IET & BSI announce official changes included in 18th Edition
Earlier this year, the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) and the British Standards Institution (BSI) released the official list of changes included in the 18th Edition of the IET Wiring Regulations.
Published in July 2018, this forms the national standard to which all new and amended electrical installations in the UK are to comply. The IET is right in urging all electrical professionals to ensure they are familiar with the changes before the new requirements come into force from January 2019. As a business, it’s vital that we’re familiar, and we’re doing everything we can to ensure each and every one of our team is up to date.
Have a look below at a summary of the changes:
Significant changes include: the requirement for a ‘switching device’ to be implemented in the installation of renewable energy storage systems, recommendations for Arc Fault Detection Devices (AFDDs) in AC final circuits, a change to the requirement for the methods of supporting wiring systems within buildings against their premature collapse in the event of a fire, and requirements for devices for protection against over-voltage and a new appendix focusing on energy efficiency.
Changes have also been made to the requirements for electric vehicle charging installations with PME supplies (the most common form of earthing in new installations) as well as new guidance for the design and erection of electrical installations that have local production and storage of energy for optimising efficiency.
The changes to BS 7671 come from changes to international and European standards, which the UK is obliged to take on. The full list of changes can be found at www.theiet.org/18th-changes-pr and is also published in the 18th Edition IET Wiring Regulations.
The long and short of it for us as a business, is we’re keeping ourselves updated, we’re sharing this with our teams, and making sure everything we do meets national and international standards.
