Low voltage
According to Approved Document P - Electrical safety – Dwellings: Low voltage is, ‘a voltage exceeding extra-low voltage, but not exceeding 1,000 V ac or 1,500 V dc between conductors, or 600 V ac or 900 V dc between conductors and earth.’ Where extra-low voltage is, ‘A voltage not exceeding 50 V ac or 120 V ripple-free dc, whether between conductors or to earth.’
The Illustrated Guide to Electrical Building Services, Third Edition (BG 31/2017), by David Bleicher & Peter Tse, published by BSRIA in 2014, suggests that: ‘Low voltage is a term used to describe 400 V three-phase and 230 V single-phase supplies. These are nominal voltages - the actual voltage may vary up to 10%. The intake to buildings that have a low voltage supply is usually provided by the electricity supplier in the form of an underground cable that emerges at a suitable point within the building. The cable is connected directly to the electricity supplier’s cut-out. Also known as a service head, this is a fused unit that protects the supplier’s infrastructure.’
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
Featured articles and news
Change of use legislation breaths new life into buildings
A run down on Class MA of the General Permitted Development Order.
Solar generation in the historic environment
Success requires understanding each site in detail.
Level 6 Design, Construction and Management BSc
CIOB launches first-ever degree programme to develop the next generation of construction leaders.
Open for business as of April, with its 2026 prospectus and new pipeline of housing schemes.
The operational value of workforce health
Keeping projects moving. Incorporating unplanned absence and the importance of health, in operations.
A carbon case for indigenous slate
UK slate can offer clear embodied carbon advantages.
Costs and insolvencies mount for SMEs, despite growth
Construction sector under insolvency and wage bill pressure in part linked to National Insurance, says report.
The place for vitrified clay pipes in modern infrastructure
Why vitrified clay pipes are reclaiming their role in built projects.
Research by construction PR consultancy LMC published.
Roles and responsibilities of domestic clients
ACA Safety in Construction guide for domestic clients.
Fire door compliance in UK commercial buildings
Architect and manufacturer gives their low down.
The new towns and strategic environmental assessments
12 locations of the New Towns Taskforce reduced to 7 within the new towns draft programme and open consultation.
Buildings that changed the future of architecture. Book review.