A power surge can not only be extremely hazardous in terms of electrical safety, but can also do severe damage to your consumer unit, wiring and electrical accessories. Sometimes referred to as an overvoltage, a power surge can also cause irreparable harm to items that are operating from the electrical circuit such as computers, printers, photocopiers, ovens, washing machines and CCTV systems, not to mention emergency lighting and fire alarms. This damage may cause the items either to fail immediately or to deteriorate over time to a point at which they cease to operate.
To help avoid this scenario occurring within your electrical installation, a Surge Protection Device can be installed within the consumer unit and will take one of three forms:
- an SPD installed at the source, in other words on the main distribution board
- an SPD installed on sub-distribution boards
- an SPD installed in the vicinity of the protected load. This type must only be installed to supplement a sub-distribution board SPD
Having the correct SPD installed is now a requirement under the IET Wiring Regulations, BS 7671:2018 in order to avoid the following hazards:
- serious injury to – or in the worst cases loss of – human life
- interruption of public services and/or damage to buildings of cultural interest
- interruption of commercial or industrial activity
- inconvenience of a large number of co-located individuals
The new regulation applies across the board, so is relevant to domestic, commercial and industrial settings, and includes all new build properties, offices, factories and warehouses.
For Mark Smith, owner of MS Electrical Services, the requirement for Surge Protection Devices is a welcome development. ‘The inclusion of an SPD is now a regulatory requirement, and this will go a long way to making premises – and the people who use them – safer,’ comments Mark. ‘Clearly there’s an expense involved in installing SPDs, but it’s important to weigh up the cost of non-compliance and the risk of harm to your employees, customers, suppliers and tenants. Not only that, it’s also worth considering the potential price of repairing damage to the property and replacing any appliances that may be damaged and become unusable should a power surge occur. Here at MS Electrical we’re encouraging everyone – whether they’re a business, charity, educational establishment, landlord or letting agent – to review their electrical safety and contact us to install an SPD as a matter of urgency should they not have one in place.’
MS Electrical Services offers fixed wire testing in Cambridge, so if you need to install a Surge Protection Device, please contact us for advice.