Thanks to your continued support, this issue of Electricity News is now the 31st since its launch. We have much to offer in this issue, which will be introduced by the lively and vivid cartoon characters of electrical products appearing in recent TV commercials of the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department. The feature articles cover the updated forms for the Electricity Ordinance and the inspection and testing of renewable energy power system installations. As to the news-in-brief column, it features gentle reminders to registered electrical contractors and registered electrical workers, specific safety requirements for 13A extension units, safety tips for using electric water heaters, substation/switchroom management, the Code of Practice on Working near Electricity Supply Lines (2018 Edition), third phase of Mandatory Energy Efficiency Labelling Scheme and wise selecting LED lamps - Voluntary Energy Efficiency Labelling Scheme. And what's more, the Electrical Safety Quiz column challenges you to puzzle the answers out, in the hope of adding fun to your reading and enhancing your knowledge about electrical safety.
As stated in the Special Issue of Electricity News earlier, the forms (e.g. Forms WR1, WR2, etc.) in relation to the Electricity Ordinance and its subsidiary regulations have been updated to electronic fillable versions and have been available for use from April 2019. In this issue of Electricity News, we would like to remind everyone again that the new and old versions of the relevant forms (except Form WR2) are both applicable, but for Form WR2, the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) only accepts and endorses the new periodic test certificate (i.e. new Form WR2) with effect from July 2019. To meet the needs arising from the implementation of the Feed-in Tariff (FiT) Scheme, one of the new requirements in the new Form WR2 is that owners of electrical installations shall indicate whether the associated renewable energy generating facility (e.g. solar photovoltaic system installation) is included in the periodic test of their fixed electrical installations.
All the new forms can be identified from the additional EMSD logo at the top left corner and the revision number (4/2019) printed at the bottom right corner (see samples below for the difference between the new and old forms).
In order that owners of electrical installations / registered electrical contractors carry out periodic inspection for the associated renewable energy generating facility of a fixed electrical installation within the specified time under the law to ensure electrical safety, an item has been added to Part 3 of the new Form WR2 as a reminder. Owners of electrical installations shall indicate whether a renewable energy generating facility is installed in their premises and whether the facility is included in the periodic test. Owners of electrical installations shall have their fixed electrical installations (together with the associated renewable energy generating facility) inspected, tested and certified periodically if a renewable energy generating facility is installed in the premises. The registered electrical contractor engaged by owners of electrical installations shall carry out the periodic test and submit Form WR2 with all relevant test results (e.g. test data and checklists) to the EMSD for endorsement. The sample of Form WR2 below is an example showing how to complete the part on renewable energy generating facility.
All the new forms have been available for use from April 2019. Please note that the EMSD only accepts and endorses the new periodic test certificate (i.e. new Form WR2) with effect from July 2019.
Under the new Scheme of Control Agreements entered into with the Government, the two power companies introduced the FiT Scheme to encourage the development of distributed renewable energy. In order to provide technical guidelines on how to inspect and test renewable energy power system installations, the EMSD has worked with the trade to compile a Checklist for Inspection and Testing of Renewable Energy Power System Installations (Checklist), which is applicable to (i) inspection and testing of newly installed renewable energy power system installations and (ii) periodic inspection and testing of renewable energy power system installations. Similar to the checklists under Code 22D of Code of Practice for the Electricity (Wiring) Regulations, this Checklist, together with the test data recorded, is generally acceptable as proper records in relation to the Electricity Ordinance.
To upgrade the standard of registered electrical workers (REWs), the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Scheme for REWs has been included as a requirement for renewal of registration starting 1 January 2012. According to the CPD Scheme, all REWs are required to have completed two modules of training, including Module 1: Legislative and Safety Requirements and Module 2: Technical Knowledge, before submitting their renewal application.
In order to fulfil the requirement for renewal of REW registration, it is recommended that REWs should complete the necessary CPD training as early as possible.
