User and maintenance instructions for modern domestic electrical installations
This article explores the changing needs in instructions for users, and information that is required to be available for maintainers, of domestic electrical installations, and is based on Section 8 of the newly-published IET Electrician’s Guide to Domestic Electrical Energy Storage Systems.
The changing face of electrical installations
Fifty years ago, it was not uncommon to see new houses with as few as four or six final circuits, perhaps comprising, for example:
- a shower (or cooker)
- downstairs socket-outlets
- upstairs socket-outlets
- upstairs lighting
- downstairs lighting
- a spare (or outbuilding).
As time progressed, new and less expensive protective devices entered the market, and installations began to include far more circuits. Simple domestic installations began to include circuits for:
- an intruder alarm
- a fire detection and alarm system (where not connected via a lighting circuit)
- a garage (which itself might have had multiple circuits)
- outside lighting (and possibly garden socket-outlets).
It was also more cost-effective to include residual current device (RCD) protection on individual circuits by selecting appropriate combined residual current breakers with over-current protection (RCBOs).
Today’s new domestic electrical installations are becoming more complex. Supported by developments in BS 7671 and relevant legislation, they may cater for:
- solar photovoltaic (PV) renewable generation sources (Section 712 was included in BS 7671:2008)
- electric vehicle (EV) charging (Section 722 was introduced in Amendment 2:2013 to BS 7671:2008)
- coordinated energy management and overall considerations for prosumer’s electrical installations, or PEIs (Chapter 82 was introduced in BS 7671:2018+A2:2022)
- battery storage (a new Chapter 57 of BS 7671 was proposed in the Draft for Public Consultation of Amendment 4 to BS 7671:2018).
Installations now include automatic functions and controls, managed by system software. Not every installation will be configured to operate in the same way.
User instructions
Traditionally, installation work will be provided with relevant electrical installation certification, along with, where relevant, manufacturer’s manuals for equipment.
Since modern installations may differ between configurations and options selected, and operation may be complex, provision of traditional information alone is not likely to be suitable. Users will typically require brief operational and emergency procedures for basic functions of the key systems in the electrical installation (energy management, solar PV, battery storage, etc.). These might include:
- step-by step user start-up and shutdown procedures
- procedure for emergency shutdown by users
- safety precautions and procedures in the event of an incident
- meaning of main indications, alarms and fault codes
- contact details for help, repair, maintenance and warranty.
The above information should be compiled into clear, succinct information, and should not rely on the users searching through lengthy product information. However, some information may be suited to being provided on instruction notices in prominent positions near relevant equipment. An alternative may be to provide non-emergency information via a two-dimensional barcode URL link, or on any smartphone or web app used to manage the system.
Where relevant, specific information will also be provided by the installer for internet connectivity and system security. That might include:
- information on which equipment is required to be connected to a home Wi-Fi network, and details of how to change the network connection, connect to a new Wi-Fi network and enter Wi-Fi network passwords
- requirements for password complexity and security
- details of how to report security issues with products
- information on how security updates are to be provided, and how frequently
- download details and helpdesk details for smartphone or web apps used to control and/or monitor parts of the electrical installation.
Maintenance instructions
The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 require designers to eliminate, so far as reasonably practicable, foreseeable risks to the health and safety of anyone maintaining the structure, which includes the electrical installation. The requirement applies to all electrical installations, including domestic installations. The person maintaining some or all of the domestic PEI may not always be the original installer. It is recommended that electrical work is carried out only by those competent to do so; however, it is reasonably foreseeable that some electrical maintenance work might be carried out, or attempted, by homeowners themselves.
As with user instructions, the information in product and system manufacturer’s manuals is extensive, and it might be difficult to locate information that is key to the safety of the installation. In addition, the manuals often contain different options for configuration of the system, and it is imperative that relevant information on the actual configuration is available.
Sufficient, clear information should therefore be provided with the installation in respect to the principal hazards.
Where information is provided in the form of diagrams or charts, these should be durable (for example, laminated) and provided in an accessible place such as a technical document holder adjacent to relevant electrical equipment. Alternatively, diagrams or charts might be provided in an accessible electronic form such as portable document format (PDF), accessible from a maintained website, for example, via a two-dimensional barcoded URL that the maintainer can freely and readily access.
Functionality for PEIs might include:
- remote or automatic switching of energy to circuits or electrical equipment
- remote or automatic control of supply transfer arrangements when switching to island mode (where the installation ceases to be connected to the grid, and is supplied from local generation sources such as energy storage systems and solar PV (see Figure 1)).
Figure 1 Domestic loads powered in island mode
Table 1 provides examples of hazards that can be present in domestic PEIs, and the information that could be provided for maintainers working on the installation.
Table 1 Examples of provision of information for safe maintenance of prosumer’s electrical installations
| Example hazards | Examples of reasons for additional consideration | Examples of maintenance information relevant to the hazards |
| Safe isolation | Automatic switching and sources of supply vary between installations |
|
| Battery hazards | Varies with battery chemistry and between different manufacturer’s products |
|
| Location, arrangement and operation of automatic/remote switching arrangements | Varies between installations and manufacturers’ products | Include information on appropriate system diagrams |
Conclusion
As electrical installations become more complex, more information is necessary for their users and maintainers. Because manufacturer’s instructions are often extensive and relate to various options of configuration of an installation, suitable, relevant information should be compiled by the installer and made available to the users and maintainers of an installation. This will assist the installer and designer of the modifications to the installation in fulfilling their duties under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015.
Post-scriptum or call-out
The IET Electrician’s Guide to Domestic Electrical Energy Storage Systems launched on 2 April 2025 and is now available from the IET Bookshop.
The publication provides practical, hands-on guidance on the installation of domestic electrical energy storage systems, specifically looking at:
- benefits and limitations of domestic electrical energy storage systems
- planning permissions and consents
- electrical design, system arrangements and schematics
- fire safety and electrical safety, specifically in relation to domestic battery installations
- data communications, control and monitoring, and information security
- inspection, testing and commissioning
- user and maintenance instructions.
The guide accompanies BS 7671:2018+A3:2024 and the IET Code of Practice for Electrical Energy Storage Systems, 3rd Edition, and is intended to be used by training providers, certification and awarding bodies, electrical contractors, electrical installers and new entrants into the industry. It might also be useful for international manufacturers seeking an overview of legislation, installation practices and safety requirements for the UK domestic electrical energy storage market. Presented in a way that is easily understandable by practitioners, it is packed full of practical illustrations and example calculations, as well as appendices with useful information.