ELECSA is the recognised competent person's scheme for Approved Document P of the Building Regulations. These regulations are being introduced in order to reduce the number of deaths and injuries arising in England and Wales as a result of defective or un
In line with its simple, no-nonsense approach to helping electricians comply with the Building Regulations, the ELECSA website offers an array of information about Building Regulations and the ELECSA Scheme in an easy to understand, straightforward format.
The ELECSA Scheme:
The ELECSA scheme has been set up to enable electrical installers to self-certify that their work is compliant with Document P. On this web page you will find a variety of information regarding ELECSA including a summary of the requirements of registering with the scheme. In addition, there are regular updates in the News section with information on the ELECSA scheme and Part P in general.
Discount price:
ELECSA has announced that until the end of December 2004, the price for registration and assessment has been discounted to £400 (+ VAT). Installers already registered with ELECSA should enter their registration number and password - they will then be taken to the registered users section of the website.
More about ELECSA:
ELECSA is a joint venture between FENSA and the BBA to deliver an independent, no nonsense, certification scheme for tradesmen who undertake domestic electrical installation work. Such independent certification is required by Government as evidence that you are competent to undertake electrical work in accordance with the Building Act 1984, and specifically Approved Document P 'Electrical safety in Dwellings'. A recent change in the law now requires many types of electrical work be individually approved by Local Authority Building Control unless the electrician concerned is a registered 'competent person', allowed to self certify their own work as compliant.
What is FENSA?
FENSA stands for the Fenestration Self-Assessment Scheme. It has been set up with Government approval, in response to the new Building Regulations for England and Wales on 1 April 2002 where all replacement glazing in dwellings came within the scope of the Building Regulations. From then on, anyone who installs replacement windows or doors will have to comply with improved thermal performance standards.
When having their windows and doors replaced from this date homeowners must ensure that they get a certificate form Local Authority Building Control or have the work completed by a FENSA Registered Company.
FENSA is recognised as being the most successful Competent Person Scheme established, recording information for more than 1 million households a year which is distributed to the appropriate Local Authority and a certificate of compliance issued to the household.
What is BBA?
The BBA's Agrément Certificates have been providing authoritative and independent information on the performance of building products for over 35 years. Every Agrément Certificate contains important data on durability, installation and compliance with Building Regulations, not just in England and Wales, but in Scotland and Northern Ireland, too.
Assessment involves three distinct areas - laboratory testing (carried out wherever possible to UKAS requirements), site inspections, undertaken by the BBA's own Inspection Services team, and factory production control.
The BBA is the UK member of the European Union of Agrément (UEAtc), represents the UK in the European Organisation for Technical Approvals, and is responsible for the issue of European Technical Approvals in this country, enabling products to achieve the commercially vital CE mark.
Installations requiring certification:
Part P covers all electrical work in domestic dwellings. This includes the installation of a new circuit, any work in a kitchen or bathroom and any work undertaken outside the property (for example, in a garage or garden).
In order to comply, such installations will need to be:
- Designed and installed to protect against mechanical and thermal damage.
- Designed and installed so that they will present no electrical shock and fire hazard.
- Tested and inspected to meet relevant equipment / installation standards.
Part P applies only to installations designed to operate at Low Voltage or Extra-Low Voltage.
Work not requiring certification:
Certain types of minor electrical installation work will not require notification. A detailed table of the works that do not need to be registered can be found here, but generally involves work that does not involve the provision. Note that minor work in kitchens and bathrooms is notifiable and would require certification.
How to certify:
Once electricians and contractors are fully registered with ELECSA, the process of certification is a simple one. Each installation completed must be registered directly with ELECSA, either by fax or over the internet. Once this is done, the organisation will then notify the relevant Local Authority and despatch a certificate directly to the homeowner.
BS7671 Certification:
To comply with the requirements of the scheme, as of the 1st January 2005 electricians and contractors will be required to provide their customers with a BS7671 certificate with each installation that you complete. Once registered with ELECSA, it will be possible for electricians and contractors to order these certificates from us at cost price or download them for free from their log-in sections of the ELECSA webpage.
Please note: If electricians and contractors are not fully registered with ELECSA or indeed any other competent persons scheme, they MUST ensure that their installations are certified through Local Authority Building Control departments. It is not possible to register backdated installations with ELECSA - any work completed prior to successfully-assessed and completed registration must go through Building Control.
For further information regarding Part P or other regulation issues, please call 0870 749 0080 or email ELECSA.
ELECSA Ltd.,
44-48 Borough High Street, London SE1 1XB
Tel: +44 (0) 870 749 0080
Fax: +44 (0) 870 749 0085
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.elecsa.org.uk