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Certification of electrical installations not exceeding 100A
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To aid NICEIC approved contractors and conforming bodies that carry out work on a range of smaller installations, NICEIC have recently developed a new certificate entitled Electrical Installation Certificate for small installations not exceeding 100 A, and coded DCN8. This certificate is based on the previous Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) for domestic premises used by Approved Contractors (DCN7).
This article will explain the general changes to this certifi cate and reasons for the change along with the benefi ts to the user.
Where an Approved Contractor wishes to use a specifi c domestic Electrical Installation Certifi cate, they are still able to access DCP6, the Domestic Electrical Installation Certifi cate.
Why the amalgamation of NICEIC certifi cates
The new certifi cate combines the range of NICEIC Electrical Installation Certifi cates available to approved contractors and conforming bodies for the following existing installation types: • Domestic electrical installations • Transportable units • Modular dwellings • Leisure accommodation vehicles • Highway furniture
In the past, contractors who issued certifi cates for two or more of the above installation types would need to purchase and maintain multiple EIC pads. With the increase in the number of pages necessary to account for the increased recording of inspection items, this is unwieldy, especially where there is so much commonality between the diff erent installations: for example, the earthing and bonding arrangements and supply parameters will be the same across all installation types.
Such work can now be certifi ed using one common certifi cate. Furthermore, having one certifi cate which can be used for multiple installations will be benefi cial for those contractors who have previously not considered off ers of work outside of their normal range, due to the expense of ordering a pad of certifi cates for what might be a one-time only occurrence. This new certifi cate provides that work fl exibility.
Changes to the certifi cate
There have been necessary changes to the EIC for smaller installations to 100 A. For a certifi cate to cover the range of electrical installation it has become necessary to include a section requiring the person carrying out the inspection and testing to record the type of installation (refer Fig 1).
This means that there will be sections within the certifi cate that do not apply to all installation types.
Where the electrical installation involves a leisure accommodation vehicle it will be necessary to record the vehicle details, including its type and particulars of the hook-up connections along with details regarding the means of earthing and protective bonding requirements (refer Fig 2).
Similarly, for transportable units it will be necessary to record the model and description of the unit along with the maximum external earth fault loop impedance, fault current and maximum demand (refer Fig 2).
Changes to the Schedule of Items Inspected
When considering the necessary updating of the smaller certifi cates produced by NICEIC to align with Amendment 3 of BS 7671, it was recognised that the changes generated by the introduction of this amendment was going to create multiple smaller certifi cates each having to have increased numbers of pages attached to refl ect the increased number of items to be inspected. This new certifi cate minimises the impact of such changes to one comprehensive certifi cate.
Whilst the new EIC contains the Inspection Schedule previously found in the EIC for domestic premises, it also contains two additional boxes to account for the specifi c issues found with Leisure Accommodation Vehicles and Highway Street Furniture (refer Fig 3).
Specifi c requirements for these particular installations are contained in the relevant sections of Part 7 of BS 7671. These requirements are intended to supplement or modify the general requirements contained in Parts 1 to 6, and as shown are listed separately.
The reason for their inclusion is to aid the inspector when these particular installations are being inspected and tested. Consider for example the following two cases: • With a leisure accommodation vehicle or transportable unit there will be an element of
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copyFig 1-3 Changes to the Certificate
Fig 1
Fig 2
Fig 3
vibration that is not the same as for domestic premises, modular building or highway furniture; cables run in such areas where there is a danger from chafi ng due to the eff ects of vibration, will require special consideration and detailed inspection. • With highway street furniture there is more exposure to the weather so the inspector needs to check there are no detrimental eff ects on the electrical installation caused by such elements. Consider item 6 in Fig 3 where the inspector must assess the accessory/equipment(s) suitability for the environment and external infl uences. Any electrical equipment installed shall have a degree of protection of at least IP33 (Regulation 714.512.2.105 refers). This means that there must be protection from entry by tools, wires, etc., with a diameter of thickness greater than 1.0 mm and have protection from sprayed water.
Do all check boxes now need completing? form is that boxes shall not be left blank. This is for a very good reason. If a check box is indeed left blank there is no guarantee of compliance. Questions that might arise include, did the inspector forget to look at it, did it apply or was there an element of uncertainty of what the box was actually asking, or was it deliberately ignored? By completing all elements of the certifi cate, the inspector can conclude with some certainty that the installation is either satisfactory or unsatisfactory for use, and the client can see what remedial work is required.
Guidance notes
To refl ect the changes made to the new EIC (DCN8), the accompanying notes have increased in content. This has been both unavoidable and necessary as NICEIC continue to off er as much guidance as possible to the contractor and conforming bodies on how the certifi cates should be completed, and to the recipient on what pages should accompany the certifi cate upon the completion of electrical work undertaken.
