Cosumer Unit / Fuse Board Changes In Glasgow

BS 7671 Amendment 3 & changes to 
Consumer Units

As you may be aware there are changes being made to the wiring regulations BS 7671 with Amendment 3 which is due to be published in January 2015. One of these changes is expected to involve consumer units installed in household premises and is focused on the material their enclosures are manufactured from.

What is driving the changes?

Investigation into several fires involving plastic consumer units, by the Strathclyde Fire Brigade, has concluded that a key cause of the fires was substandard cable connections made by the Electrician. These resulted in overheating, which eventually ignited the plastic enclosure.

How has Hager been involved with the proposed changes to consumer units?

As a result of the investigations into consumer unit fires, proposals have been made for changes to the Wiring Regulations. Hager has been closely involved in the development of these changes by providing expert industry liaison with interested bodies including;Strathclyde Fire Brigade, Government and the Joint IET/BSI Technical Committee JPEL/64 which has the responsibility for the content of BS 7671 (17th Edition Wiring Regulations).

Anticipated new regulation

The new Regulation 421.1.201 is expected to state:
Within domestic (household) premises, consumer units and similar switchgear assemblies shall comply with BS EN 61439 3 and shall:
I. Have their enclosures manufactured from non-combustible material, or
II. Be enclosed in a cabinet or enclosure constructed of non-combustible material and complying with Regulation 132.12.
Note 1: Ferrous metal e.g. steel is deemed to be an example of a non-combustible material.
Note 2:* the implementation date for this regulation is the 1st January 2016. This does not preclude compliance with this regulation prior to this date.

What impact will this have?

This would mean that eventually all new consumer units installed in UK homes, i.e. within domestic (household) premises must have their enclosures manufactured from a non-combustible material, or be enclosed in a cabinet or enclosure constructed from a non-combustible material. This is likely to result in an increased use of metal enclosures. 

What is meant by ‘within domestic (household) premises’?

It is understood that Regulation 421.1.201 applies to consumer units and similar switchgear assemblies to BS EN 61439-3 inside all domestic (household) premises including their integral/attached garages and outbuildings or those in close proximity.

When will Amendment 3 come into effect?

The third amendment to BS 7671:2008 Requirements for Electrical Installations will be issued in January 2015 and is intended to come into effect on 1st July 2015. Installations designed after 30th June 2015 are to comply with BS 7671:2008 incorporating Amendment 3, 2015.
However, Regulation 421.1.201 does not come into effect until the 1st January 2016. This does not preclude compliance with this regulation prior to this date.

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Smoke Detectors and Co Alarms to become legal requirements for landlords

Landlords in England and Scotland will be required by law to install working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in their properties from October 2015, it has been announced.

According to Housing Minister Brandon Lewis the move will help prevent up to 36 deaths and 1,375 injuries a year after a consultation showed strong support for the measure.

Fire and rescue authorities in Glasgow are expected to support private landlords in their own areas to meet their new responsibilities with the provision of free alarms, with grant funding from the government.

Lewis explained that it is part of wider government moves to ensure there are sufficient measures in place to protect public safety, while at the same time avoiding regulation which would push up rents and restrict the supply of homes, limiting choice for tenants.

‘In 1988 just 8% of homes had a smoke alarm installed but now it’s over 90%. The vast majority of landlords offer a good service and have installed smoke alarms in their homes, but I’m changing the law to ensure every tenant can be given this important protection,’ said Lewis.

‘But with working smoke alarms providing the vital seconds needed to escape a fire, I urge all tenants to make sure they regularly test their alarms to ensure they work when it counts. Testing regularly remains the tenant’s responsibility,’ he added.

These alarms should be fitted by a qualified electrician or electrical contractor

According to Communities Minister Stephen Williams it will help to create a bigger, better and safer private rented sector. ‘A key part of that is to ensure the safety of tenants with fire prevention and carbon monoxide warning. People are at least four times more likely to die in a fire in the home if there’s no working smoke alarm,’ he said.

‘That’s why we are proposing changes to the law that would require landlords to install working smoke alarms in their properties so tenants can give their families and those they care about a better chance of escaping a fire,’ he added.

The proposed changes to the law would require landlords to install smoke alarms on every floor of their property, and test them at the start of every tenancy. Landlords would also need to install carbon monoxide alarms in high risk rooms such as those where a solid fuel heating system is installed.

Those who fail to install smoke and carbon monoxide alarms would face sanctions and could face up to a £5,000 civil penalty. This would bring private rented properties into line with existing building regulations that already require newly built homes to have hard wired smoke alarms installed.

New regulations will be laid in Parliament to require landlords to install smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in their properties, and are expected to come into force, subject to Parliamentary approval, on 10 October 2015.

The allocation of funding to fire and rescue authorities to offer free smoke and carbon monoxide alarms to local landlords will be announced shortly.

The British Property Federation said the crackdown was necessary to force the small number of landlords who did not install alarms in their properties to bring them up to standard. It added that although most landlords do everything necessary to ensure the safety and comfort of their tenants, making the installation of carbon monoxide and smoke alarms compulsory will give tenants peace of mind and provide clarity to landlords. 

The BPF recommended that the obligation on landlords and their agents should be to ensure that there are working detectors at the time the tenancy starts. There should be an obligation on tenants, however, to maintain and test the alarms and to report any faults.

'It is quick, cheap and easy to install these pieces of equipment, so making them mandatory makes sense, and should weed out those who are currently putting their tenants at risk. While the majority of landlords adhere to best practice and ensure that fire and smoke detectors are installed in every rented property they own, we feel that landlords and tenants can only benefit from this additional safeguard,' said Ian Fletcher, director of policy at the British Property Federation.

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