ECX4234 – Session 1 – Introduction

Lalith A. Samaliarachchi

Session 1
Introduction

Contents

1.1 Applicable regulations

1.1.1 Electricity act
1.1.2 Wiring regulations
1.1.3 Standards

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ECX4234 – Session 1 – Introduction
Lalith A. Samaliarachchi

Aim
The aim of this lesson is to introduce you to the subject of Electrical Installations.

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Specific objectives
At the end of this session you will be able to
1. State what is meant by the term Electrical Installation.
2. State why it is necessary to design an Electrical Installation.
3. State the main legal enactment relating to Electrical Installations in Sri
Lanka and some of its important aspects.
4. State the relevant regulations applicable in Sri Lanka.

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ECX4234 – Session 1 – Introduction
Lalith A. Samaliarachchi

Introduction
The title of this course, "Electrical Installations" may not at first mean anything to
you. Let us first try and see what this means.
An 'Electrical Installations' according to the IEE Wiring Regulations, is 'an Assem-
bly of associated electrical equipment to fulfil a specific purpose and having certain
Co-ordinated characteristics.'
If you look at this definition you will see a number of important words. Let us look
at some of these words. For example the term 'Electrical Equipment' corresponds to
'any item for such purpose as generation, conversion, transmission, distribution or
utilization of electrical energy, such as machines, transformers, apparatus,
measuring instruments, protective devices, wiring materials, accessories,
luminaries and appliances'. The term 'Assembly' indicates that the electrical
equipment are not considered in isolation but as a complete set. Further this
complete set has been assembled together for a specific purpose, and consists of
equipment which have characteristics which are Co-ordinated with each other.
The term 'Electrical Installation' may now sound even more confusing after my
explanation. I have elaborated on the term as it is important to understand what is
meant by an "Electrical Installation".
Let us now see, by considering some examples, the importance of some of the
details I have just mentioned.

Question

Is an electric light bulb an electrical installation?

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Lalith A. Samaliarachchi

Discussion

No. An electric light bulb is a piece of electric equipment but not an assembly.

Question

Is an assembly consisting of a light bulb, holder, wiring and a switch an electrical

installation?

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Discussion
No. This would generally be considered as a single circuit of an installation if the
wiring ended at the consumer's distribution board or it could be just a part of a
single circuit if other electrical equipment were present in the same wiring.

Question

Could a single circuit consisting of one or more electric lamps, switches and
associated wiring become an electric installation under any circumstance?

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ECX4234 – Session 1 – Introduction
Lalith A. Samaliarachchi

Discussion
It is possible to have electrical installations having just one circuit. However, this
circuit must then end in a main switch incorporating a fuse (or other similar device)
and connected to the supply. The characteristics of the devices used must also be
Co-ordinated. For Example, if the electric lamp has a rating corresponding to a
current of 1A, the wire should be able to safely carry this current and the switch
should be safely able to switch on or switch off this current. Further the fuse in the
main switch should be capable of continuously carrying the rated current of 1A
without fusing but should fuse for currents somewhat in excess of the rating
protecting the electrical equipment in the event of a fault occurring. The specific
purpose in this example is lighting. An electric installation would generally consist
of more than One circuit. For example, the electrical equipment in a house would
generally be wired into a number of circuits but would be a single electric
installation supplying the needs (such as lighting, heating and cooling) of the
domestic consumer.
I am sure that by now you would have formed quite a good picture of what a
simple installation is like.
Can you not simply select the equipment that you need and wire them, as is usually
done by many electricians? No. although many ordinary people think that any
electrician, given the number of points, can competently carry out an electrical
installation on his own, it is not true. An electrician left on his own would only
copies a system known to him without considering the requirements of the
consumer and the various options available. In a small domestic installation the
electrician would generally be able to get away using this method of what may be
said to be hearsay requirements. However minimum use of material and adequate
safety cannot be assured in this manner. Many fires and electrocutions have been
attributed to faulty electrical Installations. Only a properly designed installation
would protect the consumer from the hazards of electricity.
Now that we have come to understand what "an Electrical Installation" is all about,
let us see how the various organizations responsible for the Regulations have set
about doing it.

1.1 1.1 Applicable regulations

1.1.1 1.1.1 Electricity act
What are the applicable regulations in Sri Lanka? The Generation, transmission,
conversion, distribution, supply and the use of electrical energy is regulated by the
Electricity Act No.19 of 1950 and its revisions, such as Ceylon Electricity Board
Act No.17 of 1969 and Sri Lanka electricity act No. 20 of 2009 the latest.
If the principal act by which electricity is regulated was enacted in 1950, does it
mean that there were no legislative enactment's in this regard before that? No. In
fact the Electricity Act of 1950 replaced the original Electricity Ordinance of 1906.
The administration of the provisions of Act No. 20 of 2009 shall be by the Public
Utilities Commission established under the Public Commission Act No.35 of 2002
and the commission shall exercise, perform and discharge all the powers, functions
and duties. (You may go through the Electricity Act No. 20 of 2009 which is
available in the internet to see the functions of the Commission)

