Connecting a

microgeneration
system to a
domestic or
similar electrical
installation
(in parallel with the
mains supply)

Best Practice Guide

3
This is one of a series of Best Practice Guides produced by
the Electrical Safety Council* in association with leading
industry bodies for the benefit of electrical contractors and
installers, and their customers.

The Electrical Safety Council is indebted to the following

organizations for their contribution to the development of
this Guide:

BEAMA Installation
www.beamainstallation.org.uk

British Gas
www.house.co.uk

CORGI
www.trustcorgi.com

Electrical Contractors’ Association

www.eca.co.uk

Energy Networks Association

www.energynetworks.org

Health and Safety Executive

www.hse.gov.uk

Institution of Engineering and Technology

www.theiet.org

Local Authority Building Control

www.labc.co.uk

Micropower Council
www.micropower.co.uk

NICEIC Group Ltd

www.niceicgroup.com

Renewable Energy Association

www.r-p-a.org.uk

SELECT (Electrical Contractors’ Association of Scotland)

www.select.org.uk

Published by:
In electronic format, this Guide is intended to be made The Electrical Safety Council
available free of charge to all interested parties. Further 18 Buckingham Gate
copies may be downloaded from the websites of the London
contributing organizations. SW1E 6LB

The Electrical Safety Council is supported by all sectors of Tel: 0870 040 0561 Fax: 0870 040 0560
the electrical industry, approvals and research bodies, Email: enquiries@electricalsafetycouncil.org.uk
Website: www.electricalsafetycouncil.org.uk
consumer interest organizations, the electrical distribution
industry, professional institutes and institutions, regulatory The Electrical Safety Council and other contributors believe that the
bodies, trade and industry associations and federations, guidance and information contained in this Guide is correct, but all
trade unions, and local and central government. parties must rely on their own skill and judgement when making use of
it. Neither the Electrical Safety Council nor any contributor assumes any
liability to anyone for any loss or damage caused by any error or
*The Electrical Safety Council (formerly the National Inspection omission in the Guide, whether such error or omission is the result of
Council for Electrical Installation Contracting) is a charitable, negligence or any other cause. Where reference is made to legislation, it
non-profit making organization set up in 1956 to protect users of is not to be considered as legal advice. Any and all such liability is
electricity against the hazards of unsafe and unsound electrical disclaimed.
installations. ©The Electrical Safety Council. June 2007
 Connecting a
microgeneration system
to a domestic or similar
electrical installation
(in parallel with the mains supply)

The aim of this Guide is:

• to provide an overview of microgeneration, This Guide does not provide installation guidance
otherwise known as small-scale embedded where it is intended to install more than one
generation (SSEG), microgenerator. In such cases it is necessary to
• to provide information on the legal and consider the possibility of interaction between the
contractual issues relating specifically to the protection and control equipment of the
installation of microgenerators with electrical microgenerators and the specific advice of the
rating up to 16 A per phase (including the manufacturers or suppliers of each of the
relationship of the consumer with the microgenerators should be obtained and followed.
electricity supplier and the electricity
distributor), and Microgenerator installations made as part of a
• to give guidance on the particular electrical Government programme are likely to require
issues, including electrical safety issues, that compliance with the UK Microgeneration
arise when installing or connecting a Certification Scheme managed by BRE Certification
microgenerator. and thereby an approved Code of Practice such as
the REAL Code (www.realassurance.org.uk).
This Guide does not provide installation guidance Installers may wish to familiarise themselves with
that is specific to any particular types of these requirements. Grants and subsidies are not
microgeneration. addressed in this Guide.

When published, BS 7671: 2008 Part 712 will

contain particular requirements for photovoltaic
installations. For any microgenerator installation, the
Best Practice Guide
instructions of the manufacturer or supplier should
be followed.

©The Electrical Safety Council page 3

 Introduction

The UK Government is committed to encourage the clearly depends on the types and relative amounts
wider use of renewable energy generation, and to of generation that are installed. For example,
technologies such as combined heat and power photovoltaic systems do not generate at night, and
(CHP) that offer improved efficiency compared to wind power does not function at very low or very
traditional bulk generation in large power stations. high wind speeds.

