The articles in this section may not be maintained, therefore any advice given should be considered correct at the time of writing but may since have depreciated. Please refer to the publication date for each article and, if necessary, check the content against more current sources. Articles may contain strong language.

Details

Building regulations Part P came into effect on 1st January 2005 and concerns the safety of electrical installation work in dwellings in England & Wales. Anybody performing electrical work in the home should ensure they conform to this and to other relevant Approved Documents such as Part A (Structure), Part B (Fire Safety), Part L (Conservation of Fuel and Power), etc. A full list of the Approved Documents can be found here:

http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/buildingregulations/approveddocuments/

Details

There are several ways to get broadband into the home with the two most common being via a cable TV provider or over a standard telephone line. For those without broadband or those who want to extend their Internet access around their home, I’ll provide more detail here about these two types of service.

Details

Remember the days when the light fittings in most UK houses took a 60 Watt bulb with a bayonet cap fitting?

Well, those days are long gone.

Since the ‘90’s, domestic light fittings and their respective bulbs have started appearing in an ever wider array of shapes, sizes, wattage's, fittings, technologies and voltages. Do you know your MR16 from your GU10? Would you recognise a G9 halogen capsule among a box of G4's? Is a 2.4W LED bulb a suitable replacement for a 50W halogen? Do you know the difference between an E14 and a SES fitting?

Details

Most people have heard of the term ‘ring main’, although it’s not a terribly exciting topic for the masses. If you’re reading this, then the chances are you have a fault or require a new socket installation and you want to know more about how this sort of stuff works. This article aims to give some general information on the two types of socket installation you will come across in your home.