The Electricity (Registration) Regulations stipulate that REWs and registered electrical contractors (RECs) should submit to the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department applications for registration renewal at least one month in advance, but no more than four months before the expiry date of the current registration. Renewal applications submitted before or after the above-mentioned period will not be considered. REWs and RECs are reminded again to apply for renewal of registration within the above-mentioned period. Applications submitted after the expiry date of the current registration will be treated as new registration applications, and will be assessed in accordance with the statutory requirements of the day. These include requiring REWs applying for registration to possess recognised academic qualifications in electrical engineering and electrical work experience. If an applicant does not possess the required academic qualifications and is thus considered to be unable to fulfil the relevant registration requirements, his application will be rejected regardless of his previous registration history.
13A extension units (Figure 1) are electrical products owned by most households. According to the Electrical Products (Safety) Regulation, 13A extension units sold by suppliers in Hong Kong must comply with the applicable specific safety requirements.
The specific safety requirements for 13A extension units can be illustrated in three parts (namely plug, flexible cord and socket). Some of the salient points of the relevant requirements are listed below. Prior to the sale of a model of 13A extension unit, the supplier should consult the product manufacturer to ascertain whether the model complies with the specific safety requirements specified in the Electrical Products (Safety) Regulation.
Figure 1: 13A extension unit
A 3-rectangular-pin fused plug rated at 13A, which is designed and constructed to BS 1363/A Part 1.
The plug shall be legibly and durably marked withFigure 2: 13A plug
Figure 3: The back of a 13A plug
When purchasing a 13A extension unit, members of the public can check if the descriptions on the packaging (Figure 4) indicate that, for example, it complies with the British Standards (BS 1363/A) and the core of the flexible cord is of a cross sectional area not less than 1.25 mm2.
Figure 4: Description on the packaging of a 13A extension unit
The household electric water heaters available in the market mainly include instantaneous type, shower storage type and unvented thermal storage type (also known as high-pressure type) electric water heaters (Figure 5). While these electric water heaters were equipped with appropriate safety devices, incidents involving electric water heaters did occasionally occur in the past. Investigation results showed that the main causes of the incidents are improper installation and lack of maintenance.
Figure 6
The shower storage type electric water heater is designed in a way that when it is in use, the water inside the storage tank undergoes slight thermal expansion after being heated up, and the pressure inside the storage tank can be released through the shower head. However, the pressure built up inside the storage tank cannot be released if an on/off control valve (see Figure 6) is added at the outlet pipe. Should the thermal cutout fails to disconnect the power supply in time, the storage tank may burst and result in danger when it cannot withstand the increasing pressure.
Figure 7
When installing the pipework, do not connect the outlet pipe of a shower storage type electric water heater to a wash basin or bath tub (see Figure 7). Otherwise, the outlet pipe will be blocked and leading to excessive pressure being built up inside the water heater and the occurrence of accident. In addition, the mixing faucet of a shower storage type electric water heater is not a normal valve. The pressure generated by the heating of water in the storage tank can be released through the shower head via the mixing faucet. Therefore, we must choose a suitable mixing faucet.
Figure 8
Besides, shower heads with on/off control valves (see Figure 8) currently available in the market are definitely not suitable for installation on shower storage type electric water heaters because the on/off control valves will make such water heaters unable to release their pressure through the shower heads. This may result in explosion due to excessive pressure.
For new installation of electric water heater, the fixed electrical installations and water pipes shall be installed by a Registered Electrical Contractor (REC) and a designated person# as required by Water Supplies Department (WSD) respectively. When installing the fixed electrical installations of an electric water heater, the REW shall ensure that the electric water heater is effectively earthed, and shall check whether the electric water heater (including the thermostat) operates properly.
When carrying out maintenance work for electric water heaters, the REW should follow the manufacturer's instructions, and pay particular attention to whether the electrical installations and pipes are properly installed and whether the thermostat operates normally. The agent or manufacturer concerned should be consulted if necessary. If the outlet pipe of the water heater is found to be improperly installed or the type of shower head connected is found to be incorrect, the REW should notify the user to fix the problem immediately so as to prevent accidents.
