14 November 2023
What are the new Belgian electrical standards? Learn more with CD-Engineering, your electrician in Brussels. Every year there are new electrical regulations, what’s new for this year? Find out about all the latest regulations with your trusted electrician. There is not a single Belgian electrical standard, there are several.
RGIE is the general regulation for electrical installations in Belgium. It is everything that is legal about the standards to be respected for the installation of an electrical system. These standards are valid for private individuals and professionals, whether in a flat, a house, an office or whatever.
The RGIE acts as a protection for the users to guarantee electrical safety and avoid electrocution, fire and short-circuit.
The Belgian electrical standard, or RGIE, lists several rules that must be respected to avoid all risks of electrocution or even fire. This standard is very comprehensive and ensures that your electrical network does not present any danger to you or your home. Here are 5 essential points to know about this RGIE.
The electrical circuit of your installation is mainly made up of lighting. However, you should not concentrate your lighting on one circuit, but at least two for safety. Furthermore, the circuit breakers should not exceed 16 amps. Finally, the wires you install for this circuit must measure 1.5mm².
Each dwelling must be equipped with two types of sockets: a specialised circuit or a normal socket circuit. The former is used to power your household appliances: washing machine, cooker, heater, etc. The Belgian electrical standard requires that this circuit be separated from the standard socket. In addition, to ensure your safety, the circuit breaker must be at least 16 amps. Finally, the classic socket allows you to connect everyday objects: chargers, lamps, etc.
Obviously, this room in your home requires even more attention as it is not only wetter but also the chances of electrocution are greater. Therefore, you will have to add a 30A differential switch in the electrical panel.
Earthing protects you in the event of a loss of electrical current. It is therefore essential to connect metal installations to the earth terminal. Examples of such installations are your heating system or hot and cold water.
As you can see, it is very important to secure the electrical circuit to avoid any overloading. To do this, you must install a fuse on the electrical panel. You can also add a circuit breaker for this purpose. This step will prevent a house fire. In addition, if your home is not up to standard when the fire is diagnosed, your insurance will not pay for the renovation work.
Just like your car, your home needs an electrical inspection to check the conformity of the installations. However, the latter is less frequent. You are therefore obliged to have an inspection at least every 25 years. To obtain the certificate of conformity, you must call in an certified electrician. Only a professional can give you a certificate that is valid for your insurance or if you wish to sell your property. CD Engineering has been working on electrical installations for 25 years and will take care of the compliance. Contact us now by phone or on our website and ask for a free quote to estimate the cost of the intervention!
There is no standard that is more important than the others in 2020, as it is a moderate innovation. There are no major changes, but they are more about fire prevention measures, electrical controls and the diagrams used.
If you do not comply with the Belgian electrical standards, you are exposing yourself to a non-compliant installation. You are therefore putting the members of your household at risk. You are also exposing your material assets to the danger of damage
An electrical system that does not comply with the applicable standards is very dangerous, as it involves major electrical safety risks. Obviously, we strongly recommend that you do everything possible to bring your home up to standard. If your home or other property was once up to standard, but is no longer up to standard, arrange to have it brought up to standard. If you need one or more licensed electricians for wiring or upgrading, please contact us by phone. Our certified electricians also offer no-obligation quotations by phone to be as transparent as possible. We have the necessary electrical equipment for an electrical installation inspection, an electrical renovation or an electrical diagnosis.
To find out whether your electrical circuits comply with the current Belgian electrical standard, call a professional electrician. He is the best person to check your electrical panel and the proper functioning of your general electricity. At CD Engineering, we send qualified electricians to carry out a diagnosis of your home. They will then be able to check whether or not your installation complies with the standards. In particular, he looks at the state of the interior installation through the various protections present on the electrical panel. Only he can confirm that the electrical installation is up to standard.
Moreover, we are available 24/7 to meet all your needs as quickly as possible. Therefore, don’t hesitate any longer, trust CD Engineering to take care of your electrical installations. You’ll benefit from a high quality, transparent service for a safe home that complies with the latest Belgian electrical standards !
An electrical installation is a set of components needed to supply electricity to your home. It comprises a number of different devices such as :
Therefore, to guarantee the safety of your installations and limit electrical risks, it is essential to call on a competent and experienced professional. At CD Engineering, every member of our team is a qualified, available and reliable electrician you can rely on to check your installations, advise you, install and repair faulty systems, or renovate to bring any dangerous installation up to standard.
