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The Rise of the Prosumer: What Electricians Need to Know About PEIs and the Smart Grid 

Introduction 

The electrical game is changing fast, and if you’re not keeping up, you’ll get left behind. With more people installing solar panels, battery storage, and EV chargers, the way we handle electrical installations is shifting.

This is where Prosumer Electrical Installations (PEIs) come in. The latest edition of BS 7671 (the Wiring Regs) now includes Part 8, which covers how electrical installations interact with the grid when customers are both using and generating power.

In this post, I’ll break down:

 • What a prosumer is 

 • What the smart grid is 

 • How PEIs affect us as electricians 

What Is a Prosumer? 

A prosumer is just a fancy term for someone who both uses and produces electricity. Instead of just drawing power from the grid like a normal consumer, they’re generating their own – usually with solar PV – and sometimes even storing it in batteries to use later.

A prosumer:

✔ Generates electricity (e.g., solar panels)

✔ Stores excess energy (e.g., battery storage)

✔ Uses energy efficiently (e.g., smart meters, load control)

✔ Exports surplus power back to the grid (e.g., smart grid integration)

For us electricians, this means more solar installs, battery storage setups, and smart energy management systems. It’s not just about running cables anymore; it’s about understanding how to balance power generation, storage, and consumption properly.

What Is the Smart Grid? 

The smart grid is basically the old power grid, but smarter. Instead of just supplying power one way, it communicates with users and balances electricity supply and demand automatically.

Key Features of the Smart Grid: 

🔹 Demand Response: The grid can adjust electricity flow based on real-time usage.

🔹 Decentralised Generation: More people (homes & businesses) generate and store their own power.

🔹 Automated Monitoring: Sensors and AI improve efficiency and reduce waste.

🔹 Energy Trading: Prosumers can sell excess power back to the grid or to their neighbours.

For us, this means installing smart meters, grid-tied inverters, and energy management systems – and making sure everything plays nicely with the existing infrastructure.

How PEIs Affect Us as Electricians 

The introduction of Part 8 in BS 7671 means there are new requirements for electrical installations that involve on-site generation, storage, and export of power.

What This Means for Us: 

✅ Installing PEI-Compliant Systems 

 • We’ve now got to think beyond just wiring up circuits. A prosumer system needs to be able to safely generate, store, and export power without causing instability or safety risks.

 • Smart meters and energy management systems are becoming standard.

✅ Battery Storage & Energy Management 

 • More jobs are coming in for battery storage, but it’s not as simple as just wiring up a unit. We’ve got to consider fire safety, load balancing, and integration with solar and EV chargers.

✅ Bidirectional Power Flow & Export Control 

 • Unlike a standard installation, PEIs need to be designed with export control to avoid sending too much power back to the grid.

 • Inverters, CT clamps, and smart monitoring all play a role in managing this flow.

✅ EV Charging Considerations 

 • EVs aren’t just cars anymore – they’re batteries on wheels. With Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology, an EV can supply power back to a house or the grid.

 • This means EV chargers need to be properly installed and configured to work with PEIs.

Why It’s Worth Learning About PEIs 

This isn’t just a passing trend. More and more homes and businesses are becoming energy self-sufficient, and PEIs are going to be standard in the near future. If you’re an electrician who understands how these systems work, you’ll be in high demand.

Where the Opportunities Are: 

✔ Solar PV & Battery Storage Installs – People want energy independence.

✔ Smart Grid Integration – Connecting PEIs to the network.

✔ EV Charging & V2G – The future of car charging.

✔ Ongoing Maintenance & Upgrades – PEIs need regular servicing.

Final Thoughts 

The world of electrical installations is evolving fast. With more homes generating their own power and the grid getting smarter, electricians who keep up with these changes will be ahead of the game.

BS 7671 has laid out the framework for us with Part 8, so it’s up to us to make sure we understand it, apply it, and take advantage of the opportunities it brings.