Tag Archives: BS7671

New amendment to BS 7671 (IET Wiring Regulations) Amendment 1

The IET has announced a new amendment to BS 7671:2018 (IET Wiring Regulations 18th Edition). The national Wiring Regulations committee, JPEL/64, agreed the publication of Amendment 1, which will consist of a stand-alone update to Section 722: Electric Vehicle Charging Installations.

The amendment, which is due to publish in early 2020, will be free to view on the IET website, and only form part of a consolidated new Regulations following the next major amendment to BS 7671, expected in 2022.

The amendment follows advances in technology that were not available when BS 7671:2018 published, enabling a more practical solution for the installation of charging points. Functionality built directly into charging equipment uses existing technology, but employed in a new way, allowing charging points to be deployed more widely than ever before.

The updated Section 722 will make installing charging points quicker and easier, and will reduce the cost of installations for both installers and consumers.

The UK government is investing £400 million to accelerate the roll-out of charging infrastructure to help meet its target of at least 50% of new car sales to be ultra-low emission by 2030*.

Mark Coles, Head of Technical Regulations at the IET, is proud of the way that JPEL/64 has been able to respond to the changes in technology. He explains: “JPEL/64 has been able to address a new opportunity for electric vehicle charging equipment that provides a practical, cost-saving solution benefiting industry, consumers and government alike, to help the UK lead the way in the roll-out of infrastructure to support the electric vehicle revolution.

“This update to the IET Wiring Regulations puts the electrical industry at the forefront of driving technological innovation to ensure the installation of practical, safe charging points that are accessible to all.

“By producing Amendment 1 to BS 7671:2018 as a stand-alone, free-to-view document, this updated Section 722 will reach industry much quicker than a full, consolidated amendment would allow, enabling installers to take advantage of BS 7671:2018+A1:2020 as soon as possible.”

Keep an eye on theiet.org/updates to for information on the Draft for Public Comment and publication information.

Proposed timeline

  • 04 September 2019: Amendment 1 approved by JPEL/64
  • October 2019: The Draft for Public Comment for Amendment 1 will be available for 60 days to allow industry to respond to the proposed changes (see theiet.org/updates for details)
  • January 2020: Amendment 1 will publish as a free-to-view document on the IET website and come immediately into effect, eschewing the usual 6-month adjustment period to ensure industry can immediately take advantage of the changes

18th Edition Of BS 7671 – Have Your Say

The IET is preparing to publish the Draft for Public Comment (DPC) of the 18th Edition of BS 7671. This is your chance to have your say about the development of the new edition of the Wiring Regulations.

Important dates

Please note, the below dates are expected dates only and are subject to change.

• DPC availability and commenting period: June 2017 – August 2017.
• IET and committees review DPC comments: August 2017 – November 2017.
• Changes approved; final draft produced; reviewed and proofread: November 2017 – April 2018.
• Official JPEL/64 committee sign off: 4th April 2018.
• BS 7671 new edition available for purchase: 1st July 2018.

BSI and its role in setting Standards

BS 7671 is a British Standard. It is published jointly by the British Standards Institution (BSI) and the IET. BSI is the UK’s National Standards Body (NSB).

Standards are developed by committees of dedicated experts. In the case of BS 7671, there are four committees that feed into the main BSI/IET joint technical committee JPEL/64:

• JPEL/64/A – covers verification and inspection and testing (Part 6 and Appendix 6 of BS 7671) plus any work relating to Parts 1, 2 and 3 of BS 7671.
• JPEL/64/B – covers cable sizing and installation and related matters (some of Parts 4 and 5, Appendices 3 and 4 and some Part 7 items of BS 7671).
• JPEL/64/C – covers earthing installations and related matters (some of Parts 4 and 5 and some Part 7 items of BS 7671).
• JPEL/64/D – covers the remainder of Parts 4 and 5, some Part 7 items and some Appendices of BS 7671).

Together, these groups are responsible for UK input into international and European technical committees IEC/TC 64 and CENELEC/TC 64, which produce the IEC 60364 standards series and the European implementations HS 60364 series. These standards are then implemented here in the UK as BS 7671.

Updates to BS 7671

As technology develops and is used differently, BS 7671 needs to be updated to ensure good practice across the industry. Updates can be in the form of an Amendment or an Edition:

Amendment – alteration and/or addition to previously agreed technical or editorial content of an existing standard.
Edition – a new edition of an existing standard will either be published after several amendments (usually, a maximum of three) have been published or a major revision of the technical content has taken place.

The committees will discuss how sections  of BS 7671 may need to be changed to either remain aligned to the international and/or European Standards or take into account national issues Any changes proposed are debated, refined and finalised at JPEL/64.

The updated BS 7671 will then be released in the form of a Draft for Public Consultation (DPC). This is when you will have the opportunity to read the expected changes in BS 7671 and to have your say.

Comments on the standard can be submitted to the Secretariat at any time but will usually be held for consideration at the next Amendment/Edition cycle.

Comment on the DPC of BS 7671

The DPC of the draft 18th edition of BS 7671 will be published on the BSI Standards development portal: https://standardsdevelopment.bsigroup.com/.

First, register following the on-screen instructions. Once you have successfully registered, you can log in to read and comment on proposed and draft standards, including BS 7671. You can also go into your Account to update information about yourself, change your password and personalize your preferences.

When commenting on draft standards, use the ‘Comment on this section’ field to make your comments and the ‘Proposed changes’ field for any clarification and to make a suggestion for improvement.

More details available here

BS7671 Amendment 3

BS7671 Amendment 3

BS7671 – The Third amendment to BS 7671:2008, The IET Wiring Regulations, became effective on this date. Following this, contractors have a six month transition period to get up to speed with the changes and can design, install and certify to either the new or previous standard.

If you want to find out more information about BS7671 Amendment 3 then take a look at the following factsheet we found online, it gives you all the details :-

http://www.3rdamendment.co.uk/downloads/Amendment%203%20Factsheet.pdf

And here is the official page on NICEIC website in regards to amendment 3 :-

https://www.niceic.com/contractor/essentials/3rd-amendment