When do I need an electrical certificate?

When you contract new supply, when the supply changes to your name and the installation is over 20 years without review, when you increase contracted power and when you carry out important renovation works affecting the installation. Without an in-date certificate the utility cannot supply.

Can I do the electrical installation in phases?

You can modernise in phases (for example only the consumer unit and differentials, leaving interior wiring for later), but the installation is not certified until it is completed according to regulations. It is usually done all in the same job.

Wiring, panels and certification

Electrical installations: consumer units, wiring and official CIE certificate

Electrical modernisation replaces the consumer unit, the wiring and the switching gear with an installation compliant with current regulations, with an official CIE certificate on completion. It is a common step in any complete renovation and in apartments with pre-1990s installations.

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What it involves

Work by a licensed installer

Many homes on the Costa del Sol still have electrical installations older than the 2002 Low Voltage Electrotechnical Regulation. These older installations often lack earthing, have insufficient cable sections for current consumption and lack the differential protections that are mandatory today.

A full renewal replaces the main consumer unit, runs new wiring from the meter, fits mechanisms with earth connection in every room and processes the electrical certificate. It is commonly required before a complete renovation and usually runs in parallel with kitchen or bathroom replacement.

Circuits per room

Circuits and power ratings we plan

A new installation splits wiring into independent circuits with their own protections. This is the typical segmentation for a detached home or a full flat.

kitchen Kitchen

Dedicated circuit for hob and oven with reinforced conductor section and its own differential.

bathtub Bathroom

Independent circuit with high-sensitivity differential and IP44 watertight boxes near the shower.

ac_unit HVAC

Specific circuit for indoor and outdoor AC units, with a breaker sized to the load.

chair_alt Living and bedrooms

Lighting and general-use socket circuit, with enough wall points to avoid power strips.

garage Garage / exterior

Independent circuit for garage, pool or garden lighting, with outdoor-rated IP protections.

devices Expansion reserve

Free space in the consumer unit for future circuits (electric car, photovoltaic battery, home automation).

Typical scope

What this service includes

Our electrical service rests on five documented elements.

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New consumer units

Main unit with ICP, per-circuit differentials and thermal-magnetic breakers sized to the contracted power and intended use.

cable

Full rewiring

Replacement of old wiring with copper conductors of adequate section, routed through corrugated conduit for future maintainability.

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LED light points

LED light points distributed in every room (ceiling, wall, cove), with switching where needed.

smart_display

Basic home automation

Wireless systems for motorised blinds, lighting scenes or climate control, on top of the base electrical installation.

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Official CIE certificate

Certification by a licensed installer filed with the competent authority, mandatory for new supply activations or ownership changes.

Reference regulations

REBT 2002, CIE certificate and mandatory protections

Domestic electrical installations are governed by the Low Voltage Electrotechnical Regulation. These are the regulatory points we always review before certifying.

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Earthing

Earth rod and protection conductor to the consumer unit, with earth-contact mechanisms in every room.

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30 mA differential

High-sensitivity differential on risk circuits (bathroom, kitchen, exterior) and super-immunised where applicable.

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Minimum section

Cable sections suited to the load: lighting 1.5 mm², general sockets 2.5 mm², kitchen and AC 4-6 mm².

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CIE certificate

Certification by a licensed installer filed with the administration — mandatory for new supply or ownership change.

Panel and circuits

A labelled panel is a safe panel

Each circuit is sized by load, protected by a dedicated differential and tagged in the panel. The final certificate and the installation report are issued when every test passes.

Worth knowing

Before deciding the scope

policy

When the CIE certificate is mandatory

It is mandatory for new supply, ownership change with an installation over 20 years without review, power increase and important renovations. Without it, the utility cannot supply.

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Earthing

Pre-1980s installations rarely have earthing. Adding it requires an earth rod and a protection conductor to the main unit, plus mechanisms with earth contact.

warning

Risks in old installations

Aluminium in old wiring, lack of differentials and oversized ICPs are frequent causes of overheating and fire in un-updated installations.

