Millions of householders across England and Wales face hefty fines if they continue to call in favours from handy “DIY Dads”. A new law, effective from 1st January 2005, will require all significant electrical work carried out in the home to be undertaken by a qualified electrician or checked by local authority building inspectors
With only two days to go till the new rules apply British Gas is concerned that most householders do not know that they could be breaking the law and risk a fine of up to £5,000 after research revealed a staggering 61% of householders are unaware of the imminent changes.
The figures released today by British Gas, whose electricians carry out over 140,000 jobs in homes across Britain every year, also show that the transition could prove difficult for many of the country’s DIYers.
According to the research* 56% of people turn first to their own family for help with electrical jobs around the house or simply go ahead and do it themselves. Of the 42 million electrical jobs carried out in the home last year only a third involved a qualified electrician.
Government figures show that 10 people die and 750 are seriously injured each year in accidents involving faulty electrics. However, the British Gas research finds that nearly 5 million of us admit to having suffered an electric shock or accident as a result of attempting DIY electrics. The new law will mean electrical installations are subject to Building Regulations and should help to cut the number of accidents as well as flush out cowboy traders.
Neil Dickinson, Chief Electrical Engineer at British Gas, said: “These new regulations should do for the electrical industry what Corgi has done for the gas industry – raise standards and improve safety. DIY enthusiasts will still be able to carry out some minor jobs around the home but our advice would be to check first with a qualified electrician. Doing it yourself could put you at risk of a serious injury, never mind the wrath of the local building inspector.”
LibDem MP Dr Jenny Tonge, who tragically lost her daughter in an electrical accident in the home earlier this year, also welcomed the changes: “Having been involved so directly in such a terrible tragedy I strongly support any initiative which might reduce the number of deaths, injuries and fires caused by unsafe electrical wiring.”
To help homeowners stay on the right side of the law British Gas has compiled a quick guide to the new regulations:
From 1st January 2005, people carrying out electrical work in homes and gardens in England and Wales will have to follow new rules in the Building Regulations.
All electrical work carried out in the home will have to be undertaken by a registered installer or be approved and certified by the local authority’s Building Control department.
Failure to do so will be a legal offence and could result in a fine.
Non-certified work could also put your household insurance policy at risk.
If you can’t provide evidence that any electrical installation work is compliant you could have problems when it comes to selling the property.
There will be two ways to prove compliance:
1. A certificate showing the work has been done by a government approved electrical installer such as British Gas
2. A certificate from the local authority saying that the installation has approval under the Building Regulations.
Homeowners will still be able to do some minor electrical jobs themselves.
The following is a useful reference:
Work you can do yourself
* Replacing existing accessories such as lights, sockets outlets, ceiling roses, switches, fused spurs etc
* Adding lighting points to an existing circuit in other locations like dining rooms, lounges or bedrooms
* Disconnecting and reconnecting existing equipment
Work you cannot do yourself
* Complete new or rewiring job
* Fuse box change
* Adding lighting points to an existing circuit in a “special location” like the kitchen, bathroom or garden
* Installing electrical earth connections to pipework and metalwork
* Adding a new circuit
British Gas directly employs 500 electrical engineers across Britain and will recruit an additional 100 (20% increase) in 2005.
Research carried out by YouGov on behalf of British Gas among more than 2000 households and conducted 17th ““ 20th December 2004.
From the British Gas Safety Site