Reluctant support for 18th edition of the ‘Wiring Regulations’
Only one in 16 electro-technical businesses ‘absolutely support’ the proposed 18th edition to the ‘Wiring Regulations’ according to a major survey from the Electrical Contractors’ Association. 28% of respondents said that the planned changes were ‘unfavourable’ or were ‘strongly opposed’ to them. 61% of firms said they ‘somewhat supported’ the proposals.
46% of firms said they believed the 18th edition would ‘increase business burdens’, while over 71% said it would ‘make the design and install process more complex’.
Steve Martin, head of technical at ECA (pictured in a video clip), said, ‘These ECA survey findings should be seen as a wake-up call to those determined to push ahead with all the proposed changes to the “Wiring regulations”. It’s vital that the voices of electro-technical businesses and electricians are heard during this process.
‘The ECA has a place on the “Wiring Regulations” committee, and we will use this opportunity to ensure any design solutions are practical for installers and contractors. In the meantime, we urge businesses to offer feedback directly to the BSI about the proposed changes’
The proposed changes are currently out for public consultation until 23 August via the British Standards Institution (BSI).
The industry JPEL 64 committee will then consider feedback before the end of 2017. The final edition will be published in June 2018, before coming into force in January 2019.
Some 533 electro-technical businesses responded to the ECA industry survey, including M&E engineers and contractors, consultants, facilities managers and clients.
As part of the ECA’s #project18 Wiring Regulations campaign, a number of informative bite-size videos (pictured) have been produced to help the industry get up to speed with the proposed changes.
