Trusted Electrical Contractors in London

Powering London Homes the Right Way

The UK wiring rules are older than most of the houses they apply to. The first edition came out in 1882, from the Society of Telegraph Engineers and Electricians, as rules for preventing fire risks from electric lighting. Today they are BS 7671, the IET Wiring Regulations, in their 18th edition.

The ring final circuit that feeds most UK sockets is a British idea from the 1940s, when copper was short. It came with the fused 13 amp plug, BS 1363, first published in 1947. That’s why UK plugs have a fuse in them and most other countries’ don’t.

Electrical work on a renovation or a new build is mostly hidden. Cables run under floors and in chases in the plaster, and get covered within days, so it’s tested and certified before the walls are closed.

From Simple Repairs to Full Installations

Small jobs are a faulty socket, an extra light or a new fan. Larger ones are a new consumer unit, a circuit for an electric shower or car charger, or a full rewire.

A rewire on a Victorian terrace means lifting floorboards in every room and chasing the walls, so it’s done when the house is empty for a refurbishment, before plastering. First fix often takes one to two weeks. Second fix, the sockets, switches and lights, comes after decorating.

Signs that wiring is near the end of its life:

• rubber-insulated or lead-sheathed cables;
• a fuse box with rewireable fuses and no RCD protection;
• sockets mounted on skirting boards;
• no earth wire on the lighting circuits, which was normal until the late 1960s.

Safe, Compliant, and Up to Code

In England, domestic electrical work comes under Part P of the Building Regulations, in force since 1 January 2005. Replacing a socket or a light fitting doesn’t need notifying. A new circuit, a new consumer unit or new work near a bath or shower does. Electricians registered with a competent person scheme notify it themselves and issue an Electrical Installation Certificate. Keep it. Solicitors ask for it when the house is sold.

“No person shall be engaged in any work activity where technical knowledge or experience is necessary to prevent danger or, where appropriate, injury, unless he possesses such knowledge or experience, or is under such degree of supervision as may be appropriate having regard to the nature of the work.”

Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, regulation 16

On site, that’s why other trades don’t extend circuits “while they’re at it”. A labourer can pull cables under supervision, but connections and testing are for the electrician.

Older London properties

Old wiring hides surprises: cables buried in lime plaster, junction boxes under floorboards, extensions run off a nearby socket. An Electrical Installation Condition Report, or EICR, codes faults as C1 (danger present), C2 (potentially dangerous) or C3 (improvement recommended).

For landlords it isn’t optional:

“For the purposes of sub-paragraph (1)(b) “at regular intervals” means— (a) at intervals of no more than 5 years; or (b) where the most recent report under sub-paragraph (3)(a) requires such inspection and testing to take place by an earlier date, no later than that date.”

Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, regulation 3(2)

C1 and C2 faults found on a rented property have to be put right within 28 days, or sooner if the report says so.

Lighting That Transforms Spaces

Lighting is planned before first fix, while ceilings are open. Moving a downlight after plastering means cutting the ceiling again. In flats, and in ceilings that form part of a fire escape route, fire-rated downlights are usually needed. Dimmers have to match the LED drivers or the lights flicker. Smart controls are easier with a few extra cables and a network point put in at the same stage, as covered in smart technology for renovations. In bathrooms, BS 7671 sets zones around the bath and shower where only certain fittings are allowed.

Force Builders carries out electrical installations, rewiring, testing and repairs in London homes and commercial properties.