This commitment reflects undertakings made with Over the past few years, considerable attention has
the UK’s partners in the European Union and been given to the development of microgenerators
internationally to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that are intended to be installed in domestic and
and reliance on fossil fuels. similar premises. Such microgenerators are rated at
up to 16 A per phase.
Generation of electricity closer to the point of use
avoids some of the losses that arise in the A range of technologies has been emerging to take
transmission and distribution of electricity to account of the rather different technical and
consumers. This currently amounts to up to 10% of operational challenges that the domestic
units dispatched. Even for the most modern environment presents compared to more traditional
combined cycle gas generating stations with small generator designs.
production efficiencies of 50-60%, the efficiency
from the point of generation up to the point of Not least of these is the importance of providing
use in a consumer’s installation is generally well simple, safe and reliable products at a price that is in
below 50%. proportion to the consumer’s reduction in electricity
purchase costs, so offering an attractive payback.
Decentralised generation, if sufficiently widely
adopted, could also improve the reliability and
resilience of the electricity supply system, though this
Photo Courtesy of Energy Saving Trust

Best Practice Guide

page 4 ©The Electrical Safety Council

Types of generation

It is, of course, possible to install and operate a

generator and installation completely independently
of the normal mains supply and to run certain
appliances entirely on this separate system. This
Guide, however, considers only generators that are
intended to work in parallel with an existing mains
supply, as this represents the most practical
approach for most consumers.

The assumption is that consumers generally will wish

to continue to use electricity as and when required
at the throw of a switch without needing to be
aware as to whether the generator is working or not.

Currently, the options can be divided into two broad

Photo Courtesy of Powergen

classes from the point of view of connection into an
existing installation:

• Renewable sources of electricity, powered by

wind, light, or hydro-power, or fuel cells. Many
of these generate at d.c. and are connected to • Gas, oil and biomass fired micro-cogeneration
the mains through a d.c. to a.c. inverter (combined heat and power, or CHP) systems.
The primary function of these systems is to
provide for heating and hot water needs, in
place of a traditional boiler or water heater.
However, they include a small generator that
provides electricity, powered by some of the
heat energy produced for the water heating
process. This Guide does not give guidance on
the heat production aspects of
microgenerators
Photo Courtesy of Energy Saving Trust

Best Practice Guide

©The Electrical Safety Council page 5

 • Renewable sources of heat using solar thermal
panels, ground or air source heat pumps or
biomass boilers that do not generate electricity
are not covered by this Guide.

Photo Courtesy of Powergen

As previously mentioned, microgenerators are

generally characterised as having an output of no
more than 16 A per phase. In the case of micro-
cogeneration (CHP) systems, because the electricity
generation is ancillary to the heating of water and
so represents only a part of the output of the
system, the electrical output is typically in the range
of 4 to 6 A.

Best Practice Guide

page 6 ©The Electrical Safety Council

Legal and related issues

An electrical installer working in premises, including At the time this Guide was published, planning
domestic premises, is subject to relevant Health and exemptions were being considered (though
Safety legislation, including the Electricity at Work were not currently generally in force) for wind
Regulations. turbines up to certain sizes and in certain
locations on a building.
Installers of microgenerators will need to be aware
of the requirements of the relevant Building
Regulations. In domestic premises in England and
Wales, the installation of a microgenerator is
notifiable under Part P. In Scotland, a Building
Warrant may be required.

Some forms of microgenerator may be subject to

planning law and to the non-electrical aspects of the

Photo Courtesy of Encraft Ltd

Building Regulations, in particular structural
considerations.

Although an electrical installer might not be involved

in such issues on behalf of his client, they may
impact on an unwary electrical installer in carrying Before fixing microgeneration equipment to a
out his work. building, consideration should be given by the
installer to the structural condition of the
building. This may involve a structural survey.
Before commencing work, it is advisable to
consider the issues covered below: Hydro turbines may require planning consent
and will also require a water abstraction
(a) The installation of renewable energy sources licence.
may be subject to planning consent and
Building Regulations. If the building is in a
conservation area or is a listed building,
planning consent will always be necessary.

