Query regarding Amendment 3, 2015 to the Wiring Regulations (England)

[stillp]

It matters a great deal to someone who wants, or needs (e.g. for contractual reasons) to comply with BS 7671.

Fair enough. I was being led by earlier comments, e.g.:

If you run a business, then you have to comply with the laws relating to that business.

If there is no law which says that the one-off custom device you're selling must comply with BS EN-whatever then there's nothing to stop you selling it. If the person thinking about buying your services in designing and making such a device has some desire to follow BS7671 and referenced standards, that's another matter.

I think it's clear that when it comes to certain one-off devices such as we're discussing, there's simply no reasonable way to comply with all the standards compliance and testing, and anyone going down such a path needs to accept that. As you said, the "official" route of demonstrating compliance for any one-off device is simply far too bureaucratic, time consuming, and expensive to make it viable.

People's ignorance of the law never ceases to amaze me. Of course there is no law that says everything must comply with an EN (except a very few examples, mostly in the field of consumer protection) but the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations apply, and demonstrating conformity to a harmonised EN is the simplest way of demonstrating conformity to the Essential Requirements of those regulations (which are derived from the Low Voltage Directive). If you find the process "far too bureaucratic, time consuming, and expensive", then either you're doing it incorrectly, or you shouldn't be in business - or both.
The "one-off" nature is irrelevant. There are thousands of "one-off" control panels, motor control centres, distribution cabinets etc produced each year, and their manufacturers manage to comply with their legal obligations, so why can't a manufacturer of a home automation controller?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

There are thousands of "one-off" control panels, motor control centres, distribution cabinets etc produced each year, and their manufacturers manage to comply with their legal obligations, so why can't a manufacturer of a home automation controller?

Can they claim compliance with BS EN 61439-3? Is it enough just to claim it, or do they have to formally prove it, have it verified by an independent lab, etc?

 

[PBC_1966]

Of course there is no law that says everything must comply with an EN (except a very few examples, mostly in the field of consumer protection) but the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations apply

And what do those regulations actually demand?

 

[stillp]

They have to be able to demonstrate conformity. That would usually be done by a Technical File, including design calculations, component specifications, and test results. Third-party testing is not usually required.
Put it this way: if you fond yourself in court following an incident in which your "one-off" had led to someone being harmed, what would you need in order to be able to prove you had been duly diligent?

 

[stillp]

Of course there is no law that says everything must comply with an EN (except a very few examples, mostly in the field of consumer protection) but the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations apply

And what do those regulations actually demand?

Don't you have Google?