Construction Services

Building standards for mechanical

and electrical installations

Utilities and existing

services

Version 1.0 October 2012

Directorate: Environment
Construction Services - Building standards for
mechanical and electrical installations

Utilities and existing services

Contents

1.0 Introduction
1.1 Purpose of document
1.2 Standards generally
1.3 Deviation from standards

2.0 Utilities and existing services generally

3.0 Legislation, regulations and advice documents

4.0 New utility supplies

5.0 Existing infrastructure

6.0 Incoming electric supplies

7.0 Gas service safety

7.1 Building over gas services

8.0 Isolation of services

9.0 Underground Electrical Services

9.1 Cables installed underground
9.2 Underground cable ducts

10.0 Excavation Works

11.0 Records

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1.0 Introduction

1.1 Purpose of document

The purpose of this document is to provide information regarding Cornwall

Council’s common standards, policies and requirements for building services
to external Framework Consultants, Lead Consultants/Designers,
Mechanical and Electrical (M&E) Services Design Engineers, Design and
Build Contractors, M&E Contractors, M&E sub-Contractors, Specialists and
Suppliers.

This document does not seek to replace industry-standard design guidance

or practice. It is intended to provide designers with the Council’s specific
standards and requirements, which are to be used as the basis of all
building construction.

Although this document describes particular standards it is to be read in

conjunction with all other supporting building works project specific
requirements and documentation.

External Framework Consultants, Lead Consultants/Designers, M&E Services

Design Engineers, Design and Build Contractors, M&E Contractors, M&E
sub-Contractors, Specialists and Suppliers will be expected to comply with
the following requirements when preparing any schemes for building
construction works for all new build, extensions, refurbishment,
maintenance and decommissioning works.

1.2 Standards generally

Cornwall Council has a significant property portfolio, which may require

new, refurbishment, maintenance or demolition works to be carried out to
meet a variety of requirements for various types of end users.

This document describes the employer’s particular requirements for utilities

and existing services that M&E consultants/designers will be responsible for
completing, mechanical and electrical services installations, to any building
construction works.

M&E consultants/designers are advised that any standards set by the client
team are intended to assist the design process only and the adequacy and
suitability of any information indicated there upon must be confirmed by the
consultants.

Modern construction methods offer a wide range of materials and methods

to create solutions for buildings. The majority are suitable and work well to
provide an appropriate environment for the lifespan of the project and their
efficacy can only be judged on a project-by-project basis at the design
reviews or during the approval process. However, the following is
fundamental issues which should be addressed to ensure that the preferred
solution offers compliance to the Council’s expectations.

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• All works will be expected to meet the requirements of the Construction
(Design and Management) Regulations 2007, as well as applicable
Health and Safety legislation to execute the works on site.
• The installation of a compatible building energy management system,
allowing connection to core monitoring will be required. The provision
of information technology systems shall comply with the existing
policies of the Council.
• The choice of materials for building designs, construction, maintenance,
refurbishment and decommissioning works, are to be selected with
particular reference to their ease of use, frequency of maintenance,
ease of upgrading or renewal and their ability to offer future flexibility
and adaptability.
• Production of appropriate drawings and documentation, identifying and
measuring the works to be undertaken are essential to ensure that the
Council’s representatives can clearly identify and consider all materials,
components and services involved in the project before the works are
undertaken.
• All materials shall comply with the relevant British and European
Standards (BS/BS EN) where applicable and for materials not of UK
manufacture, the relevant certificates of compliance will be required.
Maximum use is to be made of re-used, re-useable, recycled and
recyclable materials or renewable materials from sustainably managed
sources in order that any environmental impact is kept to a minimum,
with low carbon footprint materials used where practical.
• Building construction techniques, material selections, services
installations and finishes shall all represent the need to offer good value
for money, and offer a solution that provides minimal environmental
impact, good life expectancy and low maintenance.

1.3 Deviation from standards

Should designers and/or providers of building construction, maintenance,

refurbishment and decommissioning works find it necessary to incorporate
alternative standards or requirements to those stated within the following
document or any other Council building construction standards then
approval shall be sought in writing from the relevant Cornwall Council
representative.

