SANS 10142-1 Low-voltage electrical installations

Course Synopsis

SANS 10142-1 is South Africa's national standard for the wiring of premises and establishes the minimum safety requirements for the design, installation, inspection, testing, and verification of low-voltage electrical installations. Its primary objective is to protect people, livestock, and property against electrical hazards while promoting safe, reliable, and compliant electrical installations.

Since its introduction in 1978, SANS 10142-1 has undergone numerous revisions to accommodate technological advancements, emerging electrical systems, and evolving safety requirements. In March 2012, Edition 1.8 introduced important amendments to installation practices and verification procedures. The rapid growth of renewable energy technologies, uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, hazardous location installations, and embedded generation led to the publication of Edition 2 in March 2017, which significantly expanded the scope of the standard.

In July 2020, Edition 3 was released, restructuring the standard into four parts:

• SANS 10142-1 – Low-voltage electrical installations
• SANS 10142-1-1
• SANS 10142-1-2
• SANS 10142-2 – Medium-voltage installations above 1 kV AC not exceeding 22 kV AC

Subsequent revisions have continued to strengthen the standard. Edition 3.1 (2021) introduced further updates to installation practices, verification procedures, and certification requirements. Edition 3.2 (July 2024) incorporated significant technical changes, including revised requirements for referenced standards, voltage drop calculations, busbar sizing, earthing systems, earth continuity conductors, and load calculations. One notable amendment was the removal of the long-standing assumption of 60 W per lighting point for connected load calculations.

The latest Edition 3.3, published in June 2026, introduces major new compliance requirements addressing the increasing integration of alternative energy systems. These include updated provisions for:

• Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems
• Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS)
• Standby generators
• Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS)
• Electric Vehicle (EV) charging installations
• Hybrid and embedded generation systems
• Alternative energy integration and protection requirements

These changes reflect the rapid transformation of South Africa's electrical infrastructure and ensure that installations remain safe, reliable, and compliant with current engineering practice.

This intensive two-day interactive course provides a comprehensive review of the latest SANS 10142-1 Edition 3.3 (2026) requirements. The programme combines technical presentations, practical examples, worked calculations, case studies, and standards interpretation to enable participants to confidently apply the revised requirements in real-world installations.

Participants will gain practical knowledge and a clear understanding of:

• Installation requirements for conductors, cables, wiring systems, and containment
• Distribution boards, switchgear, circuit breakers, fuses, and protective devices
• Transformers, motors, and associated equipment
• Solar PV systems, battery storage systems, generators, UPS installations, and EV charging systems
• Earthing, bonding, and earth fault protection
• Surge protection and overcurrent protection
• Voltage drop calculations, fault level assessments, and cable sizing
• Inspection, testing, measurement, verification, and certification of low-voltage electrical installations
• Compliance with the latest statutory and safety requirements

Electrical installations must comply with the current edition of SANS 10142-1 to satisfy the requirements of South African legislation and to ensure the continued safety of users, installers, and property. Engineers, electricians, contractors, inspectors, consultants, and maintenance personnel therefore have a professional responsibility to remain informed of the latest amendments and to apply them correctly in practice.

By the end of the course, participants will have the technical knowledge and practical skills required to design, install, inspect, test, verify, and certify low-voltage electrical installations in accordance with the latest SANS 10142-1 Edition 3.3 (2026) requirements, ensuring safe, compliant, and future-ready electrical installations.

Who should attend this event?

• Electrical Engineers/Technicians/Technologists
• Electrical reticulation supervisors/technicians,
• Distribution system planners,
• Maintenance managers,
• Power system consultants,
• Building planners/managers.
• Electrical workers
• Electrical contractors
• Certified engineers (GCC holders)

Day 1 Module 1

• Introduction
• Scope and exclusions of SAN10142-1
• What has been changed or added in SANS10142-1-2026 edition 3.3
  • Updated referenced standards.
  • Neutral-to-Earth Bonding Issues
  • Mixed Supply Conductors in Multi-Core Cables
  • Conductor identification and colour-coding rules
  • Earth fault detection and disconnecting device
  • Earth and neutral fault loop impedance at the main switch
  • Medical locations
  • Caravans and mobile trailers
  • Requirement for Multiple sources (PV/Generator/battery/BMS systems) to operate in parallel
  • Insulation resistance testing of PV array DC circuits
  • PV Structural and Fire Safety Requirements
  • Additional test report for electrical installation in medical locations
  • Additional Test report for generating plants (GP) (PV/Battery)
• General electrical installation safety principles

Day 1 Module 2

Selection and installation requirements of cables and conductors

• Fundamental requirements for the safe design and arrangement of electrical circuits within an installation
• General circuit arrangement
• Current-carrying capacity of conductors and cables
• Methods of cable installation
• Application of Derating factors
• Voltage drop
• Cable selection calculation
• Installation of conductors and cables

