The new 18th edition regulations – or the BS 7671:2018 Requirements for Electrical Installations to give it its fuller title – comes into force from the start of 2019. Here we examine the changes in more detail.
If you had read our previous blog on this subject, ‘New Electrical Safety Regulations – What you need to know‘, you will be aware that those involved in working with electrical installations have until the end of this year to become familiar with the new 18th edition regulations. There are four areas that are going to change, and these include:
1. Protection against overvoltages
2. Fire Protection
3. Changes to Section 753
4. Energy Efficiency – a new section
The first of these sections relates to the need to provide protection for transient overvoltage should the overvoltage have consequences for certain designated applications. This includes avoiding undue negative consequences for human life particularly in the provision of safety services or in medical facilities. It also covers public services and cultural heritage, attempting to avoid loss or interruption of the services for important cultural institutions, such as museums. It also seeks to reduce the effects on commercial or industrial concerns, such as banking, hospitality, manufacturing and agriculture.
The 18th edition regulations makes consideration for protection against overvoltages in all other unspecified situations, by making it a requirement to conduct a risk assessment. The assessment is designed to ascertain whether protection against transient overvoltage is required. If such a risk assessment is not made, then the expectation will be that protection must be provided. There is an exception for single-dwelling units in certain circumstances.
In our next blog on the 18th edition regulations, we shall examine the next important change to the regulations, protection against fire. For more information about the regulations, visit this link to the IET website. For more information about our range of products relating to the new regulations (consumer unit glands, fire safe clips, MICC clips, stainless steel ties and stainless steel tie bases), click on each to be taken to the relevant product pages.