AREI paperwork

• Electrical installations that are in contravention of the AREI are not allowed to be put in service
• An investigation of conformity by an official certification body is required for:
• • New electrical installations
  • Major expansions or changes
  • Increase of connection capacity
  • Temporary connections
  • Selling a house with an installation predating October 1st, 1981
  • Recertification of compliance every 25 years
• You are expected to present following documents:
• • Electrical diagram
  • floor plan with the location of each electrical component

• Each circuit should be identified with a capital letter (A, B, C...) whilst each lighting point and socket must be numbered.

• All documents must be offered in triplicate and should contain following additional information:
• • Address of the electrical installation
  • Name of the owner
  • Name of the electrician and TAV-number
  • Name of the certification body
  • Signature of the electrician, the owner and the certification body
  • Date
• Article 278 of the AREI contains exceptions applicable to homes predating 1 October 1981.

Earthing

A measurement bar must be fitted between the earth conductor, arriving from the earth electrode and the main earth terminal. The measurement bar must be accessible during the investigation of conformity.

Keep in mind following cross-sections:

The earth conductor connects the actual earth electrode with the main earth terminal. Usually the main earth terminal contains a measurement bar that allows disconnection from the main protective conductor for the purpose of corrected earth resistance measurement.

Bonding (or the bringing of external conductive parts to the same electrical potential) must be established with a conductor connected directly between the main earth terminal and the external conductive parts (like water and gas piping) - Be sure to consult the AREI for a list of conductive parts subjected to bonding. Note that these bonding connections are usually not mentioned on the electrical diagram.

The distribution board or consumer unit

The main distribution board must be equipped with a main breaker in accordance with the connection capacity of the installation but sized minimal 40A.

Confirm with your local distribution network operator which kind of meter tails to prepare. For a three-phase connection this typically is a cable with 4 conductors and a cross-section of 10mm². The protective conductor is not included in this connection. For example VVB 4 x 10mm².

A commonly used cable for connecting the electricity meter with the electrical grid is an EVAVB 4 x 10mm². Please verify with your local distribution network operator.

The residual-current circuit breaker

• The main residual-current circuit breaker must connected as the first element in the distribution board

Earth electrode resistance lower than 30 Ohms:

• The main residual-current circuit has a sensitivity of 300mA and a rated current of minimal 40A
• Supplemental residual-current devices with a sensitivity not exceeding 30mA must be applied to protect following circuits:

1. Bathrooms
2. Washing machines
3. Dishwashers
4. Tumble dryers

• Outlets installed in zone 2 of a bathroom must be protected by an residual-current circuit breaker with a sensitivity of 10mA
• Additional residual-current circuit breakers cannot be of the same type as the main residual-current circuit breaker
• Floor heating requires an additional residual-current circuit breaker with a sensitivity of 30mA or 100mA
• It is allowed to connect multiple residual-current circuit breakers in both serial and parallel

Earth electrode resistance between 30 Ohms and 100 Ohm:

• All requirements for earth electrode resistance lower than 30mA are applicable
• An additional residual-current device with a sensitivity of 30mA is required for lighting circuits
• An additional residual-current device with a sensitivity of 30mA is required per circuit or circuit consisting out of maximal 16 single or multiple outlets
• Electric stoves, freezers and refrigerates are allowed to be protected by an residual-current device with a sensitivity of 100mA

Earth electrode resistance higher than 100 Ohm:

• The electrical installation does not comply with the AREI and will not be connected to the public grid

Cables

Cable sizing:

Circuits for controlling or signalization purposes must be protected by circuit breakers with a nominal current of 4A or by fuses with a nominal current of 2A
A cross-section of 2.5mm² is allowed under following conditions:

• The load does not exceed the current limit for the cable cross-section
• The cable runs fitted on the wall or runs aerial
• The circuit is made up of isolated wires fitted in a conduit with a minimal diameter of 25mm
• An empty conduit to the same location was accommodated

Allowed installation methods:

Protection devices

The maximal nominal current of a protection device is determined by the used cable sizing:

Lighting circuits

• Circuit breaker with nominal current of 16A
• Cabele cross-section minimal 1.5mm²
• The AREI requires minimal 2 independent lighting circuits for a domestic installation
• There is no limit on the amount of lights in a circuit given the total load does not exceed the current limit for the cable cross-section
• A single light fixture with multiple light sources, for example a chandelier or a group of ceiling spots lights controlled via the same switch count as a single light

Socket outlets and mixed circuits

• Circuit with only socket outlets: circuit breaker with nominal current of 20A
• Mixed circuits (lighting and socket outlets): circuit breaker with nominal current of 16A
• Cross-section minimal 2.5mm²
• A maximum of 8 single or multiple socket outlets (under the face plate) per circuit
• In a combined circuit a lighting point counts as an outlet and a cable cross-section of minimal 2.5mm² must be used
• Sockets must be located at minimal 25cm from finished floor, 15cm is allowed in locations with no risk of humidity
• Socket outlets with integrated safety shutter must be used, exceptions exist for sockets on consumer units and for fixed appliances
• Socket outlets must have an earth pin wired to a protective conductor

Dedicated circuits

The appliances listed below require their own dedicated electrical circuit:

• Washing machines
• Tumble dryers
• Dishwashers
• Electric ovens
• Electric stoves
• Central heating

Switches

Light switches:

• Single pole switches are allowed up to 16A, single phase
• Impulse switches and dimmers (e.g.. home control) are allowed up to 16A, single phase
• The live wire must be interrupted by the switch in a single phase circuit
• Single pole switches are allowed in bathrooms, double pole is recommended
• Single pole switches are allowed for outdoor lighting, double pole is recommended

Bathrooms

All bathroom circuits require protection by a residual-current device with a sensitivity not exceeding 30mA.

The AREI distinguishes following zones in a bathroom:

• Zone 0: The internal zone of the bathtub or shower tub
• Zone 1: The zone above the bathtub to a height of 2.25m. A circle with a radius of 0,60m has to be used in case the shower has no tub
• Zone 2: The zone outside zone 1 vertical limited to 0,60m from zone 1 (same height as zone 1)
• Zone 3: The zone outside zone 1 vertical limited to 2,40m from zone 2 (same height as zone 2)

• 0 = Not protected
• 1 = Vertically falling drops shall have no harmful effect
• 4 = Water splashing (10l/min) from any direction shall have no harmful effect
• 7 = Ingress of water not be possible when the enclosure is immersed in water (30min at 1m)