Designers and/or providers of building construction works will be required to

justify and demonstrate, with written documentation, that the alternative
proposals will provide equivalent or better performance, result in the same
or improved whole life costing and be of equal or better value.

2.0 Utilities and existing services generally

Designers will be required to carry out all negotiations with the appropriate
Statutory Authority, or the Council’s current supplier, for water, gas and
electrical supplies to the site. All new and modified gas, electricity and
water supplies are currently procured through the Council’s Energy
Management Unit.

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All new meters shall be of a type which provides an electrical pulsed output
and compatible with the Council's Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) strategy.
The designer is also responsible for checking the capacity of existing
services where the building is on an existing site, and for negotiating any
upgrading required. Attention is drawn to the extended delays which are
frequently encountered when dealing with gas, electricity and water
undertakings and their sub-contractors, and designers are reminded of the
need to initiate the process as soon as possible after the instruction to
proceed is confirmed.

Payments are normally forwarded direct to the supply undertaking by the

Council, but the Designer in collaboration with the statutory supplier shall
forward to the council with a request to raise an order and issue payment.
Designers need to allow adequate time for this process.

3.0 Legislation, regulations and advice documents

Various regulations, codes, standards and guidance on utilities and existing

services are applicable and these include the following:-

• The Utilities Act 2000

• The Electricity Act 1989 (amended by the Utilities Act 2000)
• The Electricity (Standards of Performance) Regulations 2005
• The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989
• The Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002
• The Gas (Standards of Performance) Regulations 2002
• The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998
• The Water Industry Act 1991
• The Water Regulations 1999
• The Competition Act 1998
• The Fair Trading Act 1973

4.0 New utility supplies

Where an electricity supply is required for a green field site and the utility
does not exist, the Council requires that this be processed through the
Energy Management Unit.

Where existing utilities are in place consultants/designers are required to

contact the existing supplier and ensure the service is suitable, with
sufficient capacity for its use.

5.0 Existing infrastructure

New, alteration and refurbishment proposals can increase the demands on

existing site services. Checks must be made early in the design stage to
ensure that the services can cope with this increased load.

A survey of the existing services is to be made and a report provided on the

implications to the existing services and controls, and cost of the project.

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Some records of existing services may be available but these are not
guaranteed.
It may be necessary to encompass alterations and upgrading of the existing
services.

On existing sites, some record drawings may be available for use by the
Designer. Arrangements can be made with the Property Services to view
those that exist, and copies of any selected can be made available. No
guarantee can be given that a drawing exists for any particular site, or that
if they do exist that the information is correct. The consultant / designer
must be responsible for obtaining any information required for the project
from his own site survey.

Any extension of an existing service / system must be compatible with the

existing, and preferably incorporate equipment of the same or similar
manufacture.

6.0 Incoming electric supplies

Selection of the appropriate Electricity Suppliers tariff must be the most

economical one is supplied, with particular reference to load, annual usage,
and potential for off-peak use. Electricity is purchased via the Council’s
Energy Management Unit, who run the contract on behalf of the Council.

Electrical consultants/designers shall be responsible for assessing the

adequacy of existing incoming mains supplies to support any planned
increase in electrical load for the proposed development. This should be
undertaken as part of the initial feasibility or outline design in order to
permit up rated supplies to be procured in good time if necessary.

Consultants/designers should commission a load measurement exercise

where necessary to establish the existing load, the cost of this exercise
being identified and incorporated within the Consultants/designers fee bid
or project cost plan whichever is the more appropriate.

It has been found on many projects that the electrical installations have
pierced the vapour barrier provided in the roofs. All designs for electrical
works must ensure that conduits and other fittings are positioned such that
the vapour barrier in any building construction is not pierced, other than for
fixings, and where these fixings occur their exact arrangement must be
agreed with the lead consultant/designer

7.0 Gas service safety

Consultants/designers to provide line diagrams of gas mains for all new

build and update existing line diagrams for all alteration works. Provide
copies of line diagrams as follows:

• A copy to head of the establishment

• A copy in the health and safety files
• A copy shall be retained by the consultant/designer

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• A copy shall be fixed adjacent to the gas meter.

7.1 Building over gas service

Consider the implications of Gas Safe Register ensuring that gas service
pipes are not built over or gas meters enclosed.