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In terms of the Electricity Act, unless a person has a licence granted by the Minister
shall:
(a) establish or maintain any installation for generation of electrical energy for
the purpose of transmitting or distributing such energy for use in any place
which is not the property of that person, or
(b) for any fee or reward supply electrical energy to any other person.
What do these 2 statements mean? Does it debar us from having a standby supply?
Or does it debar a large factory from having its own distribution network? Does it
debar the Electricity Board and similar organizations from transmitting and selling
electrical energy to the consumers?
I have given a lot of questions together, not with an intention of expecting you to
answer them, but as some points for discussion. If an individual consumer has a
standby supply which is used only to supply his own requirements, then he does
not violate either of the above conditions but he is not permitted to sell it to his
neighbour or even to supply it free of charge to him.
Similarly, a large factory can have its own distribution network, at whatever
voltage it deems fit, provided it feed only within its own premises. Even the houses
of employees located within the premises of the factory could be supplied from its
own network provided the employee is not metered nor pay a direct charge for the
electricity supplied. If the employee is to be charged for the electricity, then it must
be supplied by a licensed authority. The Electricity Board, Lanka electricity
Company Limited (LECO), local authorities and the like enjoy the powers
conferred by the Act in particular areas. Thus the Electricity Board is able to
Generate, transmit, convert, distribute and supply electrical energy, whereas the
organizations coming under the Electricity Act No. 20 of 2009 Chapter III, Part I
under Licensing only are permitted to convert, distribute and supply electrical

energy.

Question

Do you think that a licensed supply authority can give a supply of electrical energy
to any consumer, independent of the condition of the installation? Or that he can be
compelled to give such a supply?

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Discussion
The supply authority cannot be compelled to give such a supply, as according to
the established Electricity Act, "A Licenses shall not be compelled to give a supply
of energy to any premises unless he is reasonably satisfied that the consumer’s
lines, fittings and apparatus there in are in good order and condition, and are not
likely to affect injuriously the use of energy by other persons or the supply thereof
of the license"
You will notice that I will be asking questions from you as we go along. This is to
get you involved in the session. You should briefly try to answer the question
before proceeding.

Question

Does the licensed supply authority have to give a supply to any consumer who
desires it provided the electrical installation of the consumer is in satisfactory
condition? Does this apply when the power lines are adjacent to the consumer’s
location, or when they are very far away or both? What about the size of the
supply?

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Lalith A. Samaliarachchi

Discussion
The supply authority is required to give a supply if the origin of the installation at
which the supply authority is to give the supply is within 50 meters of the supply
mains.

Section 25-1of the Electricity Act which relates to this is as follows:

"A Distribution licensee shall, upon being requested by the owner or occupier of
any premises situated within the authorized area of the licensee-
(a) Connect, supply and maintain the supply of electricity to those premises;
and
(b) So far as may be necessary for that purpose, provide electric lines or
electrical plant or both.
Section 25-3 of the electricity act says that:
The owner or occupier of any premises within the authorised area of a distribution
licensee, which-
(a) Are situated with in fifty meters from any distribution line of the
licensee; or
(b) Could be connected to any such line by an electric line supplied
and laid by the owner or occupier of those premises.
May make a request for a supply to such distribution licensee.
From the above, it is seen that the size of the supply is according to the
requirements, of the consumer if the feeding point is with 50 meters. However the
consumer would have to pay, in either capital or interest, for any expansion
required to the existing system.

1.1.2 1.1.2 Wiring regulations

Several Regulations have been formed under the Electricity Act. One of these
regulations, of the Act is very relevant here and can be stated below as:
"A licensee shall not connect to his electric line the wires, fittings, apparatus and
appliances on consumer’s premises unless he is satisfied that the requirements of
these regulations and the Electrical Wiring Regulation have been complied with".
The Regulations also specify that the Electrical Wiring Regulations, referred, to
above, means the 'lEE Wiring Regulation, which is the Regulations of the
Institution of Electrical Engineers, London for Electrical Installations, subject to
such additions or modifications to meet local conditions as may be made from time
to time by the chief Electrical Inspector with the concurrence of the Minister and
published In the Gazette.
The Chief Electrical Inspector is the one who is empowered to administer the Act
under the general direction and control of the Minister. He has not published any
additions or modifications to the Wiring Regulations, so that all Electrical
Installations in Sri Lanka must comply with the lEE Wiring Regulations. The 17 th

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Edition published in 2008 by the Institution of Engineering Technology (IET) and

BSI and its subsequent amendments are the currently applicable Wiring
Regulations. This is in the form of a design manual.

1.1.3 1.1.3 Standards

The Sri Lanka Standards Institution (SLSI) is the Organization responsible for
standards in this Country. It has published a Code of Practice for Electrical
Installations -SLS 703:1985, to assist the user in the practice of the IEE Wiring
Regulations. The code of practice does not replace the Wiring Regulations and
conformity to this alone is not sufficient.
The SLSI has also produced a standard on the Graphical Symbols to be used in
Electro technology: Architectural and Installation diagrams SLS 690:1986 Part I.
This has been set out with an idea of making the diagrams uniform.

Self Assessment Questions

a. Why do we need a ‘wiring regulation’ to implement a properly designed

electrical installation?

b. An ‘Electrical Installation’ according to the IEE wiring regulation is “an

assembly of associated electrical equipment to fulfil a specific purpose and
having certain coordinated characteristics”
Explain the words a. “An assembly of electrical equipment”
b. “Specific purpose”
c. “Coordinated characteristics”

c. Why a person cannot run his own electricity generating station, transmit,
distribute and sell the generated energy for a fee to any other person?

d. Under what conditions can a person generate, transmit & distribute his own
generated electrical energy?

e. What do you mean by a “licensed authority”? Name some of the licensed

authorities in Sri Lanka?

g. What is the purpose & use of the IEE wiring regulation?

h. What is the purpose & use of the Electricity Act?

i. What is the connection between the electricity act and the IEE wiring
regulation?

j. Give a brief account of the evolution of electricity act and the IEE wiring
regulation?

Reference

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Lalith A. Samaliarachchi

1. Sri Lanka Electricity Act, No. 20 of 2009 certified on 8th April, 2009.

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