In other cases, exemptions from planning

requirements and Building Regulations are in
force for photovoltaic systems up to certain
Photo Courtesy of Energy Saving Trust

sizes, provided they do not extend substantially

outside the envelope of the existing building.
Details of this exemption should be checked
with the local Planning Authority and Building
Best Practice Guide
Control body.

©The Electrical Safety Council page 7

 (b) The Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Form, a copy of the circuit diagram showing
Regulations 2002 contain in Regulation 22 the circuit wiring, and the manufacturer’s
requirements for the installation and operation Verification Test Report, all within 30 days of
of generators in parallel with the distributor’s the microgenerator being commissioned.
network. These generally prohibit the
connection of a generator without prior Where generation exceeding 16 A output in
consent of the distributor (typically the relevant total is to be provided in a single installation, it
regional distribution network operator (DNO)), is necessary to obtain the permission of the
and contain requirements concerning design distributor in advance.
and operation that are likely to prevent parallel
operation of generators in domestic premises.

However, an exemption is given in Regulation

22(2) for the installation of generation rated
up to a total of 16 A per phase, provided:

- it has protection which will disconnect from

the mains supply automatically in the event
of the loss of the mains supply
- the installation complies with the current
edition of BS 7671(Requirements for
Electrical Installations), and
- the installer notifies the distributor before or
at the time of commissioning the
microgenerator.

Details of the characteristics for the protection

scheme necessary to provide automatic
disconnection following loss of mains, and the
requirements for notification, are contained in
the Energy Networks Association’s Engineering
Recommendation G83/1 or in BS EN 50438.

The installer should refer to the manufacturer’s

documentation to confirm that the
microgenerator complies with the relevant
requirements of G83/1 or BS EN 50438.

In addition to the notification to the

distributor before or at the time of
commissioning a microgenerator, the installer
Best Practice Guide
must also provide the distributor with an
Installation Commissioning Confirmation

page 8 ©The Electrical Safety Council

Contract with the electricity
supplier

Generators rated at up to 50 MW are exempted • some older meters may not have a backstop
from licensing under the Utilities Act, so and the register will run backwards while
microgenerators covered by this Guide are exempt. energy is being exported, effectively ‘crediting’
the consumer with energy at the rate at which
Energy users will have a contract they normally pay for the electricity. This could
with an electricity supplier for be treated by the electricity supplier as a form
the purchase of electricity. of theft.
Invariably the supply is provided
through a meter. The meter will There is at present no legal duty for notifying the
be either a prepayment meter electricity supplier of the connection of a
(the customer pays in advance microgenerator, as is the case with the distributor.
with cash or tokens) or a credit meter (the meter is However, electricity suppliers may require
read and the customer is billed retrospectively). In notification as a condition of the supply contract. In
either case, the contract is for the supply of addition, many electricity suppliers have contracts,
electricity to the premises. called ‘buy back’ contracts available, that pay
customers for any surplus electricity fed back into
If at any time the consumer's microgenerator the mains.
generates more electricity than is being used in the
premises, the surplus will go back into the mains. The It is therefore important that the installer
exporting of electricity from the premises in this way encourages the customer to notify the electricity
is unlikely to be covered by the consumer’s contract supplier of the installation of a microgenerator.
with the electricity supplier.
Customers should also be advised to check with their
The reverse flow of energy can have an impact on electricity supplier concerning any costs associated
the customer’s meter in one of the following ways: with the microgenerator connection, for example the
provision of a new meter.
• some meters will be fitted with a ‘backstop’
which prevents the energy register from The contractual conditions, costs and buy back
running backwards, so the consumer will be tariffs may vary between electricity suppliers. It may
exporting electricity but will receive no be that for some forms of microgeneration, or for
compensation for it some electricity suppliers, the buy back option may
• some meters with backstops may have a flag not be economic.
that is tripped by reverse power flow, which
could result in the consumer being accused of The availability of buy back contracts and the
stealing energy provision of the necessary metering are currently
• a prepayment meter may have an internal subject to a review by the Government, which may
contactor that cuts off the mains supply if the result in new arrangements being put in place in due
energy flow is reversed course.
Best Practice Guide

