Question: What is electrical design consultancy?
Answer: Electrical design consultancy is the design of the electrical building services within a development, including incoming supplies, low-voltage distribution, lighting, small power, fire detection and alarm, emergency lighting, security and access control, data and communications, lightning protection, electric vehicle charging and renewable generation such as solar PV.
An electrical design consultant produces load assessments, distribution schematics, cable calculations, lighting designs, drawings and specifications to enable installation and to demonstrate compliance with BS 7671 and the Building Regulations.
Question: What does an electrical design include?
Answer: Typical electrical design deliverables include:
- Maximum demand and diversity calculations
- Utility supply applications and substation coordination
- Low-voltage distribution schematics and switchgear schedules
- Cable sizing, voltage drop and discrimination studies
- Internal and external lighting design to BS EN 12464 and BS 5489
- Emergency lighting design to BS 5266
- Fire alarm design to BS 5839
- Small power and containment layouts
- Data, communications and audio-visual infrastructure
- Solar PV, battery storage and EV charging design
- Lightning protection risk assessment to BS EN 62305
Question: What regulations govern electrical design in the UK?
Answer: Electrical installations must comply with BS 7671 (IET Wiring Regulations, 18th Edition), Building Regulations Part P for dwellings, Part L for energy efficiency of lighting and controls, Part B for fire safety and Part S for electric vehicle charging. Non-domestic installations must also satisfy the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 and relevant British Standards for lighting, emergency lighting and fire alarms.
Designs are also coordinated with the Distribution Network Operator (DNO) for new or upgraded supplies.
Question: How is the electrical supply capacity for a development determined?
Answer: The consultant prepares a maximum demand assessment that considers the building type, floor area, heating strategy, cooking, lifts, EV charging and future growth, applying appropriate diversity factors. This determines the size of the incoming supply, whether a new substation is required and the DNO application that must be made.
With the shift to heat pumps and electric vehicle charging, electrical demand is increasing, and early assessment is essential to avoid grid connection delays and abortive design.
Question: What is Building Regulations Part S?
Answer: Part S of the Building Regulations, introduced in 2022, requires electric vehicle charge points or cable routes to be provided in new residential and non-residential buildings, buildings undergoing major renovation and buildings changing use. Electrical designs must include EV charging infrastructure sized appropriately and, where necessary, load management to limit the impact on the supply.
Question: How does lighting design affect energy performance?
Answer: Lighting is a significant energy user in non-domestic buildings and Part L sets minimum efficacy and control requirements. Electrical consultants design LED lighting with occupancy sensing, daylight dimming and time control to reduce energy while achieving the illuminance, uniformity and glare criteria of BS EN 12464. Good lighting design also supports BREEAM Hea 01 and WELL credits and contributes to EPC ratings.
Question: Do electrical consultants design renewable energy systems?
Answer: Yes. Electrical consultants design solar photovoltaic arrays, battery storage, EV charging and their integration with the building’s distribution system, including grid connection applications (G98 and G99), inverter selection, protection and metering. These systems are often required to meet planning energy strategy commitments and net zero carbon targets.
Question: Why choose Syntegra Group for electrical design consultancy?
Answer: Syntegra Group provides electrical design services for residential, commercial, education, healthcare, industrial and mixed-use projects throughout the UK. Our engineers deliver fully coordinated designs in BIM, from concept load assessments and DNO applications to detailed Stage 4 designs, lighting calculations and renewable energy integration.
Working alongside our mechanical, energy, security and sustainability teams, we ensure electrical designs support planning energy strategies, BREEAM targets and Building Regulations compliance while remaining practical and cost-effective to build.
