Guidance notes on electrical wiring in churches

All electric wiring should be installed in accordance with the Regulations for Electrical Installations issued by the Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE), Current Edition, under British Standard BS7671.

Electrical contractors enrolled with the National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting (NICEIC) or the Electrical Contractors Association (ECA) should be employed for work in churches.

The NICEIC carries out periodical and random inspections of contractors' work; should any remedial work be required to repair faulty work, then this is carried out at the contractor's expense. The Electrical Contractors' Association (ECA) operate a guarantee scheme for the work of their members - work done which does not comply with the safety requirements of the Wiring Regulations will be rectified, at the member's expense.

Inspection and testing:

The Council for the Care of Churches recommends that churches have their electrical installations inspected and tested every five years. The inspection and testing should be carried out in accordance with IEE Regulations, Nos. 712 and 713, and an inspection certificate obtained in every case.

The switchgear in the church should be labelled to show:

• The date of the most recent inspection, and

• The date of the recommended future inspection

The Church Authorities should ensure that a thorough physical examination of all portable appliances is conducted regularly to ensure that worn flexes, broken plugs or sockets etc. are replaced immediately.

The Health and Safety Executive publication Maintaining portable electrical equipment in offices and other low-risk environments (Ref. INDG236 11/97 C1250), gives guidance on how and when inspections should be carried out.

The organ:

The organ presents a 'danger area', yet it has often been the case that churchwardens have allowed the danger to be increased substantially by tolerating non-standard or amateur wiring on the organ. Organ lights, whether for illuminating keyboards or for internal inspection, should be installed by a qualified electrician using permanent wiring. Lights should be installed so that there is no danger of them igniting timber or music sheets if they are accidentally left on. The wattage of light bulbs should be kept as low as possible.

It is suggested that maintenance lights be fitted above each section of pipework within the organ. The lights should be of the non-heat producing fluorescent type. A 'wander lead' from a 13A socket should be fitted in the lower section of the organ with a proper inspection lamp. All maintenance light switches should be fitted at the entrance to the organ chamber or casework.

If a portable electric heater is required for the organist, it should be of the convector or fan assisted type fitted with a thermostatic cut-out that operates in the event of overheating. The plug should always be disconnected from the socket at the end of each service.

Inspection, maintenance or repair of all pipe organs, particularly those having electric or electro-pneumatic actions, should only be entrusted to an experience professional organ builder. Reliance should not be placed on the fact that an organ is regularly tuned because the tuner may not have the detailed technical knowledge required to detect dangers in the complex electrical circuitry of a modern organ. The organ builder should be consulted and arrangements made for a detailed inspection to be carried out at agreed intervals.

The electric organ blower is frequently overlooked as is the specialised humidifying apparatus that often sits alongside the blowing equipment. The electric organ blower should be examined at regular intervals by a qualified electrician. This is in addition to regular visual inspections when the organ tuner may be able to observe the blowing apparatus during the course of a tuning contract visit and report anything felt to be suspect. Where humidifying apparatus is installed such equipment has to be maintained twice yearly and it is therefore the recommended trade practice that organ blowers, and when present, humidifiers are inspected every six months to keep them in good running order.

Switches incorporating pilot warning lights should be installed in the mains circuits to the organ and ancillary equipment to ensure that they are switched off whenever the instrument is not in use.

The Institute of British Organ Building, the trade association for church pipe organ builders, will be happy to provide help and assistance and can be contacted on 020 7689 4650.

Temporary wiring:

Temporary or extension wiring should only be allowed in exceptional circumstances. All temporary circuits should be physically disconnected from the mains when not in use (even where the mains switches are turned off).

Temporary wiring should always be installed in accordance with the IEE Regulations for Electrical Installations (BS 7671) and be protected against mechanical damage by means of armoured cable or conduit. Moreover, temporary wiring should only be allowed for a maximum period of six months.

Permanently wired socket outlets should be installed as near to the location of lecterns, cribs or Christmas trees etc., as possible.

Mains circuits:

Wiring should be arranged so that as many circuits as possible can be isolated at the mains switches when the church is not in use.