©The Electrical Safety Council page 9

 Electrical installation However, there are other aspects that require care to
ensure that the existing level of electrical safety is
Safety issues maintained for the users following the installation of
a microgenerator.
Installing a microgenerator brings
particular additional electrical safety As mentioned previously, the exemption to the
concerns which include: requirement for prior consent of the distributor,
contained in Regulation 22(2) of the Electricity
• Persons must be warned that the electrical Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002,
installation includes a microgenerator so that requires compliance with the current edition of
precautions can be taken to avoid the risk of BS 7671. Prior to commencing the installation of a
electric shock. Both the mains supply and the microgenerator, the installer must confirm such
microgenerator must be securely isolated before compliance, for example, by examining a recent
electrical work is performed on any part of the Periodic Inspection Report for the existing
installation installation (if available), or by carrying out a Periodic
Inspection.
• Adequate labelling must be provided to warn
that the installation includes another source of In order for a microgenerator to be placed on the
energy market, the manufacturer or supplier of the
microgenerator is required to declare compliance
• It must be remembered that photovoltaic (pv) with the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations
cells will produce an output whenever they are and the Electromagnetic Compatibility Regulations.
exposed to light, and wind turbines are likely to The microgenerator will be CE marked to confirm
produce an output whenever they are turning. this.
Additional precautions such as covering the pv
cells or restraining the turbine from turning will This should ensure that the microgenerator will be
be necessary when working on those parts of satisfactory in an installation in terms of the power
the circuit close to the source of energy and factor, generation of harmonics, and voltage
upstream of the means of isolation. Reference disturbances arising from starting current and
should be made to the manufacturer’s synchronisation.
instructions.
Any synchronising system should be automatic and
In some respects, microgenerators can be of a type that considers frequency, phase and
considered to be similar to any current using voltage magnitude. The microgenerator should also
appliance, for example: have documentation confirming, amongst other
things, the acceptability of the means of protection
• live parts will invariably be insulated or have an against operation in the event of loss of the mains
earthed or insulating enclosure supply, as required by G83/1 or BS EN 50438.
• the metallic enclosure of a Class I
microgenerator will need to be connected to the
circuit protective conductor.
Best Practice Guide

page 10 ©The Electrical Safety Council

In designing a connection for a microgenerator, From the specific perspective of a microgenerator,
the electrical installer has to consider all the issues there are two connection options:
that would need to be covered for a conventional
final circuit, including: • connection into a separate dedicated circuit
• connection into an existing final circuit.
• the maximum demand (and the generator
output) Examples of these two options are shown
• the type of earthing arrangement diagrammatically below.
• the nature of the supply
• external influences
• compatibility, maintainability and accessibility
• protection against electric shock
• protection against thermal effects
Connection by a dedicated circuit
• protection against overcurrent
• isolation and switching
• equipment selection and installation issues.

The electrical installer will recognise that some of

these issues can be changed by the connection of a Connection into an existing final circuit
microgenerator to an existing installation. Microgenerator
Current-using loads
It is unlikely with the size of microgenerators covered
by this Guide that the prospective fault current Given the perceived constraint of financial viability
would change sufficiently to exceed the fault rating on the development of the market for
of existing protective devices, but this should be microgenerators, the second of these has been
confirmed. considered by some product developers to offer a
simple solution with minimal disruption to the
consumer’s property.

From the perspective of the electrical safety of the

installation however, this option can create design
limitations for the installer of the microgenerator,
and limitations for the user of the installation.

Connection into a dedicated circuit is preferred.

This option is technically simpler and creates least

impact on existing use and hence on the user of the
Photo Courtesy of Energy Saving Trust

installation. The cost implication may not be

significant when compared to the cost of the
generator itself, and in some cases it may be less
Best Practice Guide
expensive in view of the need to meet the technical
requirements detailed below for connecting into an
existing final circuit.

©The Electrical Safety Council page 11

 Whichever of the two options is chosen, it is The need or otherwise for a Type A or a Type B
imperative that the safety of the electrical RCD should be confirmed by reference to the
installation is not impaired by the installation of the installation instructions or to the supplier of
microgenerator. the microgenerator.

