Requirements for the design of new installations and the improvement of existing installations
The IEE Wiring regulations (BS 7671:2008) are based on European Standards, which in turn are usually based on international standards.
The UK participates in both european and international standards work. One new area of possible development within international standards is to integrate requirements for energy efficiency into IEC 60364.
Electrical energy efficiency is intended to obtain the highest possible service from an electrical installation from the lowest energy consumption. Proposals include requirements for the design of new installations and the improvement of existing installations.
Basic concepts
Some key points when designing a new installation include determination of the load demand. This means establishing the type of application the electricity is used for.
A typical installation may include lighting, heating, ventilation, air conditioning etc. The design of the electrical distribution system needs to be carried out in such a way that will allow the metering and control of the various electrical loads.
Therefore, in order to make improvements we need to be able to measure the amount of electrical energy consumed and monitor and control energy effectively. For example in the UK the department of energy and climate change are planning to start a rollout programme to introduce smart electricity meters into consumers’ homes starting in 2014, which is expected to run through until 2020 with the aim of helping customers to reduce their energy bills. The smart meter will give customers information on energy consumed via a visual display and be capable of sending metering information to the energy supplier regarding the electricity consumed by the customer without the need for a meter reader. This should put an end to estimated bills. It will also allow the consumer to sell energy back to the energy supplier where the customer has a microgenerator installed such as a wind turbine or solar panels.
To view the full article from the IET's Wiring Matters Summer 2011, click here or download the attachment below.