Mechanical damage:

Any evidence of damage to wiring, plugs, sockets or other fittings should be attended to immediately upon discovery. Any wiring installations should take into account the possibility of mechanical damage and be protected accordingly. Trailing cables are a health and safety hazard. Where essential, they should be kept to the absolute minimum length and should never be hidden under carpets as the risk of mechanical damage from sharp heels and the like is considerable.

Electricity at Work Regulations 1989:

The Electricity at Work Regulations have wide application and apply to most churches. They require that electrical installations are safe and regularly checked by a qualified electrician working to the current IEE regulations (BS7671). Under no circumstances should an untrained person attempt any electrical work. The Health and Safety Executive guidance notes indicate that even the changing of a light bulb or replacing a fuse should be left to trained individuals.

Church floodlighting

Deciding to floodlight:

The first question which a parish should ask of itself is 'Why floodlight?' The principal objectives of church floodlighting are generally commendable, amongst them are the following:

• To make the church a living building in the community

• To show off the visible aspirations of centuries of masons and architects, including their towers and spires, to their best advantage, dramatically against the night sky.

If the principal reason for installing floodlighting is to show that the church is a living and used building, consideration might be given to keeping the lights on inside the church at night to show that there is 'someone at home'.

Occasionally, a case can be made for the security value of floodlighting but generally, if security lighting is necessary, it should be achieved by a specific security scheme which is the subject of separate advice. Also, in particular circumstances, there may be a requirement for other external illumination, such as a halo-lighted cross or a spotlighted notice board.

Objections to light pollution:

Such objections in cases of rural churches may lead to decisions not to floodlight at all.

Although modern lights have longer lives and are cheaper to run, they are costly to replace.

A specialist lighting consultant will normally be appointed by the parish. Before a consultant is appointed the parish must draw up a brief setting out its specific requirements; for instance which parts of the church are to be floodlit and where might be suitable lines for cabling. The parish must consult its architect at this stage who may be able to offer advice on selecting a consultant.

An appropriate consultant will advise on:

• Which parts of the church are best suited for floodlighting

• The location and type of fittings

• The appropriate light source (colour and intensity)

• How to avoid light overspill onto adjoining properties

Designing church floodlighting:

Of its nature floodlighting is from below, or at the very best from a height of 5m or so. One element of the designs is the play of light and shade which, combined with practical features such as copings, cills, door hoods and string courses, has modelled the buildings and given them their individual characteristics. This modelling depends upon light and shade, the light always coming from above and casting a shadow below. By floodlighting from below, these details become distorted. Window and door hood mouldings throw a shadow upwards creating a reverse image of daylight.

In designing a floodlighting scheme a lighting engineer will seek to avoid too dramatic an emphasis on this upward shadowing but it will be difficult to avoid it altogether. Sometimes there is the opportunity to light part of the building from the roofs. In some urban situations it has even been possible to floodlight off street lighting columns or from fittings mounted on nearby buildings. A good designer will take care that there is minimum light pollution or overspill towards neighbours.

The colour of the light source must be chosen with care. Much will depend upon the natural colouration of the church which should be rendered as closely as possible. Where different materials abut, for instance boarding or rendering against stone, the colour of the light source should ensure the differentiation is maintained.

Special features such as a prominent cross or a gilded weathervane will be obvious targets for spotlighting. In some cases it may be that only a part of the building would be lit, a tower or spire would be the most likely choice.

The designer should also take account of the environmental impacts of energy use.

The problem of possible vandalism will have to be addressed, particularly in urban sites. Ground level fittings will have to be bolted to concrete bases and covers will have to be of toughened glass.

Lines of necessary cable runs must be considered. These may disturb graves or require costly archaeological investigation - it is wise to consult the Diocesan Archaeological Adviser during the planning stage of a floodlighting scheme.

Floodlighting can be extremely disturbing to bats. For this reason English Nature should be consulted on proposals. Similarly English Heritage may have views and these may be made known when a faculty application is made.

In some cases it has been suggested that lights may be sited in trees. This is not a good idea, either from the point of view of the tree or the light fitting. Trees and other vegetation should also be taken into account when a scheme is designed, in particular young trees will develop and may obscure the lights. Trees in summer provide far more screening than they do in the winter.

The church's insurers will need to be asked whether the church's policy will cover the floodlighting or whether additional insurance cover will be required.

