Documentation, inspection and responsibility
What belongs in the electrical dossier, when diagrams are required, and what happens during a sale, commissioning or modification.
Uitleg
This page summarizes AREI Book 1 rules about diagrams, plans, inspections and the electrical dossier. The main references are subsections 3.1.2.1, 3.1.2.2 and 3.1.2.3, chapter 6.4, chapter 8.4 and section 9.1.2.
In short
- New household installations and important modifications/extensions require one-line diagrams and situation plans.
- Less important modifications require at least a brief description, while the situation plan must show the current state.
- The electrical dossier contains diagrams, plans, reports and relevant documents.
- A sale of an older installation can require an inspection visit.
- A brief description made when diagrams are missing at a sale does not replace the required diagrams.
One-line diagram and situation plan
A one-line diagram shows the electrical structure: supply, boards, protection, circuits, wiring, endpoints, sources and properties.
A situation plan shows where the elements are physically located. It does not need to be an architectural survey, but it must be clear enough to find the points from the one-line diagram in the real installation.
Together, the diagrams and plans for a household installation include, among other things:
- characteristics of residual-current and overcurrent protection;
- characteristics of electrical wiring, such as type, conductor count and section;
- switches, junction boxes, sockets and lighting points;
- fixed machines and appliances;
- sources such as transformers, photovoltaic panels, inverters and batteries;
- the location of those elements on the situation plan when they appear on the one-line diagram.
When are diagrams required?
For every new household installation or important modification/extension of an existing household installation, the responsible installer prepares the one-line diagrams and situation plans.
These documents include the name, capacity and, where applicable, VAT number of the responsible installer, as well as the installation address.
| Situation | Documentation |
|---|---|
| New installation | One-line diagram, situation plan, inspection report and dossier |
| Important modification or extension | Update or prepare diagrams and plans for the work |
| Less important modification | Brief dated and signed description |
| Any change to the physical installation | Update the situation plan to show the current state |
| PV up to 10 kVA | Additional instructions, safety information and technical references |
Which technical properties belong on them?
A household dossier must show more than symbols. It must include enough properties to assess the installation.
| Part | Required or useful information |
|---|---|
| Supply | Voltage and nature of the current, for example 230 V or 400 V, single- or three-phase |
| Protection | Device type, pole count, rated current, tripping characteristic and short-circuit capacity |
| RCD | Type, rated current and residual operating current |
| Circuit | Circuit letter or label when the protection supplies consumers |
| Cables | Type, conductor count, section and installation method |
| Sources | Location and characteristics of PV, inverter, battery or another source |
| Plan code | The same code on the one-line diagram and situation plan |
| Installation address | Address of the electrical installation |
| Responsible installer | Name, capacity, address and signature of the responsible installer |
What should the dossier contain?
For household installations, the owner, manager or operator keeps the dossier. It contains:
- one-line diagrams;
- situation plans;
- conformity inspection reports;
- inspection-visit reports where applicable;
- equipment documents where needed;
- documents for important modifications or extensions;
- brief descriptions of less important modifications or extensions.
The dossier is not an archive box added afterwards
The dossier must help someone check the current installation. An old diagram that no longer matches the board and plan is not a reliable dossier document.
Inspection before commissioning
During a conformity inspection before commissioning, the inspector checks whether the installation complies with the applicable provisions. Diagrams, plans, measurements and visual inspection are considered together.
For household installations, inspection points include the agreement between overcurrent protection and the cable sections of the circuits they protect, as well as earthing and RCD operation.
Sale of an older installation
The sale of a dwelling with an older electrical installation can require an inspection visit under section 8.4.2.
If the required one-line diagrams and situation plans are missing during that visit, the inspecting agent may make a brief description and sketch so that the inspected parts remain traceable. Those documents do not replace the required diagrams and plans. Their absence is recorded as a non-conformity.
In Condui
Use Condui to turn loose information into one coherent dossier: board, circuits, situation plan, sources and validation belong together.