Here is a thought leadership article from National Safety Inspections
Must-knows about the recent amendments to electrical regulations:
- SPDs
- AFDDs
SPD Regulations Guide – 18th Edition
Some more big changes to the wiring regulations were introduced recently, especially the SPD regulations in the 18th edition AMD2. Although there have been requirements for Surge Protection Devices (SPDs) in certain particular instances for a long time, the release of the 18th edition in 2018 really brought them into the forefront.
When they were first introduced, electricians were only fitting them where required due to the cost of the relatively new pieces of kit. As they have become more widespread, and inevitably cheaper, fitting them became a bit of ‘standard practise’ for decent electricians. The cost of modern TVs and other electronics in the home is not worth skimping the £30- £50 cost of fitting an SPD to a new consumer unit.
Whilst we would normally list all the requirements individually, this all changed with the advent of the 18th Edition Amendment 2 in March 2022. The latest version of the wiring regulations has a completely revised set of requirements for SPD protection.
We’ll delve further into these latest 18th edition AMD2 regulations below:
Where Should Surge Protection Be Installed?
22nd March 2022 was the release of Amendment 2 to the 18th edition of BS7671, the wiring regulations.
This brought radical changes to Chapter 44, Protection Against Transient Overvoltages SPD protection is now required in instances where there is a risk of:
Serious Injury To, Or Loss Of, Human Life
SPDs are required to be fitted where transient overvoltage may cause serious injury to, or loss of, human life.
An example of this (but not limited to) could be in the instance of medical equipment which may be damaged by a surge. As this would directly affect human life, SPD protection must be fitted.
Failure Of A Safety Service
Surge protection is required to be fitted where overvoltage may cause a failure of a safety service.
This could be a fire alarm, automated fire sprinklers, or even emergency lighting. If anything that is considered a safety service, or circuit supplying such a service, and it will be negatively affected by overvoltage, it must now have an SPD fitted.
Responsibility is given to the appropriate British Standard regulations for the following:
• Emergency Lighting systems – Regulation 560.9
• Fire Detection systems – Regulation 560.10
• Life safety & fire fighting – Regulation 560.11
Significant Financial or Data Loss
This one goes deeper than you would think. The SPD regulations make no definition as to what they call ‘significant financial loss’.
It could be reasonably assumed that if the potential damage caused by an overvoltage occurrence is MORE than the cost of fitting a surge protection device, then it would be classed as significant.
With the advent of modern TVs bristling with electronics, kitchen appliances with every advancing motors and variable drives, potentially EV chargers and the like, all these cost SIGNIFICANTLY more than the cost of fitting an SPD.
Whilst the cost of SPDs is relatively low, even just one of these items could be 10x the cost fitting an SPD when the appropriate works are being completed. Significant data loss could easily occur in a modern household where computers and mobile devices are present.
If these are plugged in at the time of a serious overvoltage they could easily be damaged, causing data loss. As an absolute minimum, expect this to apply to mandatory fitting of SPDs in the instance of offices and other areas where there are lots of computers.
Again, it would be wise to approach this with a ‘best practise’ attitude and just fit the SPD for the low cost of them.
Other Situations
Regulation 443.4.1 then goes further to state that for all other cases, SPD protection shall be provided unless the owner of the installation:
• Declares They Do Not Want Them Fitting as the potential loss is deemed to be tolerable.
• Accepts The Risk Of Damage to Equipment & any consequential loss.
In these instances you should be getting the customer to sign a waiver stating that they are happy for SPD protection to be omitted.
As stated higher up in this guide, the cost of fitting SPD protection is now below the cost of much of the electrical equipment in a standard home. Ever more sensitive electrical equipment has meant that SPD regulations have had to catch up!
Do You Need Surge Protection In A Domestic Property?
Whilst the original 18th edition regulations gave a little room for interpretation across domestic properties, the latest amendment 2 (AMD2) contains a couple of different stipulations.
As we discussed above, ‘significant financial loss’ is difficult to define, and a £500 TV is not uncommon these days. As the cost of an Surge Protection Device (SPD) is somewhere in the region of £50 (cheaper ones exist, as do more expensive), the loss of an appliance which costs 10x that of the SPD could be argued to be significant.
T2 SPDs fitted in the consumer unit will protect against more than just a single huge overvoltage incident, as in that you would experience from a lightning strike. They protect against a barrage of smaller ebbs and flows in the incoming voltage such as those caused by switching.
This means that they can help to extend the lifetime of that fancy TV. That is definitely something to think about when considering a surge protection device for home.
Another factor is the introduction of needing a waiver signing to say the customer doesn’t want it fitting. Ultimately this just adds up to the simple fact that SPDs need to considered as standard fit equipment when upgrading consumer units in 2022 and beyond.
Summary of SPD Regulations 2022
As the requirements placed on electricians from the latest SPD regulations gets more in depth, it is important to keep up with the latest news and information surrounding these changes.
This is even more important since the CPS (Competent Scheme Providers) now require electricians to complete an element of CPD (Continous Professional Development) as part of being registered.
AFDD Regulations 2022
Important news surrounding the AFDD Regulations with the latest 18th Edition Amendment 2!
The release of AMD2 to BS7671, the 18th edition wiring regulations has introduced a requirement to use Arc Fault Detection Devices (AFDDs) on socket circuits up to 32A in certain instances.
We’ll delve into the specific instances below, however safe to say the new AFDD regulations will affect a large number of installations going forward.