Although local planning authorities may not require a planning application for floodlighting unless the church is in a conservation area, they should be consulted on all major proposals. One of the concerns will be to ensure that the lighting does not detrimentally affect neighbours or traffic on adjoining roads.

For more detailed information about church lighting, please consult the CCC's book Church Lighting, available from Church House Bookshop.

Heating churches:

Each church building needs to be considered as a special case of its own - there is no blueprint answer on the best form of heating. It is usually the case that the best form of heating for a church is a traditional 'wet' system of radiators and pipework operated by a modern gas-fired boiler and controlled by modern timing and thermostatic/humidistatic equipment. Oil can be used as an alternative fuel where a gas supply is not available. However, electrical heating may be appropriate in small churches and where the building is seldom used during the course of the week. It is not likely to be appropriate for larger churches or for those where there are several Sunday services or frequent services during the week.

How to set about installing a new heating system:

The following checklist may be helpful:

Write down a list of the church's needs

• Prepare a schedule of church services and meetings or events that are held in the church

• Prepare information on numbers of people who use the building and the areas that need heating

• Make contact with the DAC's heating adviser

• Inform the inspecting architect of the requirements and seek his advice

• Discuss with the architect and the DAC adviser the names of suitable and good heating design engineers.

• Visit other churches that have a similar heating system to the one proposed

• Ask the selected heating engineer to design the scheme and cost it. Ensure he works closely with the architect - heating systems have a considerable impact upon a church building, and often have important implications for the fabric of the church building and its contents.

• Submit a formal application to the DAC for approval of your scheme. This should be accompanied by: a technical specification of what is proposed, supported where appropriate by heat loss or heat requirement calculations; the proposed system of operation and the method of control; a brief description of what exists at present and the reasons for the proposed new works; a plan drawing of the church suitably marked up by the heating design engineer or architect to show the size and position of pipes, radiators, heaters, etc. and technical literature illustrating the form of radiators or heaters proposed.

If the church is a listed building, then it may be wise to consult English Heritage at an early stage. Discuss the matter with your inspecting architect or seek advice from the DAC office at Diocesan Church House.

Electric heating:

It may help to give some consideration to the different methods available, with their respective advantages and disadvantages:

• Off-peak storage heating:

It should be said at once that such heaters have proved unsatisfactory in buildings used only once a week, or intermittently, and in buildings with high heat loss, which churches are likely to be. They are also, because of their bulk and design, likely to be obtrusive and ugly.

• Under-pew heating:

This form of electric heating is likely to be the least undesirable, though it is obviously only suitable in churches where there are pews rather than chairs. Tubular heaters are mounted under the seats where they are out of sight; the congregation is immediately conscious of the source of warmth even though the heater will not warm the whole building. Such heaters should be protected by wire guards. Not all pews are suitable to accommodate tubular heaters.

• Wall-mounted convector heaters:

These are not usually satisfactory in churches, where the wall-space is often obstructed; furthermore to warm the volume of air in a tall building with an open roof is very expensive.

• Fan-assisted heating:

Fan heaters are undoubtedly an effective method of space-heating but are likely to be unsightly and noisy in churches. In practice, where they are used they are often turned on for some hours before the service, and turned off when it begins.

• Infra-red or radiant overhead heaters:

These were frequently installed in churches some forty years ago as a cheap method of heating. They are almost always unsightly, and the effect of heating is not altogether satisfactory, as it warms the head, particularly the top of the head, and not the feet. A new problem is that most manufacturers have discontinued their ranges, and spares may no longer be available, leading to demands for replacing the heaters with others even less desirable.

• Quartz-halogen heaters:

These have been recently developed and are the only practicable replacement for the older radiant heaters. Quartz-halogen heating is effective in its own way but, unless installed at an angle is likely to prove uncomfortable. The design of the heaters themselves so far has been such that the effect on the appearance of the church is likely to be detrimental.

It is the opinion of the Wall Paintings Conservation Department of the Courtauld Institute that Quartzray heaters are the least damaging form of heating to be installed in churches where there are ancient wall paintings; this opinion should be borne in mind.

More detailed information about this subject is contained in the Council for the Care of Churches publication Heating Your Church.

The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers maintains a register of consultants working in the heating industry. Contact: www.cibse.org .