RegulationsUpdate
Regulationsopen for public comment The IETand BSI (British Standards Institution), who co-publish BS 7671, have now issued the Draſt for Public Comment (DPC) for Amendment 2, giving the electrical industry the opportunity to read through the proposed changes and provide feedback ahead of publication. The DPC period runs from 21 September to 11 December 2020, and IET and BSI are calling on members of the electrical industry to make sure they have their say.
Major changes to 18th Edition Wiring B
S 7671:2018+A2:2022, expected to publish in spring 2022, will be the first, full, consolidated Amendment to the 18th Edition IET Wiring Regulations, which published in 2018. It
will also include Amendment 1:2020, which published as a standalone PDF in February.
The proposed changes One of the largest proposed changes in Amendment 2 is a new Part 8 –
Functional Requirements. This includes Chapter 82: Prosumer’s Low-Voltage Electrical Installations. A prosumer is both a producer and consumer of electricity. This new chapter sets out the requirements for Prosumer Electrical Installations (PEIs), including considerations for interaction with the smart grid, safety requirements (including earthing arrangements), proper functioning and implementation. Electrical installers will have a large part to play in the selection of the most appropriate equipment and a comprehensive knowledge of this area will be key as prosumer technologies develop. Important changes to fire safety requirements are proposed in Chapter 4,
covering the design of electrical installations in industrial, commercial and multiple-occupancy homes, as well as new information for ‘protected escape routes’. Additional changes are also proposed to the following areas:
Regulation 421.1.7 – further information on the use of Arc Fault Detection Devices (AFDDs)
Regulation 443.4 – further information on Overvoltages A new Normative Annex (542) on Earthing Arrangements Multiple changes within Section 7: Special Locations The IET has stated that this is not an exhaustive list, with many other changes are proposed throughout the Regulations. An overview of all of the changes proposed is included in the ‘Introduction to Amendment 2’ at the beginning of the DPC document. Mark Coles, head of technical
regulations at the IET, commented: “This Amendment is the result of years of work by the JPEL/64 committee, the committee responsible for BS 7671, taking on board requirements from international and European standards, as well as input from organisations such as the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) and the findings of the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety (2018). “It is vital that the electrical installation industry keeps up to date with the constant developments in technologies that impact our work, improving the efficiency of installations and enhancing sustainable development. Above all, we must ensure that safety remains of paramount importance, and this is reflected in the proposed changes to BS 7671:2018.” Dan Palmer, associate director of committees at BSI, said: “In our role as the UK National Standards Body, BSI has published the draft standard, called BS 7671 Requirements for Electrical Installations. IET Wiring Regulations, for public comment. We welcome industry experts to review the newly
34 | electrical wholesalerOctober 2020
amended standard and share best practice and learnings from their experience. The standard will be published with consensus amongst stakeholders.”
Industry associations urge members to comment Frank Bertie, chief technical officer, JPEL/64 member and deputy chair of Sub Committee A at NAPIT commented: “This Amendment is the result of years of work by the JPEL/64 committee, the committee responsible for BS 7671, with which NAPIT have had strong representation on for over 20 years. It’s important that our electrical members keep up to date with the ever-changing technologies and ways of working to ensure they are working to the safest standards. I urge NAPIT members, likewise the rest of the industry to read and comment where they feel appropriate on the new DPC”. The ECA has created a set of resources and guidance, available now at
www.eca.co.uk/amd2, to help ECA Members and the wider electrotechnical industry respond to the draft for public comment, ECA ECA technical manager Gary Parker said: “With the ever-increasing pace
of technological developments, it’s vital that the Wiring Regulations keep up-to-speed with new industry technology and methodologies. However, this must be balanced with a practical engineering approach. “The proposed changes could impact all ECA Members. Therefore it is vital that members submit comments to BSI if they feel these changes could be overly onerous, lacking clarity or simply require refining.”
The Draft and information on submitting comments are available on the BSI website from 21 September 2020. More information and links to the content are available at
www.theiet.org/updates. Feedback must be submitted by the deadline of 11 December in order for it to be accepted for discussion.
ewnews.co.uk
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