The essential criteria which must be met are given (v) Where a microgenerator is installed within a
below for both options. In either case the following special location covered by a specific section of
requirements must be met: Part 6 of BS 7671: 2001 (or, when published,
Part 7 of BS 7671: 2008), the requirements
(i) The winding of an a.c. microgenerator must applicable to that special location must also be
not be earthed. Note that a d.c. source or d.c. applied as relevant to the microgenerator. For
microgenerator could be earthed provided the example, this might place limitations on the
inverter separates the a.c. and d.c. sides by at positioning of the microgenerator, involve
least the equivalent of a transformer providing additional protection with a 30 mA RCD,
simple separation. However, consideration supplementary bonding, or the selection of a
would then need to be given to the avoidance microgenerator with a specified IP rating.
of corrosion on the d.c. side.
The specific additional requirements for each of the
(ii) The microgenerator must not be connected to two connection options are given below.
an installation by means of a plug and socket.
Connection of a microgenerator to a
(iii) Protection must be provided to disconnect the dedicated circuit
microgenerator from the mains automatically
in the event of loss of the normal mains (i) The basic design parameters for the circuit are:
supply. This protection is incorporated in, or is
supplied with, the microgenerator. - Ib >_ Ig where Ib is the design current and Ig is
the rated output current of the microgenerator
(iv) Where a microgenerator having a d.c. source - In >_ Ib where In is the nominal current of the
does not incorporate the equivalent of a overload protective device
transformer providing simple separation - disconnection of the circuit in the event of an
between the d.c. and a.c. sides, an RCD earth fault on the circuit within 5 s for TN
installed for fault protection by automatic systems and 1 s for TT systems.
disconnection of supply must be of a type
which will operate as intended in the presence (ii) Where a microgenerator is connected on the
of d.c. components in the residual current. same side of an RCD as final circuits protected
Type AC RCDs do not fulfil this requirement. by that RCD, the RCD must disconnect the line
and neutral conductors.
Depending on the level and form of d.c.
components, an RCD of Type A (to BS EN (iii) The microgenerator must be provided with
61008 or 61009) or Type B (to IEC 607551 means of isolation and of switching off for
Amendment 2) will be required. This mechanical maintenance.
Best Practice Guide
requirement does not apply where a
microgenerator is, by construction, not able to
feed d.c. currents into the electrical installation.

page 12 ©The Electrical Safety Council

Connection of a microgenerator to an
(ii) An RCD providing additional protection for the
existing final circuit
final circuit must disconnect all line and neutral
conductors.
(i) The basic design parameters for the circuit are:
(iii) The microgenerator must be provided with
• Iz > In+Ig where Iz is the current carrying means of switching off for mechanical
capacity of the conductors of the final circuit, maintenance and of isolation from the
In is the nominal current of the overload remainder of the final circuit.
protective device and Ig is the rated output
current of the microgenerator. This may If the protective device does not disconnect the
require the protective device to be replaced neutral, the effectiveness of the protection is no
with one having a lower nominal current rating longer dependent solely on the operation of the
protective device, but also on the shut down
• disconnection of the final circuit in the event characteristics of the microgenerator.
of an earth fault on the circuit and de-
energization of the microgenerator should The following diagram shows as an example an
both occur within an overall maximum time of earth fault downstream of an RCBO with unswitched
0.4 s for TN systems and 0.2 s for TT systems. neutral. The earth fault causes operation of the
However, if the protective device for automatic RCBO, but the microgenerator can still supply current
disconnection in case of an earth fault through the earth fault via the path shown in the
disconnects line and neutral conductors, it is diagram for a period until its own internal protection
not necessary to take account of the time against loss of mains causes the microgenerator to
taken for the microgenerator to de-energize. shut down.

Connecting SSEGs

Single-pole RCBO
Supply Load Microgenerator

Earth fault

Current path

Source earth

It should be noted that, if the RCD element of the RCBO has been provided for additional
Best Practice Guide
protection against electric shock, this arrangement is not permitted and the RCBO would
need to switch both line and neutral conductors (see (ii) above).

