Approved Document P (Electrical Safety): What Homeowners Need to Know

Part P requires that electrical installations in dwellings are designed and installed in accordance with BS 7671 (the IET Wiring Regulations, 18th Edition). It does not set different technical standards from BS 7671; rather, it makes compliance with BS 7671 a Building Regulations requirement for notifiable electrical work.

The key requirement is that notifiable electrical work must either be:

• Carried out by a registered competent person (electrician registered with a Competent Person Scheme such as NICEIC, NAPIT, ELECSA or Stroma), who self-certifies the work, OR
• Notified to building control, which will inspect and test the installation before issuing a completion certificate.

The following categories of work are notifiable under Part P:

• Installing a new consumer unit (fuse board) or replacing an existing one
• Adding a new circuit (e.g. wiring an extension, adding a dedicated circuit for a cooker, EV charger or shower)
• Any electrical work in a bathroom, shower room or wet room (a special location)
• Any electrical work in a garden or outdoor area (including sheds, outbuildings and garden lighting circuits)
• Any electrical work in a kitchen as part of a new circuit

Non-notifiable work (which does not need to be reported) includes: like-for-like replacement of accessories (sockets, switches, light fittings), adding sockets or lights to an existing circuit (outside special locations), and minor repairs.

The simplest way to ensure Part P compliance is to use an electrician registered with one of the government-approved Competent Person Schemes. The main schemes are:

• NICEIC (National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting) — the largest scheme
• NAPIT (National Association of Professional Inspectors and Testers)
• ELECSA (now merged with NICEIC)
• Stroma

A registered electrician can self-certify their own work and will provide an Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) on completion. You should always receive and retain this document — you will need it when you sell your home.

Bathrooms are a special location under BS 7671, with zones defined around the bath or shower:

• Zone 0: inside the bath or shower tray — only 12V SELV equipment permitted
• Zone 1: above the bath or shower to 2.25 m — only IPX4 or better rated equipment permitted (shaver sockets with isolating transformer, shower units, specific extractor fans)
• Zone 2: 600 mm outside zone 1 — equipment must be at least IPX4 rated

All electrical work in a bathroom, including adding or moving light fittings, is notifiable under Part P, regardless of the zone.

Installing a home EV (electric vehicle) charger or solar photovoltaic (PV) system involves new electrical circuits and is therefore notifiable work under Part P. Additionally:

• EV charger installations are typically certified under the OZEV (Office for Zero Emission Vehicles) grant scheme, which requires OZEV-approved installers.
• Solar PV installers should be MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme) certified if you want to access the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) tariff.

In both cases, using an approved installer ensures Part P compliance and access to grants and tariffs.