Implementing the Lifetime Homes Standard

A home is for life so they say and isn't an Englishman's home his castle? Perhaps that's enough of the history lesson for today (it was never our strong point!) ;)

Many homes in Britain are becoming out of touch with todays modern living standards – from problems with compatibility of renewable energies, to low energy efficiency there is yet more doom and gloom on the horizon which suggest many homes would be of limited use as we get older or develop a disability.

Building useful homes

The Lifetime Homes Standard is actually not a new concept, it was developed in the early 1990's by a group of housing experts and was designed to make homes more accessible and inclusive to address the changing needs of individuals at different stages of their life.

From wider car parking spaces to level thresholds, wider door space and walls strong enough to support a grab rail, these living conditions make sense to most people. From families with young children, to coping with special needs or illness, you don't need to be elderly to benefit from a home designed with flexibility and adaptivity in mind.

With this in mind, it makes sense to be building all new homes with the Lifetime Homes Standard in mind. Unsurprisingly, it is never that easy with adaptation of the standard slower in rural areas than within urban areas. This is because there are more older homes in rural areas and less demand for new future proof housing.

How does electrical work comply with the Lifetime Homes Standard?

Aside from the physical features of the standard, home fixtures and fittings need to also meet the Lifetime Homes Standard. Of course an integral part of any home is the electrics and easy access to switches, sockets and the consumer unit is essential particularly to people with limited mobility or who use a wheelchair.

As electricians in South East London we are very aware of using the latest technologies when carrying out electrical installation and the fitting of fire alarms. We are very experienced in working in environments where adaptations are required and this includes adapting the fitting to suit the needs to the individual.

Criterion 16 of the Lifetime Homes Standard states that switches, sockets, ventilation and service controls should be at a height usable by all. This is a height of between 450mm and 1200mm from the floor. Basically speaking this means that sockets should be located within the height criterion (rather than near the floor ) and switches should be located at a similar height.

Consumer unit switches and associated devices like separate RCD are known as service controls and also need to be located within the height criterion. It is essential that electricity can be switched off in an emergency and switched back on in the event of a switch tripping.

We often install consumer units in a cupboard which prevents children from playing around with the switches.

Here at Fulcher Edwards we are often involved with installing adapted electrical installations and fully support the requirements of the Lifetime Homes Standard.

Good practice – looking to the future

If you are looking for an electrician to install electrical fittings for a person with changing needs, it is a good idea to identify what needs might occur in years to come such as a requirement for a stair lift, automatic window controls for inaccessible windows, additional lighting for any knock out panel area, and task lighting for underneath kitchen units if not already installed.

It is far more cost effective to anticipate the needs for such measures now, by asking your electrician to install capped off electrical outlets or fused spurs at the relevant locations.

Remember, never attempt to make electrical modifications yourself. Always ensure you use a qualified and registered electrician to carry out the work.

A new home is not required to meet the standard

There is no need to consider moving house in order to meet the Lifetime Homes Standard, it is possible to modify existing homes to meet the standard. Your electrician will be able to advise of the electrical aspect which should be possible to achieve in most homes.