Less than one in seven electrotechnical businesses (13 per cent) support the inclusion of new energy efficiency rules within the draft 18th Edition update to the Wiring Regulations (BS 7671), according to new survey findings from the ECA.
One in five businesses (20 per cent) said the energy efficiency rules (also known as ‘Part 8’) should instead be included within the Wiring Regulations as an ‘informative annex’. Over half (51 per cent) said Part 8 should be moved into an entirely ‘separate guidance document’.
However, over half of respondents (57 per cent) said that clients would ‘see a benefit in designing an electrical installation from an energy efficiency point of view’ – even if the initial costs could be higher.
ECA Head of Technical Steve Martin commented: “These new survey findings show that while electrotechnical businesses are supportive of improving the energy efficiency of electrical installations, they do not believe updating the Wiring Regulations is the right solution, as this has historically been a safety document.
“With just one week until the public consultation closes, the ECA urges businesses to offer feedback directly to BSI about the proposed changes. We will be standing up for the interests of the industry during the talks which follow this consultation.”
Some 533 electrotechnical businesses from across the industry responded to the ECA survey during June and July 2017, including many members of trade associations and professional bodies, as well as dozens of registrants of certification bodies.
The proposed changes to the Wiring Regulations are currently out for public consultation until 23 August via the British Standards Institute (BSI). The ECA has responded to the consultation, on behalf of the industry. To offer your own feedback to BSI, click here.
The industry ‘JPEL 64’ committee, of which the ECA is a member, will then consider any feedback before the end of 2017. The final 18th Edition will be published in June 2018, before coming into force in January 2019.
As part of the ECA’s #Project18 Wiring Regulations campaign, a series of informative bitesize videos have been produced to help the industry get up-to-speed with the proposals. For more information, including a blog on the energy efficiency plans, visit: www.eca.co.uk/project18
