The UK national safety standard for electrical installation work. Also known as the IET Wiring Regulations (Institution of Engineering and Technology). This details the requirements for electrical installations and is the standard against which NICEIC and ELECSA electricians are assessed.

The standards for the design and construction of buildings are governed by the Building Regulations. Their aim is to ensure the health and safety of people in or around those buildings as well as having requirements for energy conservation. In England and Wales, the Building Regulations 2010 apply. In Scotland, The Building (Scotland) Act 2003 is the primary legislation under which the Building Standards system operates. This is supported by secondary legislation including Building Regulations. In Northern Ireland, the Building Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000 apply.

A safety certificate issued by an electrician when they complete any new electrical installation work, or make changes to existing electrics, such as altering, extending or adapting an existing circuit. The certificate confirms that the work has been designed, built, inspected and tested to the UK national standard BS 7671.

An assembly of electrical equipment (socket outlets, lighting points and switches) supplied from the same origin and protected against over current by the same protective device(s).

An automatically operated device designed to protect an electrical circuit from damage caused by overload or short circuit. It detects faults and interrupts current flow. Unlike a fuse, which operates once and then must be replaced, a circuit breaker can be reset to resume normal operation.

A person who possesses enough technical knowledge, relevant practical skills and experience for the nature of the electrical work undertaken and is always able to prevent danger and, where appropriate, injury to him/herself and others.

Commonly referred to as a fuse box. It is used to control and distribute electricity around the home. It usually contains a main switch, fuses or circuit breakers and one or more residual current devices (RCD).

An assembly containing switching or protective devices (e.g. fuses, circuit-breakers, residual current operated devices) associated with one or more outgoing circuits fed from one or more incoming circuits, together with terminals for the neutral and protective circuit conductors. It may also include signalling and other control devices. Means of isolation may be included in the board or may be provided separately.

Stands for ‘Electrical Installation Condition Report’. This is a report to establish the overall condition and safety of all the electrics in a building, stating whether it is satisfactory for continued use and detailing any work that might need to be done. This was formerly known as a Periodic Inspection Report (PIR).

A burn that results from electricity passing through the body and causing rapid injury. In minor cases, they cause damage to the surface area of the body, but can also damage tissues deeper underneath the skin. In serious cases, electricity can cause damage to internal organs, such as the brain and heart. 

Electrical fires 

Electrical fires are fires involving potentially energised electrical equipment. This type of fire may be caused by short-circuiting machinery or overloaded electrical cables.

Comprises all the fixed electrical equipment that is supplied through the electricity supply. It includes the cables that are usually hidden in the walls and ceilings, accessories (such as sockets, switches and light fittings), and the consumer unit (fuse box) that contains all the fuses, circuit-breakers and residual current devices (RCDs).

When contact is made between a body part (skin, muscles or hair) with a source of electricity of enough current it can cause injury. Very small currents can be imperceptible. Larger current passing through the body may make it impossible for a shock victim to let go of an energised object and can create damage to tissues and even cause the heart to stop. Electrocution Death caused by an electric shock is called electrocution.

Introduced by the government on 1st April 2010, the FiT scheme pays householders for all the electricity that they generate from a renewable source. They receive a tariff for every unit of energy they generate, regardless of whether they use the energy or sell it back to the National Grid. Electricity generating renewable technologies include solar PV, micro wind and micro hydro.

Lighting controls allow a lighting system to be operated through a touch screen console. They allow any light or group of lights to be operated or programmed from a single user Interface.

Low energy lighting is an energy efficient alternative to traditional incandescent, tungsten, or filament light bulbs. There are a number of different kinds of low energy light bulbs available including compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) and LEDs.

Microgeneration is the production of zero or low carbon electricity or heating. This essentially means the production of power on a micro, rather than industrial, scale to a domestic property by means of a renewable energy source.

Electrical current (in amps) that exceeds the maximum limit of a circuit. May result in a risk of fire or shock from insulation damaged from heat generated by an over current condition.

A situation where it is not possible or necessary to fully re-wire all of the electrics in a home. This option may be desirable when existing cabling is still suitable for continued use (as it will minimise the degree of damage and disruption). Or can arise where only a part of the electrics has suffered damage from a burst water pipe or similar. If an electrician offers this as an option, it is important that the householder agrees and understands exactly what is, and is not, being done before the work starts.

The specific section of the Building Regulations for England and Wales that relates to electrical installations in domestic properties. Part P provides safety regulations to protect householders, and requires most domestic electrical work to be carried out by government-registered electricians, or to be inspected by Building Control officers.

Inspection and testing of electrical equipment, including portable appliances, moveable equipment, hand held appliances, fixed equipment/appliances, IT equipment and extension leads.

Report Now called an Electrical Installation Condition Report. See ‘EICR’.

Householders should check that their electrician has public liability insurance, which covers them if someone is accidentally injured by or if they damage your property whilst working. The cover should include any legal fees and expenses which result from any claim by the householder. Householders looking to employ electricians to undertake electrical work on their homes should ensure that the electrician has suitable cover - minimum recommendation is £2 million.

Electrical equipment which is less than 18 kg in mass and is intended to be moved while in operation or which can easily be moved from one place to another, such as a toaster, food mixer, vacuum cleaner or fan heater.

An RCD is a life-saving device which is designed to prevent householders from getting a fatal electric shock if they touch something live, such as a bare wire. It is a sensitive switching device that trips a circuit when an earth fault is detected. RCD protection is particularly important for socket circuits that may be used to supply portable equipment for use outdoors and provides a level of protection that ordinary fuses or circuit breakers cannot.

An electrician who is registered with a government-approved electrical scheme or who is working directly under the supervision of an organisation registered with a government approved electrical scheme (such as NICEIC or ELECSA).

A situation where all parts of the electrics - cables, circuits and accessories - are installed as new. However, some items such as switches, and light fittings may be re-used and the electrician may wish to re-use a part of the wiring that is electrically sound, to avoid damage or disruption to the property. It is important that the householder agrees and understands exactly what is, and is not, being done before the work starts.

A unit for electric potential (voltage), electric potential difference and electromotive force. The volt is named after the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta, who invented the first chemical battery.

A unit of power (one joule per second), named after the Scottish engineer James Watt, which measures the rate of energy trans transfer? A typical household incandescent light bulb has a power rating of 25 to 100 watts.