Helpful video reference. John Ward (jwflame) covers UK electrical certification in detail. "Electrical Certificates Part 2 -- Installation Certificate" walks through the sections of the EIC form, explaining what each part means and what values to expect.
1. Understand when an EIC is needed instead of a Minor Works Certificate
An Electrical Installation Certificate covers new electrical work: a new circuit created from scratch, a new consumer unit, or a new installation in a new building or extension. The key word is "new". If the work adds to or modifies an existing circuit rather than creating something from scratch, a Minor Works Certificate is usually the correct form.
Jobs that require an EIC include:
- A new ring main or radial socket circuit run from the consumer unit.
- A dedicated shower circuit, cooker circuit or EV charger circuit.
- A consumer unit replacement (the consumer unit itself is certified as a new installation).
- A garden room, garage or outbuilding sub-board fed from the main dwelling.
- Electrical installation in a new build or extension.
If an electrician fits a new socket by adding a spur to your existing ring main, that is a Minor Works Certificate. If they run a dedicated radial circuit for a home office from the consumer unit, that is an EIC.
2. Check the front sheet
The front page of the EIC records:
- Address of installation. Should match the property where the work was carried out.
- Description of the installation. What was actually installed, not a generic description.
- Supply characteristics. Earthing system (TN-C-S, TN-S or TT), supply voltage, prospective fault current and earth electrode resistance where applicable.
- Main protective device. The rating of the DNO fuse or main switch.
- Three signatures. Designer, constructor and inspector. On most domestic jobs these are the same qualified electrician.
- Recommended next inspection date. Typically ten years for owner-occupied dwellings.
All three signatures must be present. A certificate missing any of them is incomplete.
3. Read the Schedule of Inspections
The Schedule of Inspections is a visual checklist. The inspector ticks each item to confirm it has been checked and found satisfactory, or marks it "N/A" where it does not apply. The checklist covers:
- Conductor identification -- correct colour coding (brown live, blue neutral, green-and-yellow earth).
- Cable routes in safe zones and correctly protected where necessary.
- Connection of conductors -- all terminations secure, no bare conductors visible.
- Presence and suitability of earthing and bonding.
- Selection of devices for protection against overcurrent and RCD protection.
- Presence of adequate isolation and switching arrangements.
- Correct selection of equipment for the location (IP ratings in wet areas, for example).
If items are marked "not satisfactory", the certificate is unsatisfactory. The defect must be remedied before the installation is put into service.
4. Examine the Schedule of Test Results
This is the most technical part of the document and contains one row per circuit. For each circuit it records:
- Circuit description. What the circuit feeds and its rating.
- Ring continuity. For ring final circuits, the r1, rn and r2 continuity readings that confirm the ring is intact and correctly connected.
- Insulation resistance. Live-to-earth and neutral-to-earth values in megaohms. Minimum pass is 1 MΩ under BS 7671 Table 64; healthy circuits read far above that.
- Polarity. A tick confirming live and neutral are connected the right way round at every point.
- Earth fault loop impedance (Zs). The measured value must not exceed the BS 7671 maximum for the protective device type and rating on that circuit.
- RCD test results. Operating time at rated trip current and at half rated current where applicable.
You do not need to understand all the numbers in detail -- what matters is that values are present for every circuit and that the electrician has signed off each one as satisfactory.
5. Note the next inspection date
Every EIC includes a recommended date for the next periodic inspection -- an EICR. For a domestic owner-occupied property the standard recommendation is ten years. For rental property it is five years (and the law in England now requires landlords to have a valid EICR). If the date on your certificate has passed, you are overdue an inspection.
6. File it permanently with the property
An EIC is the primary record that an electrical installation was designed, installed and tested to the relevant standard. It should be kept with the property's legal and building documents and passed on to new owners if you sell. Unlike planning permissions or building regulations completion certificates, it is not held centrally -- if you lose it, it cannot be reproduced.
When to call us
Richard issues a correct EIC on every new circuit and consumer unit installation, including a full Schedule of Test Results for each circuit. If you have had a new circuit fitted and received no paperwork, or you are preparing to sell and need to understand what certificates should exist, call to talk through the options.
New circuit or consumer unit in east Kent?
Richard provides a complete EIC with Schedule of Test Results on every installation. Proper paperwork, every time.
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