Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm Rules for Landlords: What Has to Be Fitted and Tested
Published 22 October 2026 · Updated 22 October 2026 · Reviewed and signed off by ElectriVolt Most landlords know a rented home needs a smoke alarm. The trouble starts with the details: how many, where, which rooms count, and who has to prove what at the start of a tenancy. Since October 2022 the carbon […]
Do You Need an EICR to Sell a House? What Buyers and Solicitors Actually Ask For
Published 20 October 2026 · Updated 20 October 2026 · Reviewed and signed off by ElectriVolt Nobody has to hand over an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) to sell a house in England. What catches sellers out is the paperwork they were never told to keep: the certificates for electrical work done years ago, which […]
Adding Battery Storage to Solar Panels You Already Have
Published 15 October 2026 · Updated 15 October 2026 · By ElectriVolt If your solar panels went on a few years ago, you probably have an inverter, a generation meter and a roof full of panels that make most of their electricity when you are out. A battery changes what happens to that surplus. Instead […]
Home CCTV and the Law: What You Can and Can’t Record in the UK
Published 13 October 2026 · Updated 13 October 2026 · By ElectriVolt Most people who ask whether their home CCTV is legal are really asking one question: what is my camera looking at? In the UK there is no licence for a camera on your own house. The law starts to apply when the picture […]
Garden Lighting and Outdoor Sockets: IP Ratings, Cable Depth and What Needs Notifying
Garden lighting is covered by Part P and BS 7671, but only a new circuit is notifiable. What that means, which IP rating goes where, and how buried cable must be protected.
Why Does My RCD Keep Tripping? How to Narrow It Down Before You Call an Electrician
An RCD trips because it has seen current leaking where it should not. The usual causes, how to narrow it down to one circuit or appliance, and the faults only testing will find.
How Often Should Emergency Lights Be Tested? Monthly, Annual and the Log Book
A monthly functional test, an annual full-duration test and a log book that records both. How to do each one properly, and what the 2025 edition of BS 5266-1 added.
Fire Alarm Categories Explained: Which BS 5839 System Does Your Building Need?
BS 5839-1 defines eight fire alarm categories. What M, L1 to L5, P1 and P2 each mean, which buildings typically need which, and why the category is not your installer’s decision.
Adding Sockets and a TV Point: Spur, Extend the Circuit or Run a New One?
Adding sockets usually means extending a circuit you already have. A real job turning an old alarm spur into a TV point, and how we decide the right way to do it.
Partial Rewire: Why We Rewired Two Socket Circuits and Left the Rest
A partial rewire replaces only the circuits that need it. A real two-circuit socket rewire with a new earth rod, and how we decide what actually needs doing.