©The Electrical Safety Council page 13

 Isolation and labelling The Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals)
Regulations 1996 stipulate that the labels should
The microgenerator should have a means of display the prescribed triangular shape and font size
isolation as close as practicable to its output using black on yellow colouring. A typical label is
terminals which disconnects all live conductors, shown below.
including the neutral, from the mains supply.
WARNING - DUAL SUPPLY
ISOLATE BOTH MAINS AND ON-SITE GENERATION
In all instances, the means of isolation, which must BEFORE CARRYING OUT WORK
be manual, must be capable of being secured in the ISOLATE THE MAINS AT: ...............................................
ISOLATE THE GENERATOR AT: ...................................
‘off’ isolating position and must be located in an
accessible position in the consumer’s installation.
In addition, G83/1 and BS EN 50438 require up-to-
To indicate the presence of a microgenerator in an date information to be displayed at the point of
electrical installation, labels are required at: connection with a distributor’s network as follows:

• the mains supply terminals (distributor’s fused (a) A circuit diagram showing the relationship
cutout) between the microgenerator and the
• the meter position distributor’s fused cutout. This diagram is also
• the consumer unit(s), and required to show by whom the generator is
• the output terminals of the microgenerator. owned and maintained

In the case of a renewable source, a notice must be (b) A summary of the separate settings of the
placed at the microgenerator isolator to warn that protection incorporated within the equipment.
the conductors on the microgenerator side may The figure below is an example of the type of
remain live when the isolator is open. circuit diagram that needs to be displayed.
This diagram is for illustrative purposes and not
Fig 18.1 Isolation of the SSE2 intended to be fully descriptive.
Means of isolation for a microgenerator

distributor’s
cut-out meter consumer unit local isolator microgenerator

distributor’s main
PME supply switch
N

PE

Best Practice Guide

page 14 ©The Electrical Safety Council

 Fig 18.4 Example of circuit diagram for an SSEG installation

distributor’s consumer’s installation

network

microgenerator
circuit microgenerator
fuse in interface
main switch protective local isolator
cut-out protection
device

Example of circuit diagram for a microgenerator installation

The installer is required to advise the customer that

it is the customer’s responsibility to ensure that this
safety information is kept up to date.

The installation operating instructions must contain

the manufacturer’s contact details, such as name,
telephone number and web address.

Best Practice Guide

©The Electrical Safety Council page 15

 ANNEX

Glossary/Definitions:

Combined heat Process that generates heat some of which provides

and power (CHP) the motive power to a microgenerator that is part of the heat generating device

Distributor (DNO) Owner or operator of low voltage electrical lines and equipment that are used to
distribute electricity to consumers

Electricity supplier A person who supplies electricity to a consumer from a distributor’s network

Microgenerator A device rated at up to 16 A per phase designed for the small-scale production of heat
and/or electricity from a low carbon source (based on the definition in section 82 of
the Energy Act 2004)

Network Low voltage electrical lines and equipment owned or operated by a distributor that are
used to distribute electricity to consumers

RCBO An electromechanical protective device intended to provide overcurrent protection and

residual current protection

SSEG (Small Scale Embedded Generation/Generator) microgenerator

Type AC RCD An RCD intended to operate for residual sinusoidal alternating currents, whether
suddenly applied or slowly rising.

Type A RCD An RCD intended to operate for the following forms of residual current, whether
suddenly applied or slowly rising:
- residual sinusoidal alternating currents
- residual pulsating direct currents
- residual pulsating direct currents superimposed on a smooth direct current of 6 mA.

Type B RCD An RCD intended to operate for the following forms of residual current, whether
suddenly applied or slowly rising:
- residual sinusoidal alternating currents up to 1000 Hz
- residual alternating currents superimposed on a smooth direct current of 0.4 times
the rated residual operating current
- residual pulsating direct currents superimposed on a smooth direct current of 0.4
times the rated residual operating current
- residual direct currents which may result from rectifying circuits.
Best Practice Guide

page 16 ©The Electrical Safety Council