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The IET Electrician’s Guide series

By: Craig Buist CEng MIET

Electricians may feel they have limited influence over the information available to them. This article introduces four forthcoming Electrician’s Guides, designed to explain complex aspects of the sector in a clear, accessible format for practising electricians.

The success of the IET’s On-Site Guide, which has long supported electricians and apprentices working on installations rated up to 100 A, demonstrates the value of this approach. These new guides aim to provide similar practical support. With information now more readily available online, alongside rapidly evolving technologies, government policies and societal expectations, it is essential that engineers, electricians, apprentices and tutors develop the knowledge required to work and teach safely and effectively.

In an increasingly fast-paced world shaped by artificial intelligence, it can be difficult to keep abreast of the latest developments or to review BS 7671 and the relevant IEC documents needed to gain a comprehensive understanding of the work being undertaken.

The IET therefore has a responsibility to provide electricians and apprentices across the industry with accurate, practical guidance and support.

To meet this need, the IET is producing a series of practical guides on the topics listed below. Like the established On-Site Guide, these publications are intended to support professional practice by presenting essential information in a clear and manageable format:

  • IET Electrician’s Guide to Domestic Electric Vehicle Charging Equipment Installation.
  • IET Electrician’s Guide to Heat Pump Installations.
  • IET Electrician’s Guide to Fire Safety in Tall and Complex Buildings.
  • IET Electrician’s Guide to Domestic Solar Photovoltaic Systems.

Each guide is considered in greater detail below.

The IET Electrician’s Guide to Domestic Electric Vehicle Charging Equipment Installation

This practical guide supports electricians undertaking domestic electric vehicle charging equipment installations. It covers charging modes and equipment types, relevant regulatory requirements, system design considerations, methods of protection, and the certification and documentation required.The guide offers:

  • An overview of electric vehicle charging modes and equipment types.
  • A summary of the relevant regulatory requirements and key sources of information.
  • The general assessment required before system design and installation.
  • Methods of electrical protection and earthing.
  • Design considerations for domestic and small commercial installations, including control devices, circuit design and cabling.
  • Certification and documentation requirements.

The guide also includes useful annexes containing checklists, design scenarios, a glossary of terms and a fact file on private on-street electric vehicle charging.

This guide complements the IET Code of Practice for Electric Vehicle Charging Equipment Installation and is intended for electricians installing electric vehicle charging equipment for domestic customers. It focuses on key areas of potential difficulty and the essential information required to complete these installations safely and effectively.

The IET Electrician’s Guide to Heat Pump Installations

The electrification of domestic heating through heat pump installation is expected to reduce UK greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 15–17 %. The UK government has set targets of 600,000 heat pump installations each year by 2028 and 1.6 million installations each year by 2035. To support these ambitions, the government has announced planning changes intended to simplify domestic heat pump installation and is considering electricity bill discounts for heat pump owners.

Achieving these targets will require more trained installers, as many electricians will need additional knowledge and practical training before undertaking this work.

This practical guide is intended for electricians who want to develop their existing skills or apply their expertise to an emerging technology. It provides clear, step-by-step guidance for on-site work and is designed to complement formal training in heat pump installation.

The guide focuses on the practical requirements for installing domestic heat pump systems and covers the following areas:

  • The principles electricians need to understand when working with heat pumps.
  • Electrical layouts for heat pump systems.
  • The principal components of a heat pump system.
  • Electrical requirements for heat pump installations.
  • Installation and commissioning procedures.
  • Smart controls and internet connectivity.
  • Maintenance and servicing requirements.

It will provide a useful reference for practising electricians, apprentices and those delivering training in this developing area.

The IET Electrician’s Guide to Fire Safety in Tall and Complex Buildings

This publication brings together practical guidance for electrical engineers, fire engineers, specialists and risk assessors with responsibility for the design, installation or management of electrical systems. It explains the fire-safety requirements of BS 7671, the IET Wiring Regulations, including Amendment 4, alongside the safe installation and management of fire-safety services and technologies. Its principal focus is tall buildings within the scope of the Fire Safety Act 2021 and the Building Safety Act 2022, together with other complex environments. The guide will also be relevant to developers, owners and managers of tall and complex buildings, currently defined as buildings containing at least two residential units and measuring at least 18 metres in height or seven storeys. The guide covers the following areas:

  • The design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of electrical systems in tall buildings and other complex environments.
  • The Building Safety Act 2022 and other relevant legislation, including the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order, the Building Act and Approved Documents.
  • Relevant non-statutory standards and guidance, including British standards.
  • Roles and responsibilities for design, installation and certification, including those of fire risk assessors, fire engineers, mechanical engineers and electrical engineers.
  • Competence requirements and the identification of responsible persons.
  • The propagation of fire and measures to reduce risk in tall and complex buildings.
  • Requirements for specialist and externally mounted equipment.
  • A flow chart illustrating the design process and the allocation of roles and responsibilities.
  • Inspection, testing, certification and record-keeping requirements.
  • Maintenance, fire risk and fire risk assessment.
  • The development of a fire strategy for electrical systems during the design stage.

The IET Electrician’s Guide to Domestic Solar Photovoltaic Systems

This practical guide covers solar photovoltaic (PV) systems for domestic electrical installations. It is intended primarily for individual dwellings with a demand not exceeding 100 A, whether supplied by a single-phase or three-phase connection, and where no duty holder is responsible for the premises.

The guide is not intended for individual flats, houses in multiple occupation or other multi-occupancy buildings. In these settings, individual solar PV systems may offer limited benefits, and a collective or shared prosumer’s electrical installation (PEI) may be more appropriate, as described in Regulations 824.4 and 824.5 of BS 7671 Requirements for Electrical Installations, IET Wiring Regulations, Eighteenth Edition.

Electrical energy storage systems are outside the scope of this publication and are covered separately in the IET Electrician’s Guide to Domestic Electrical Energy Storage Systems. The guide covers the following areas:

  • An introduction to domestic solar PV systems.
  • Planning for a domestic solar PV installation.
  • Electrical design of the AC and DC sides of an installation.
  • Fire protection for solar PV systems.
  • Data communications, control and monitoring.
  • Inspection, testing and commissioning.
  • User information and maintenance instructions.

Summary and opportunity to comment

Together, these four practical guides are intended to help electricians, apprentices, designers, engineers and tutors understand developing technologies, regulatory requirements and recognized good practice. By presenting essential information in a clear and accessible format, the Electrician’s Guides will support safe, effective and consistent work across domestic electric vehicle charging equipment, heat pump installations, fire safety in tall and complex buildings, and domestic solar PV systems.

In the coming months, the IET plan to release the guides as drafts for public consultation. Once available, readers are encouraged to review the drafts and share their views. Feedback from those who design, install, inspect, maintain, teach or use these systems will help ensure that the final publications address real-world challenges, reflect current industry practice and provide the practical guidance the sector needs. Responding to the consultation is an opportunity to identify gaps, clarify technical points and contribute directly to guidance that will support the wider profession.

When the drafts for public comment are live, the electrical industry, and even members of the public, can view them on the Consultations page of the IET electrical website and follow the instructions to submit feedback, taking care to meet the stated closing date.