Pre-installation EICR

When a targeted electrical assessment is enough before low-carbon work, and when a full condition report is justified.

An Electrical Installation Condition Report is a formal report on the condition of an existing electrical installation. It is not automatically required every time solar, a battery, an EV chargepoint or a heat pump is added.

The installer does, however, have to establish that the existing installation is adequate for the addition or alteration. A targeted pre-installation assessment can be enough where its scope answers that question. A full EICR is appropriate when there is wider uncertainty, evidence of deterioration or a contractual, insurance, rental or regulatory reason to inspect the installation as a whole.

The test is adequacy for the proposed work

BS 7671 requires the designer and installer to consider the rating and condition of existing equipment, including relevant distributor equipment, and the adequacy of earthing and protective bonding before making an addition or alteration.

That does not mean the entire property has to be upgraded to the newest edition of BS 7671. Standards are not generally retrospective, and older equipment is not unsafe merely because a newer design would be different.

It does mean the new work cannot depend on an unsafe or unsuitable existing part. If a defect affects the protective measure, available capacity or safe connection of the new equipment, it has to be resolved or the design changed before energisation.

Targeted survey or full EICR?

A targeted survey looks at the parts of the installation and supply affected by the new work. It is normally carried out by the contractor designing that work and feeds into the electrical design.

A full EICR samples and tests the fixed installation more broadly and records coded observations on its condition for continued service. It is reasonable where:

there is no reliable history or recent inspection information
the wiring shows damage, overheating, unrecorded alterations or mixed workmanship
protective devices trip, lights flicker or sockets overheat
the consumer unit and circuits cannot be identified confidently
the proposed work interacts with several existing circuits or sources
the property owner wants a wider condition assessment at the same time
another duty or agreement requires a current report

An old fusebox, old conductor colours or lack of a feature introduced by a later standard is not, on its own, proof that an EICR will be unsatisfactory. The decision should follow the condition and risk actually found.

Rental electrical-safety duties differ across the UK nations. A landlord’s existing report may be legally relevant, but it does not remove the new installer’s duty to assess the specific addition.

Supply and maximum demand

The survey should identify the actual electricity-network operator and examine the service position without interfering with sealed equipment. Record:

supply phase and voltage arrangement
service-head condition and known fuse rating
meter tails, isolation and connection space
any looped service or shared intake indicated by the DNO
existing maximum demand and major coincident loads
planned import, export and load-limiting controls
whether DNO approval, work or notification is needed

The maximum-demand assessment should model the proposed controls and credible failure states. A smart charger limited by a CT clamp or a heat pump dependent on a supply upgrade remains subject to that condition in the electrical design.

A spare consumer-unit way is not proof of supply capacity.

Earthing and protective bonding

Confirm the earthing arrangement rather than infer it from cable appearance. Inspect and test the main earthing conductor, main earthing terminal and relevant protective bonding.

Incoming metal pipework is bonded where it is an extraneous-conductive-part, not simply because it is made of metal. Conversely, a short plastic section visible by the meter does not prove there is no conductive path elsewhere.

For PME, the survey should consider diverted neutral current and any outdoor true-Earth contact introduced by the work. For TT, confirm the electrode, RCD fault protection and unprotected upstream sections. For battery backup, assess the electrode and neutral-to-earth arrangement in both connected and island modes.

Do not disconnect an earthing or bonding conductor casually during the survey. It can carry diverted current even when the customer’s main switch is off.

Consumer unit and protective devices

The assessment should check:

enclosure and signs of heat, damage, contamination or loose connections
manufacturer and assembly compatibility of any proposed new device
busbar, main switch and protective-device ratings
spare physical space and safe cable entry
RCD type, rating, hierarchy and cumulative leakage
surge-protection requirements for the new design
bidirectional-current and thermal effects from generation or storage
labels, diagrams and isolation for multiple sources

An existing plastic consumer unit is not automatically condemned or replaced merely because current domestic consumer units are normally non-combustible. Its condition, location, fire risk and suitability for the addition determine what work is needed.

Likewise, fitting an unapproved breaker that happens to fit the rail is not a safe way to create a spare circuit. The consumer unit is an assembly, and the selected devices must be compatible with it.

Checks that change with the technology

EV charging. Follow the full reach of the connected vehicle. Check supply capacity, individual RCD and DC protection, open-PEN protection where required, cable route, load-management fail-safe behaviour and any simultaneous contact with other earthing systems.

Heat pumps. Use the manufacturer’s electrical input, maximum current, starting behaviour, protective-device and RCD information. Heating output in kW is not the circuit load. Check outdoor isolation, cable route, backup heaters and controls as part of the complete demand.

Solar PV. Check the proposed point of connection, main switch and busbar ratings, existing generation, RCD and SPD coordination, export route and DNO status. The array and DC side have separate survey requirements beyond the AC installation.

Battery storage. Assess bidirectional current, protection at every source, location against PAS 63100, isolation, maximum import/export and whether backup is included. If island mode is proposed, test the intended changeover, neutral reference, electrode and fault protection as a separate operating state.

What happens when defects are found

An immediately dangerous condition should be made safe where authorised and reported to the person responsible. Work should not be energised where an unresolved defect makes the new installation unsafe.

Other observations need proportionate treatment:

defects directly affecting the new work are repaired or designed around
unrelated deterioration can be recorded and referred for a fuller EICR
an improvement recommended by the latest standard is not presented as a dangerous defect without evidence
the customer is told which remedial items are essential, advisable or optional

EICR codes have defined meanings and are assigned from the circumstances found. They should not be used as price-list shortcuts, and the conclusion should follow the current BS 7671 reporting guidance and model form.

Evidence to expect before installation

A useful survey record includes photographs, measured results, maximum-demand assumptions, the identified supply and earthing arrangement, consumer-unit details, cable route and any conditions that must be met before work starts.

The project scope separates:

the proposed low-carbon system
essential enabling or safety work
wider remedial work found during a full inspection
DNO or meter-operator work outside the installer’s control

After installation, the new work receives the appropriate electrical certificate and building-control notification where applicable. An installation certificate records the design, construction and testing of the new work; it is not a substitute for an EICR on the rest of the property.