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Coordination with the renovation

When electrics are renewed inside a complete renovation, wiring replacement is done before tiling and final plastering to avoid breaking finishes.

Installation sequence

How we execute the electrical installation

The new installation follows five chained phases. Circuits are routed, protected and certified before chases and finishes are closed.

description
01
Diagnosis and memorandum

Review of the existing consumer unit, state of wiring, earthing and contracted power vs. expected demand. Technical memorandum drafted.
construction
02
Chases and conduits

Vertical and horizontal chases opened, corrugated conduit per circuit and accessible junction boxes installed.
cable
03
Cable pulling

Copper conductors pulled with the correct section per circuit, respecting colour codes and continuity of the earth conductor.
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04
Consumer unit assembly

Main unit fitted with ICP, per-circuit differentials and sized thermal-magnetic breakers, with clear labelling.
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05
Test and CIE certificate

Test of every circuit, measurement of insulation and earth resistance, and issue of the electrical certificate (CIE) with the regional authority.

Living with the installation

The decisions you make before closing the walls

Switch heights, socket positions and lighting scenes are decided room by room during the first-fix phase.

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REBT compliance

Each new installation is issued with its own boletín as required by the REBT.

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Lighting scenes

Dimmable circuits and warm colour temperature chosen room by room.

power

Dedicated circuits

Oven, induction hob, air conditioning and washing machine each on their own line.

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Differential protection

Super-immunised differentials to avoid nuisance tripping on sensitive loads.

Planning

Five decisions to close before the installation

A well-designed electrical installation starts by agreeing with the user how much power is needed, where it is needed and what level of comfort is expected. Closing these questions before opening chases avoids costly mid-works changes.

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Age of consumer unit and new CIE
Checking the date of the last review and the state of the main unit determines whether a new electrical certificate (CIE) is required. Installations over 20 years without review usually require one when activating new supply or changing ownership.
bolt
Contracted power vs. real demand
Adding up the simultaneous power expected (induction, AC, oven, hob, water heater) allows adjusting the contracted figure. An undersized ICP causes trips; an oversized one raises the fixed fee without adding value.
kitchen
Dedicated circuits per room
Kitchen, bathroom, air conditioning and induction need independent circuits with their own protections. Defining them before setting out avoids having to add circuits at the last minute by breaking finishes.
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Target home automation level
Deciding upfront whether blind control, lighting scenes or climate control will be installed drives the data bus, the panel and the reserved space. Adding it later makes expansion much more expensive.
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Layered lighting
Planning lighting in three layers — task, ambient and accent — requires fixing points, switching and dimming before closing ceilings. It is the decision that most sets a basic installation apart from a quality one.

In depth

Electrical installations in Málaga: full modernisation with CIE certificate

Homes with electrical installations predating the 2002 Low Voltage Electrotechnical Regulation often require full modernisation before activating new supply or transferring the service to a new owner. In Málaga, much of the 1960s–1980s residential stock still carries installations without earthing, with aluminium wiring or with sections insufficient for current domestic loads (induction, air conditioning, oven, hob and water heater running simultaneously).

Our intervention replaces the main consumer unit with one that includes ICP, per-circuit differentials and sized thermal-magnetic breakers; swaps the wiring for copper conductors of adequate section routed through corrugated conduit; distributes earth-contact mechanisms across every room; and hands over the electrical certificate (CIE) issued by a licensed installer at completion. When electrics are part of a complete renovation, the installation phase runs before tiling and final plastering to avoid breaking finishes.

Dedicated circuits for kitchen, bathroom, climate control and, when the user requests it, a reserved circuit for an electric vehicle or a photovoltaic battery, are all included in the final consumer unit with enough headroom. The whole installation is documented with as-built drawings of the panel and circuits.

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