They are still quite a niche thing at the moment and hence come with eye watering prices (of at least £100 per unit). Unlike SPDs which are fitted one per board, AFDDs need to be fitted on a “per circuit” basis, like RCBOs.
This will mean that the introduction of AFDD regulations into the 18th AMD2 regulations could be a costly and complicated affair for some.
What Exactly Does An AFDD Do?
If you have never come across them before, don’t panic – you’re not alone… despite their being a mention of them in the original 18th edition back in 2018, little hard and fast requirements where made. Some electricians have been using these on specific risk properties, for example, those with thatched roofs where fire is a particular issue.
However the fact they have been used so little has meant few manufacturers have rushed products out to suit this upcoming requirement. So an Arc Fault Detection Device (Or AFDD for short) is a small module fitted at the origin of the the circuit.
Originally 2 modules wide like DP RCDs, they are now being built as MCB/RCBO/AFDD all in one single module. They are microprocessor controlled. The electronics within constantly monitor the circuit and the loads placed upon it.
The AFDD can detect parallel arcs between different conductors or series arcs within the same conductor, for instance where a wire my have broken.
Once the AFDD has determined there is an Arc on the circuit, it trips the power supply to the circuit to remove the fault as per automatic disconnection of supply.
Arc Fault Detection Devices are able to distinguish between working arcs and those caused by a fault.
When Do I Need To Fit An AFDD?
The AFDD regulations in the 18th edition AMD2 stipulate a number of instances where an electrician must fit these devices in order to remain compliant.
Let’s start by examining Reg 421.1.7 and see what it says:
AFDDs must be fitted at the origin of any single-phase AC final circuits supplying socketoutlets with a rated current not exceeding 32 A in the following premises:
• Higher Risk Residential Buildings (HRRB)
• Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs)
• Purpose built accommodation for students
• Care homes As electricians we are well used to these passages in the regulations by now, noticing that this is a “MUST” and not a “SHOULD” indicating a hard & fast requirement as opposed to a recommendation.
Let’s investigate each scenario separately:
Higher Risk Residential Buildings (HRRB)
The AFDD regulations introduced in March 2022 (with the introduction of AMD2 of the 18th edition) now place a requirement for installing them in Higher Risk Residential Buildings.
There is no clear definition of what is classed as a high risk building, however a note underneath the regulation states that this should be assumed to be a residential building which is over 18M or 6 storeys high (whichever occurs first) This is assumed to be a possible response to the Grenfell tragedy.
Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs)
Houses in Multiple Occupation have had extra fire requirements over and above those for single occupier rented dwellings.
Mandatory fire doors, higher requirements for fire alarms and potentially even emergency lighting regulations all affect these type of properties. Due to the fact that different households are sharing a single property, this can mean evacuation from the property can be more awkward.
BS7671 18th Edition AMD2:2022 requires all circuits with a rated current not exceeding 32A serving socket outlets must be fitted with an AFDD.
Purpose Built Student Accommodation
Again, similarly to HMOs, student accommodation can have particular risks which can make evacuation of the property difficult. And yes, that probably relates around drunk students!
However, these AFDD regulations only apply to ‘purpose built student accommodation, which means that existing buildings used as student accommodation will not have to comply (unless they fall into the HMO category as many student accommodation does)
Care Homes
Perhaps the most difficult of all to evacuate during a fire are care homes. Old and infirm residents can be at particular risk and hence, again, higher fire safety requirements apply to these installations. If you ever do work in care homes then you should be acutely aware of the extra risks these properties can pose and the way in which you can reduce these risks through the electrical installation.
One of the ways that risk can be lowered is through fitting AFDDs to the circuits. AMD2 has brought a requirement for these to be fitted to socket circuits of not more than 32A.
We also recommend that you consider going beyond the AFDD regulations and fit them to more circuits.
Recommendation For Other Scenarios
As stated above, there are certain other scenarios when an electrician might consider fitting arc fault detection devices to an installation.
• Thatched roof houses due to the particular risk of fire.
• Certain areas of particular public risk, IE: Cinema, School, etc…
• Hospitals and healthcare facilities
• Heritage buildings
In these instances it may be more than just circuits serving socket outlets which need AFDD protection. For example a thatched roof bungalow may need arc fault detection installing on lighting circuits and other circuits which run through the loft space.
Do I Need To Fit AFDD Protection?
The answer to the question Do I Need To Fit AFDD Protection depends on the installation
AFDD Regulations 18th Edition
In summary, if your installation fits into the 4 categories above, then you MUST fit an AFDD to any circuit less than 32A which serve socket outlets.
If the installation is not specified above, however is in a particular high risk building/site then AFDD may be recommended on certain other circuits.
Who are National Safety Inspections?
National Safety Inspections are 4 times consecutive ESTAS award winners for "Best In Sector - Electrical Testing". Never has it been more important to ensure all properties are electrically compliant, however, ever changing regulations make compliance hard to keep on top of. NSI take away all the hassle of compliance, taking control from start to finish, and keep all parties involved aware of updates to jobs.
The services offered are:
- EICRs - 5 yearly electrical inspection - Mandatory
- PAT (now E.E.T) - Annual inspection - Highly recommended
- Smoke Detector Test - Annual inspection - Highly recommended (30% of properties visited are not legal)
- S.A.F.E (Safety Assessment of Fire and Electrics) - Annual inspection - Highly recommended
As well as being a national company with excellent coverage, NSI extensively train all electricians in-house to ensure exceptional levels of consistency.
24/7 monitoring of jobs through an online portal, along with dedicated in-house departments, means questions or queries can be dealt with quickly and efficiently.
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