8.0 Isolation of existing services

Special areas such as laboratories and workshops, etc. shall be provided

with special means of isolation. In general, this means a single control panel
in each room allowing individual or group isolation of gas, water and
electrical outlets within the room. Gas proving shall be incorporated, and
the electrical isolation shall extend via a contactor to any safety isolating
transformers. Domestic hot water circulation systems shall not be isolated.

Teacher's workstations in Schools may require a dedicated permanent water

supply for safety purposes. School prep rooms serving laboratories are not
normally served via isolating systems.

All water installations serving laboratories shall comply with the Water
Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 and non-potable water supplies to
laboratory taps shall be from derived from gravity or pumped storage.
Alternatively, approved laboratory taps suitable for direct connection may
be used by installing approved pipe interrupters on each laboratory tap
outlet to provide a permanent Type A air gap.

9.0 Underground electrical services

9.1 Cables installed underground

All cables which run underground, whether installed in duct or direct in the
ground should be suitable for external use. A yellow cable marker tape with
the words ‘Caution electric cable below’, should be installed directly above
the cable route at a depth of approximately 225mm. Cable marker tape
should also be laid along the route of all buried electrical services ducts
where it is considered that they are likely to be disturbed in the future.

Where necessary PVC and, XLPE armoured power cables may be buried
direct in the ground but should be installed to the manufacturer’s
recommendations and in accordance with the IEE Wiring Regulations. The
cables shall be laid at a suitable depth in a bed of sand and covered with
sand before backfilling is carried out.

At service entry points and where underground cables traverse roads,

pathways, hard play areas etc. cables shall be installed within adequately
sized ducts to permit future removal without disturbing the surface above.

Where control, alarm, CCTV, communications or IT cables are to be run

underground they should be installed within a system of ducts and draw

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pits, to provide protection to the cables and permit further cables to be
installed in the future.

9.2 Underground cable ducts

Underground cable ducts should generally be 100mm diameter twin walled

high-density polyethylene with smooth interior and corrugated exterior for
extra strength.

• Lengths should interlock and provide a smooth internal joint.

• A draw rope should be installed to enable the pulling in of cables.
• Ducts should be laid to fall in free draining trenches and backfilled with
all sharp material and foreign matter removed.
• Draw ropes should be attached at each end to prevent them being
inadvertently pulled through with other cables.
• Wherever ducts are to be installed one spare duct should be provided
as a contingency for future use.

Ducts should be colour coded for identification purposes as follows:

• Black - Electrical services

• Grey - Communications and IT
• Green - CCTV
• Orange - Street lighting

Dedicated ducts and draw pits should be installed for fibre optic cables.

All ducts should be installed to the manufacturer’s recommendations.

After cable installation each opening to the duct should be plugged to

prevent the ingress of water and vermin.

Ducts should be fire stopped at the final entry point into the building.

Where changes of direction are required draw pits of a suitable size should
be provided and installed. These should be standard prefabricated units or
purpose built brick chambers of suitable size and depth for easy cable
installation taking into account the likely bending radius of the cables.

All draw pits and cable chambers should be provided with weather tight
inspection covers fitted with tamperproof fixings. Where installed in areas
where vehicular traffic is likely they should be fitted with heavy duty
inspection covers.

10.0 Excavation works

Before any excavation takes place reference should be made to any

available record drawings of existing underground services. The proposed
routes should be then be swept with a cable / services locator to ascertain
as far as possible whether any existing services are likely to be disturbed.

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The recommendation of HSE Guidance note HSG 47- Avoiding danger from
underground services should be observed.

Temporary barriers, tapes and warning signs should be used to segregate

any open trench whilst work is being carried out.

11.0 Records

Before the underground services are buried their positions should be

accurately measured and the routes and depths should be marked on a
record drawing and passed to the client with the other Maintenance, Record
and Safety Information.

Prepared by:

Strategic Planning and Standards

Property Services
email sp&s@cornwall.gov.uk

Draft Date Prepared By

1.0 10/10/12 CJ

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If you would like this information
in another format please contact:

Cornwall Council
County Hall
Treyew Road
Truro TR1 3AY

Telephone: 0300 1234 100

Email: enquiries@cornwall.gov.uk

www.cornwall.gov.uk

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