Topic: 📋 Planning & regulations
Planning & regulations - how-to guides
What is notifiable, when to call an electrician, choosing consumer units and EV chargers, BS 7671 basics.
9 guides in this topic
Written specifically for UK domestic wiring - BS 7671, TN-C-S / TT earthing, and the fittings you actually find in a British consumer unit.
How to choose an EV charger that works with your solar panels (UK)
A UK guide to choosing an EV charger that integrates with home solar PV. What makes a charger solar-aware, which models support surplus diversion, and what your installer needs to know before fitting.
Read the guideHow to choose the right consumer unit when upgrading your fuse board
Split-load, dual-RCD or all-RCBO? A plain-English UK guide to choosing the right consumer unit type when your fuse board needs replacing, covering SPD requirements and what BS 7671 Amendment 3 means for your installation
Read the guideElectrical first fix: planning cable runs before the walls go up
What electrical first fix involves in a house rewire or extension - marking back-box positions, running cables, securing them correctly and leaving sufficient tails for second fix.
Read the guideUK kitchen electrical rules: sockets, cooker circuits and Part P
Where BS 7671 says sockets must go in a UK kitchen, how far from a sink or hob, what circuit a cooker needs, and why any new kitchen circuit is Part P notifiable - explained plainly.
Read the guideHow to plan the electrics for a house extension
A UK guide to planning the electrical installation for a house extension: socket and light positions, cable routes, safe zones, Part P notification, and what the electrician needs to sign off.
Read the guidePlan your solar PV installation: the electrical checks that matter before you sign a contract
The electrical checks every UK homeowner should make before signing a solar PV contract. Covers DNO permissions, MCS certification, consumer unit readiness and the Smart Export Guarantee.
Read the guideHow to wire a Y-plan central heating system
The Y-plan central heating system explained: how the programmer, room thermostat, cylinder thermostat and 3-port mid-position valve connect, and when to call a qualified electrician.
Read the guideHow to wire an S-plan central heating system
The S-plan central heating system explained: how the programmer, room thermostat, cylinder thermostat, zone valves and wiring centre connect, and when to leave the wiring to a qualified electrician.
Read the guideWhen to use three-core and earth cable
When twin and earth is not enough: a UK guide to three-core and earth cable, covering two-way switching, intermediate switching, and fan circuits with over-run timers.
Read the guideOther topics
🔧 Installation & wiring
Wire, fit and install - cable runs, sockets, switches, consumer units, cookers, showers, outdoor circuits.
🛡️ Safety & testing
Safe isolation, initial verification, insulation resistance, earth-fault loop, continuity, bonding.
🔍 Fault finding
Diagnosing tripping MCBs, flickering lights, dead sockets, buzzing switches and other common faults.
🔁 Replace & upgrade
Swapping old kit for new - light switches, sockets, fusewire, fuse boxes, consumer units, luminaires.
📖 Understand & explain
How your home electrics actually work - cable colours, ring vs radial, MCB vs RCD, live vs neutral, current vs voltage.
⚡ General guides
Working with cable, wiring accessories and everyday tools around the home.