Having sponsored and attended yesterday's drop in Senedd event hosted by the charity Electrical Safety First – ‘Electrical Checks and Home Safety’, North Wales Ms is encouraging the people of North Wales to carry out regular electrical safety checks.
Hundreds of fires are caused by faulty electrical installations in Welsh homes every year – around 5 every week in 2020-21. However, many of these fires can be prevented with regular electrical safety checks ─ more properly known as electrical installation condition reports (EICRs).
With the Renting Homes (Wales) Act having come into effect on 1 December 2022, both private and social housing tenants can now be assured that these essential inspections are now required by law.
Mr Isherwood said:
“Wales has the oldest housing stock in the UK ─ around a fifth was built before 1900 ─ and with age, comes disrepair and damage, unless properly maintained. Electrical Safety First estimate that around 80% of older people in Wales own their own homes, most of which are older properties that have never had an electrical safety check.
“But whether you rent or own your home, electricity is often taken for granted. It’s invisible, with cables inside walls and fuse boxes hidden in cupboards. So it’s not surprising checking the safety of the electrical installation – like the hidden wires, sockets, and fuse box – is not often top of the to-do list.
“However, as the experts at Electrical Safety First make clear, these electrical safety checks are crucial to uncovering serious issues and helping ensure my constituents can feel safe in their home.”
The event offered Members of the Senedd an opportunity to discover exactly what’s involved in an EICR, who should undertake them, and why they are necessary for all property types, and across all tenures.
William Wright, Policy and Public Affairs Advisor at Electrical Safety First, said:
“Regular EICRs – and we recommend that they are undertaken at least every five years, by a registered, professional electrician ─ are the best way to protect your family and home from fire and electric shock.
“To easily understand what an EICR entails, the charity has developed an animation, which can be found at What is an Electrical Installation Condition Report? - YouTube. We can also help people find a registered electrician in their area, simply by putting in their postcode. You can find out more here: https://www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/find[1]an-electrician/.”