Selection and use of wireways- conduits, ducting & trunking

Day 1 Module 3

Selection and installation requirements of Distribution boards, Busbars, circuit breakers, disconnecting devices and fuses

• Minimum safety, construction, installation, and labelling requirements for distribution boards to ensure
• Fault level calculation and selection of Distribution boards

• Fault level calculation and selection of Distribution boards
• Prospective short circuit current calculation in AC circuits
• Prospective short circuit current calculation in DC circuits
• BusbarsA
• Disconnecting devices in DB board
• Mounting of Switchdisconnectors and Distribution board
• Circuit-breakers used as main or local switch-disconnectors
• Circuit-breakers used as switches
• Disconnection of neutral conductors
• Disconnecting devices for equipment
• Main switch-disconnectors
• Fuse installation

Day 1 Module 4 Protection requirement and protective equipment of electrical installation

• Overcurrent Protection
• Earth Fault Protection
• Overload Protection
• Short-Circuit Protection
• Series-Connected (Cascaded) Protection Systems
• Earth Leakage Protection
• Exemptions from Earth Leakage Protection
• Warning Labels
• Surge protection
• Guidelines to determine surge protection requirements for residential, commercial and industrial buildings
• Course activities

Day 1 Module 5

Earthing, bonding and lightning protection

• Introduction to earthing
• Objectives of earthing
• Earthing Fundamentals
• Consumer's earth terminal
• Material for earthing application
• Earth continuity conductors
• Minimum size and maximum length of ECC
• Earth electrodes
• Earthing of exposed conductive parts
• Earthing of the neutral of combined sources
• Bonding conductors
• Parts to be bonded
• Day 2 Module 6Installation Requirements of Electric Motors and Pumps

   

  • Motor control components
  • Motor protection and control requirement
  • Submersible motors
  • Motor starters
  • Installation requirements of Water pumps

   

  Day 2 Module 7

  Installation requirements for Water heaters, cooking appliances, HVAC

  • Bonding and earth leakage requirements of water heaters
  • Installation requirements of cooking appliances such as built-in stoves, oven hobs e.t.c
  • Circuits of cooking appliances
  • Stove couplers
  • HVAC circuit requirement
  • Underfloor heating installation requirement

   

  Day 2 Module 8

  Installation requirements of Lighting and socket outlets

  • Lighting circuits
  • Luminaires
  • Suspended luminaires
  • Lamp holders
  • Socket-outlets
  • Mixed loading of circuits
  • Positioning of socket-outlets

  Day 2 Module 9

  Alternative Supplies

   

  • Types of alternative power supplies
  • Requirements for connecting generators, UPS systems, inverters, and photovoltaic systems
  • Changeover switching devices and interlocking arrangements
  • Neutral Earthing bonding requirements for grid-connected and island-mode operation
  • Selection of suitable overcurrent, earth fault, and earth leakage protection for alternative supplies
  • Installation and labelling requirements for alternative supply systems
  • Additional requirements for photovoltaic and UPS installations, including DC conductor identification and inverter protection
  • Assessment

   

  Day 2 Module 10

  Special installations or locations

  • Zones and Installation requirements in bathrooms, showers, spas, etc.
  • Zones and installation requirements in Swimming Pools, Pools, Fountains & Outdoor Spas
  • Zones and installation requirements in Saunas
  • Installation requirements of Construction and demolition site installations
  • Installation requirements of Agricultural and horticultural locations
  • Installation requirements in Caravan Parks, Mobile Homes & Marinas
  • Installation requirements in Medical Locations (7.7)
  • Installation requirement in Temporary installations
  • Extra Low Voltage (ELV) Lighting
  • Stage & Theatre Installations
  • Safety & Emergency Lighting

  Day 2 Module 11 Verification and certification of installations

  • Who must have a Certificate of Compliance
  • What is a Certificate of Compliance
  • What is a test report?
  • Who issues a CoC?
  • What happens when work is done on the installation
  • What about if there is an alteration or addition to existing installations?
  • What if there is a change of ownership (selling of property)?
  • Who is this registered person?
  • How do you become a registered person?
  • Inspection
    • When to inspect
    • What to inspect
  • Testing of electrical installation
    • Testing of continuity of earthing, the resistance of ECC and ring circuits
    • Measurement of earth fault loop impedance and PSCC
    • Elevated voltage on supply neutral
    • Insulation resistance test
    • Voltage measurement at the point of control at no load and on load
    • Voltage measurement at available load
    • Testing of Earth leakage unit
    • Polarity and phase rotation test
    • Neutral loop impedance test in TN-S, TN-C and TT–J. 2.6
    • Test report
  • COC Format
  • Inspection and test report requirements for electrical installations in hazardous locations
    • Additional test report for electrical installation in medical locations
    • Additional Test report for generating plants (GP) (PV/Battery)
  • Course exercise