It is still some way off, but I am considering the wiring to the existing kitchen extension and wondering how much I will have to change to comply with Part P. Yes I know about the building control involvement and testing side but:
Does the kitchen necessarily need its own power and lighting circuits? Existing ones are off downstairs general circuits. Can I re-use any existing cabling and re-site/add sockets with this? Where I need to introduce new cable, must I use the new colour code (even if it means that one cable length between sockets re-forming a ring will be different to all other cable in that circuit). The cost really isn't the issue here, it's the introduction of one or two lengths of different coloured cable into an exisiting ring or system rather than being consistent (possibly using new colours for new circuits or new radials). What if I pull back an old cable feeding an existing socket and pull it down a new conduit to feed a new or relocated socket? Does this contravene the "use of new colours" requirement?
Providing it's in satisfactory condition and up to current regs. Generally it's not worth doing though, as it's not worth trying to assess the condition of a piece of T&E verses cost of using new. It's not unheard of to reuse more expensive cables though.
You can continue using old colours until 31 March 2006. Many companies have decided to ban the mixing of old and new colours in their installations on safety grounds, and will continue using old colours for the life of their installation. Some of the reasons for this are perhaps less valid in the home, but I would probably still try to avoid mixing old and new colours in one circuit.
FWIW, electricians and much of the electrical industry seem to think the IEE have completely lost the plot over this issue, if you read any of the trade press.
I think you're worrying too much about it. BCO may not agree though.
You don't *have* to change anything simply in order to comply. It's only if you are doing work on the system.
There is no regulation which specifically says that it needs to have its own circuits, but it is worth considering putting the kitchen on a separate *sockets* circuit simply due to the number of high-current appliances there are likely to be. If you are limited to two sockets circuits, in many houses it makes more sense to have one sockets circuit for the kitchen and another for the whole of the rest of the house rather than the traditional one upstairs, one downstairs.
If you were building the kitchen from scratch or having the whole house rewired this might be the way to go. If you are just "tarting up" the kitchen then probably not, unless you already have a spare way in the consumer unit and the cable-run isn't too tortuous:
No reason why not, so long as the cable is in good condition and you are fully aware of how it runs. If you think you have a ring for example, but it turns out you are adding sockets onto a spur then you will get into trouble.
It makes sens to use old colours if you can, from a simplicity point of view if nothing else, and until next March you are perfectly at liberty to do so. After that I believe that you are supposed to use new colours.
Quite honestly, in a domestic single-phase situation, I don't see the problem mixing-and-matching. Red always connects to Brown, and Black to Blue. It may be different for me since I work with the stuff a lot, but I find it comes as second-nature, especially since we've been used to brown/blue in appliance cords for 30 or 40 years now.
In three-phase work though it is a *lot* more complicated, with easy potential for mixing up live & neutral as:
red -- brown yellow -- black blue -- grey black -- blue
I.e. in the old colours blue was P3 and black was N while in the new colours black is P2 and blue is N.
The one thing you *should* do, even at home, is attach a sticker near the consumer unit which warns of mixed colours. There is a mandated wording and size for these things, which are available from local wholesalers such as TLC or CEF. I'm afraid you won't find them in B&Q or Screwfix, and you'll probably have to buy a minimum of 10. For three-phase work you also need to attach warnings at every junction between the two systems, but this is not necessary at home.
As I said, there is (as yet) no "use of new colours requirement". If the cable is in good condition, if it is long enough and if you are sure you know what you are doing then there is no reason not to re-use it.
Make a note of everything you do though as anyone coming to inspect for Part P *should* (though may not - see the other current thread on this subject) want to know every last detail before they can test and sign-off.
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