In shortElectrical installations in Ireland are designed to the ETCI National Rules for Electrical Installations (I.S. 10101), and the energy performance of buildings other than dwellings is set by the Building Regulations, Technical Guidance Document Part L. An outside team can prepare calculations, drawings and schedules to those documents, but the registered engineer's design intent and sign-off stay with your firm.
Which rules does an Irish electrical design follow?
The ETCI rules are the national standard for low-voltage electrical installations. They are based on the HD 60364 series and apply to installations at 230/400 V and 50 Hz. They cover protection against electric shock and overcurrent, cable selection, earthing and bonding, and the verification of the finished installation.
In practice the drawings and schedules need to show the protective device, the cable size and type and the circuit reference for every way on a distribution board, so that the designer's choices can be checked against the rules.
What does Part L change for lighting and controls?
For buildings other than dwellings, Part L asks for energy performance to the nearly zero energy building (NZEB) standard, and lighting is part of that calculation. Compliance is shown with the Non-domestic Energy Assessment Procedure (NEAP), so the installed lighting power and the controls (occupancy detection, daylight dimming, switching zones) need to be documented in a form the energy assessor can use.
A lighting layout that is tuned to the task levels but has no clear zoning and controls schedule often has to be reworked at this stage, so it is worth producing both together.
Which lighting and life-safety standards come up?
Workplace lighting is commonly specified to I.S. EN 12464-1. Emergency lighting follows I.S. 3217, and fire detection and alarm systems follow I.S. 3218. Your engineer decides which apply and to what category. The drawings should then show the emergency luminaires, the exit signs, the test provisions and the circuit arrangement clearly.
What should you hand over to an outside team?
Send the architect's drawings, your Revit or CAD template and layer standards, your symbol legend and title block, the design brief with the standards and editions to be used, the incoming supply and metering details, and any client or landlord requirements. With those, the work comes back in your format and can be checked against your own drawings.
Frequently asked questions
Can you work to the ETCI rules?
Yes. We prepare electrical design and drawings to the ETCI rules and the project requirements you give us. Your engineer reviews and issues them.
Do you produce lighting calculations for Irish projects?
Yes. We calculate illuminance, uniformity and lighting power in DIALux or AGi32 to the levels you specify, and we document the controls so the energy assessment can use them.
Do you cover mechanical and plumbing modelling too?
Yes, as design assist, drafting and Revit modelling to your engineer's design, in your template and conventions.
Who signs off the drawings?
Your engineer. We prepare the drawings, schedules and calculations for review, and the design responsibility stays with your firm.
SYMATEQ provides Revit MEP modelling, lighting and photometric analysis, electrical design support and drafting for projects in Ireland, in your templates and to the standards you specify.
See design assist and modelling for Ireland, electrical design assist, or send us a job.