the UK. We have to
refer to both the Electricity Safety Quality, and Continuity Regulations 2002 and the
Electricity at Work Regulations 1989.
The Electricity Safety Quality, and Continuity Regulations 2002 place an obligation
on the Distribution Companys to provide a supply of electricity to everyone in their area
who asks for it. They naturally charge for the electricity and may make a charge for
making the connection to their distribution system. This will depend on how much they
have to extend that distribution network in order to reach the new consumer’s premises.
The Acts also confer power on certain government departments to make further
regulations to control the supply of electricity.
These deal chiefly with the standards of service and safety to be met by the
distribution companies, and are not of direct concern to the designer of services in a
building who is concerned with what happens on the consumer’s side of the connection
and not with what goes on in the road outside. The Regulations do, however, give the
distribution company some powers of supervision over the consumer’s installation. The
chief of these is that the Company may not connect a consumer’s installation to its supply
if it is not satisfied that the insulation meets a prescribed value and that the installation
has adequate protective devices. If a consumer does not comply with the regulations, the
company may refuse to connect a supply, or if it has already been connected may
disconnect it.
These Regulations are somewhat general and it is conceivable that there could be
doubt about their precise interpretation. In practice, difficulties hardly ever arise, and
there are probably two reasons for this. First, distribution companies do not in practice
inspect installations and are content with the installer’s certificate of completion showing
the insulation resistance. Second, and more importantly, installations complying with the
Institution of Electrical Engineers’ Regulations for the Electrical Equipment of Buildings
BS7671 are deemed to comply with the Electricity Safety Quality, and Continuity
Regulations 2002. This brings us to consideration of the IEE Regulations, and we can
note a curious, and perhaps typically British, feature about them. They are the most
important regulations which in practice have to be observed and yet they are published as
a National Standard and have no legal standing of their own. They may however be used
in a court of law to claim compliance with a legal requirement. This comes about in the
following way.
There is no legal need for an installation to comply with the IEE Regulations. If an
installation satisfies the Electricity Safety Quality, and Continuity Regulations 2002 the
law does not care whether or not it also satisfies the IEE Regulations. But the law also
says that if it happens to satisfy BS 7671 it will be deemed to satisfy the Electricity
Safety Quality, and Continuity Regulations 2002, and in practice this is the easiest way of
showing that the Electricity Safety Quality, and Continuity Regulations 2002 have been
satisfied. As a result everyone in the industry is familiar with the IEE Regulations, but
very few people are aware of the curiously roundabout legal sanction behind them.
The sixteenth edition of BS 7671 was issued in 1991 with subsequent amendments to
BS7671:2004. References to the Regulations in this book are to this edition.
Part 1 of the Regulations sets out the scope, object, and fundamental principles; Part 2
contains definitions of terms; Part 3, assessment of general characteristics, lists the main
features of an installation which have to be taken into account in applying the subsequent
parts; Part 4 describes the measures to be taken for protection against the dangers that
may arise from the use of electricity and Part 5 deals with the selection of equipment and
accessories and with the details of construction and installation. Part 6 deals with special
locations. Part 7 is concerned with inspection and testing and there are six appendices
giving further need to know information.
Further information is given in a set of Guidance notes published by the IEE,
Guidance Note 1 often being referred to in this book, which gives further information on
means by which the regulations are complied with.
Chapter 13 of Part 1 of the IEE Regulations states Fundamental Principles. If this
chapter is not complied with, it may be taken that the distribution company would be
justified in disconnecting the supply. Parts 3 to 6 of the Regulations set out methods and
practices which are considered to meet the requirements of Chapter 13. A departure from
these parts of the Regulations does not necessarily involve a breach of Chapter 13 but
should be given special consideration. In fact the Regulations make clear that they are not
intended to discourage invention and that departure from them may be made if it is the
subject of a written specification by a competent body or person and results in a degree of
safety not less than that obtained by adherence to the Regulations.
If a manufacturer wishes to introduce a new technique which is not envisaged in the
current edition of the Regulations, application can be made for a certificate from a
qualifying body.
Much of what has been said in previous chapters is based on the methods and practices
described in BS 7671 and there seems little point in attempting either an abridgement or a
gloss on the Regulations here. The Regulations do not contain instruction in the basic
engineering principles on which they are based; they are regulations and not a textbook.
Engineers who have followed a suitable course and understood the principles of electrical
services should be able to read and understand the regulations without the interposition of
a detailed commentary. Designers who follow the principles we have tried to explain in
this book ought to find that their schemes almost inevitably comply with the regulations.
The other main source of legislation we have to refer to are the Electricity at Work
Regulations 1989. These are concerned with safety in all places of work, but do not
themselves contain detailed rules for the use of electricity. Compliance with BS 7671 will
Regulations 263
almost inevitably satisfy all the requirements of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989,
and the design principles explained in this book take into account the requirements of the
Regulations.
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