BS 7671:2018+A3:2024 Requirements for Electrical Installations was issued on 31st July 2024 and is intended to be implemented immediately. The Regulations apply to the design, erection and verification of electrical installations, also additions and alterations to existing installations. Existing installations that have been installed in accordance with earlier editions of the Regulations may not comply with this edition in every respect. This does not necessarily mean that they are unsafe for continued use or require upgrading.
However, the electrical industry understands that installers, building owners and occupants may have questions regarding existing installations and has worked to pre-empt these concerns.
The Wiring Regulations Advisory Group (WRAG), hosted by Electrical Safety First, and whose membership comprises wide representation from across the electrical industry, has addressed some of the key concerns and today published guidance, which can be found on this webpage.
The resulting guidance, as with all WRAG outputs is presented in a Question and Answer format:
Q2:63: When undertaking periodic inspection and testing, it is identified that a source of supply, such as battery storage, solar PV, V2X, or grid (mains) supply, is connected to the “load” or “out” terminals of an RCD (RCCB or RCBO) which indicates that it is a unidirectional protective device.
What steps should be taken and what classification code, if any, should be applied in this situation?
A: It is recommended that the product manufacturer is consulted to establish if the RCD is bidirectional, irrespective of the unidirectional marking:
- If the manufacturer provides a declaration of conformity that the RCD is a bidirectional device, this information should be appended to the EICR and a classification code is not required,
- Where the manufacturer does not provide a declaration of conformity, as above:
-
- i. If the RCD is unidirectional and is being relied upon for additional protection (but not for fault protection), then an improvement is recommended and a classification code C3 would be appropriate; or
- ii. If the RCD is unidirectional and is being relied upon to meet the maximum disconnection times in BS 7671 for fault protection, a classification code C2 would be appropriate.
Regulation number(s):
- 134.1.1
- 510.3
Link to IET BS 7671:2018+A3:2024 download (530.3.201)
Note: V2X is an overarching term, covering 'vehicle-to-grid', 'vehicle-to-home/building' and 'vehicle-to-other'
The full list of WRAG members can be found here
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