A renovation is the best chance you will have to get a house’s electrics right. Floors are up, walls are open, and the cost of running a cable is a fraction of what it will be once everything is finished. These are the questions worth answering early.
1. What condition is the existing installation in?
Before planning anything, find out what you have. An Electrical Installation Condition Report shows whether the wiring and consumer unit can be kept and extended, or whether a full or partial rewire makes more sense. In a renovation, a rewire is often far less disruptive than it would be on its own.
2. Is the supply big enough?
Renovations often add significant loads: induction hobs, electric showers, heat pumps, underfloor heating, EV chargers, garden rooms. Check the capacity of the incoming supply and the main fuse rating early. Increasing a supply involves the network operator and can take time.
3. Where does the consumer unit go?
Moving the consumer unit to a sensible, accessible location (a utility room, a cupboard off the hall) is easy during a renovation. Plan space around it for future additions.
4. Plan layouts room by room
Mark up the floor plans with sockets, switches, lights and data, starting from furniture and appliance positions. Kitchens, bathrooms and home offices need the most thought. Our guide to planning lighting during a renovation covers lighting in detail.
5. Allow for the future
Even if you are not installing them now, it is cheap to allow for:
- an EV charger (a cable or duct to the drive)
- solar panels and a battery (space and a route near the consumer unit)
- a heat pump (supply and controls)
- data cabling to the rooms where you work and watch television
- outdoor power and lighting
6. Sequence the work with other trades
Electrical first fix has to happen after structural work and before plastering, and it overlaps with plumbing, heating and joinery. Agree the programme so the electrician is not waiting, and is not rushed before the plasterer arrives. See first fix and second fix explained.
7. Older and listed houses
Solid walls, lath and plaster ceilings, original cornicing and timber floors all affect how cables can be routed. If the house is listed, check with the local planning authority whether listed building consent is needed for the works.
8. Get the paperwork
New circuits and consumer unit replacements are notifiable under Part P in England. Make sure you receive an Electrical Installation Certificate and the Building Regulations certificate at the end, because you will need them when you sell. See electrical work and Building Regulations.
For renovation electrics in Harrogate, York and Wetherby, see new builds and renovations.
Sources
This guide is general information, not advice for a specific installation. Regulations change: check the sources above for the current position.