When you engage with a CD Engineering electrician to install your electrical system, there are a number of steps involved.
First of all, they’ll help you choose the components, materials and layout of your network to meet both Belgian electrical standards and the needs of your project. This way, you ensure both the conformity and the safety of your installations.
Once the diagnosis has been carried out, your electrician begins by drawing up a plan of your future electrical installation. This way, he justifies the location of your elements and ensures compliance with electrical standards and the specific needs of your space. Next, the electrician identifies each cable and begins to pull it according to the plan. Then comes the moment to install the sockets and switches required for the use of your elements. Lastly, he connects your equipment to the electrical panel.
It is the responsibility of the owner of the property to carry out electrical work, not the tenants. Indeed, every landlord has a duty to rent a property that is compliant and safe. If this is not the case, the landlord must carry out renovation work before letting the property. If you already live in the property, you should inform your landlord as soon as possible so that he or she can take care of the necessary work. The safety of you and your family is at stake.
It is very easy to recognise an old electrical installation that does not meet the Belgian electrical standard. In fact, in a building that is more than 20 years old, it is very likely that the connections are not secure. This can also be reflected in the age of the electrical circuits. Most of the time, old installations do not have a pin to connect the electrical plug to the ground. This can be very dangerous and a professional should be called in immediately to rectify the situation. CD Engineering is used to work on the electrical upgrading of old houses or flats. Our team is dedicated to the safety of the installations and the occupants of the dwelling to avoid any electrocution or malfunction of the electrical equipment.
The RGIE imposes a mandatory electrical diagnosis in the following cases :
Furthermore, you should be alert to any signs that your installations may be faulty or dangerous. Therefore, don’t hesitate to contact our certified professionals if you have any doubts. You’ll avoid both damaging your installations and jeopardizing your safety !
It is difficult to put an average price on a typical retrofit, as it depends on many factors. Indeed, depending on the size of your home or the type of repairs to be carried out, no two renovations are alike. This is why we invite you to request a quote directly on our website.
With this request, we will provide you with a tailor-made estimate, adapted to your needs. Moreover, we are transparent about our quotes and charge honest and fair prices. So you won’t have any unpleasant surprises!
Of course, after each renovation of the installations, we provide a certificate of conformity, valid for your insurance. Please note that only a certified professional can issue such a document. If you carry out the work yourself, you will still be obliged to have a professional intervene to check that everything complies with the standards.
We therefore issue this certificate as soon as your electrical installation is safe.
Do you have any questions about the connection of sockets? What is the electrical standard for connecting a new standard socket? How do you install an electrical socket? What are the protections to put in place ? Knowing the electrical standard for sockets is essential, CD Engineering answers you about the standard for the electrical socket in Belgium.
Before installing a socket, make sure you first comply with the standards for electrical sockets in Belgium:
Ideally, refer to the wiring diagram of your home to identify where the electrical connections need to be made and where to install sockets.
Once you have made your checks, note the location of the household socket on the wall with a pencil and begin the process:
If everything works, you can plug in electrical appliances.
To lock a socket, follow these 3 simple steps:
Make sure that you comply with the electrical standards for sockets, and refer to a professional if necessary. You’ll be guaranteed to benefit from a securely locked socket, without the risk of affecting the proper functioning of your electrical circuit !
You’re wondering how many sockets your electrical circuit can support while complying with Belgian electrical standards ?
The recommended maximum number of sockets on a single circuit is limited to 8. Plus, each socket outlet must be earthed and equipped with a child safety device to prevent accidents. Finally, in humid environments, they must be placed at a minimum height of 25 cm. For dry locations, this height is reduced to 15 cm. However, floor-mounted or baseboard-mounted outlets are free to be installed according to the specific needs of the space.
When installing your electrical equipment, and in particular your lighting fixtures, the Belgian electrical standard specified by the RGIE requires you to comply with certain rules.
Indeed, as previously stated, no more than 8 light points can be connected to an electrical circuit. Therefore, each socket (single or multiple) counts as one lighting point. Moreover, for your installation to comply with current standards, it must include at least 2 circuits dedicated to your lighting. This regulation allows you to distribute the electrical load and increase the safety of your home.
Finally, make sure your lighting points are made of suitable and CE-compliant materials, and protect them with an appropriately sensitive residual current circuit breaker. This way, you can enjoy a quality installation that complies with current standards !
To ensure that your switches comply with Belgian electrical standards, there are a number of points to consider.
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