If you have any enquiries on the safety of electrical products, please call 1823 or e-mail to info@emsd.gov.hk.
According to the Electricity (Wiring) Regulations, the owner and person in control of a substation or switchroom should ensure that unauthorised entry into his substation or switchroom is prevented. Therefore, anyone who has obtained permission from the owner or person in control of a switchroom may enter the switchroom. Nevertheless, only REWs or persons under the supervision of REWs are allowed to carry out electrical work.
As "switching operations" are not electrical work, they do not necessarily have to be carried out by REWs. However, if failure occurs in an electrical installation, the owner shall engage an REC and an REW to check and properly repair the installation.
According to section 4F(4) of the Code of Practice for the Electricity (Wiring) Regulations, substations/switchrooms must not be used for storage purposes except for placing equipment used for the operation and maintenance of switchgear.
In addition, in accordance with sections 17A(1) and 17A(2) of the Code of Practice for the Electricity (Wiring) Regulations, warning notices shall be posted on the outside of the doors of the substations/switchrooms.
To facilitate a better understanding of the contents of the new CoP and more effective use of it by the trade, the EMSD has prepared a series of new publicity leaflets and reference documents, including:
Figure 12
The above publicity leaflets and reference documents can be downloaded for free at the EMSD website.
The third phase of Mandatory Energy Efficiency Labelling Scheme (MEELS) introduced by the Government through amendments to the Energy Efficiency (Labelling of Products) Ordinance took effect on 1 June 2018. The third phase of MEELS covers five types of electrical products, namely televisions, storage type electric water heaters, induction cookers, room air conditioners for cooling and heating (covering both heating and cooling functions), and washing machines (with a rated washing capacity exceeding 7 kg but not exceeding 10 kg). To enable the trade to make necessary preparation, there is a grace period of 18 months for the third phase of MEELS, i.e. from 1 December 2019 onwards, manufacturers or importers are required to attach energy labels in the specified format on the above-mentioned products before supplying them in Hong Kong. For details, please visit the website of "Energy Label Net".
We often heard about LED lightings, but how much do we know about it? LED (light-emitting diode) light is a two-lead semiconductor light source. The main features of LED lighting are listed as follow:
Brightness: "Lumen" is the measuring unit for LED lightings rather than the unit in "Watt". In general, one "Watt" of LED lamp could deliver 100 Lumen, the following table could be served as a reference.
Considerations for procurement of LED lamp | LED Lamp | Compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) | Incandescent lamp (ILB) |
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Wattage (W) | 8 | 12 | 60 |
Lumen (lm) | 770 | 700 | 710 |
Average lamp life (hours) | 15,000 | 8,000 | 1,000 |
Voluntary Energy Efficiency Label
of LED Lamp
In the aspect of energy efficiency, more than 80 models of LED lamp are currently registered under the Voluntary Energy Efficiency Labelling Schemes (VEELS) which adopting energy efficiency grading (see diagram on right side). The grading of LED lamp is classified into 5 grades. Grade 1 representing the most energy efficient while Grade 5 representing the least energy efficient. It could facilitate the public in choosing the energy efficient LED lamps and raise the public awareness on energy saving.
For details of VEELS for LED lamps, please visit the EMSD website.
Q1 |
When should the application be made if the old Form WR2 is used? |
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Q2 |
Where can I obtain the new forms for Electricity Ordinance? |
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Q3 |
Which of the following should we take note of when installing a shower storage type electric water heater? |
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Q4 |
Which of the following is the measuring unit for "lighting brightness"? |
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We look forward to receiving your valuable feedback for continuous improvement so that the contents of Electricity News and the services of the EMSD can better meet your needs. Please complete the form and return it to the Electricity Legislation Division of the EMSD by post, fax or e-mail (contact details at the bottom of this page) on or before 23 January 2020. Thank you.
Address : Electricity Legislation Division, EMSD, 3 Kai Shing Street, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Tel : 1823
Fax : 2895 4929
Email : info@emsd.gov.hk