Electrical Engineering · Design to Certification
Electrical engineering from incoming supply to intelligent systems
Everything a modern building does – heating, cooling, lighting, security, entertainment, communication – runs on electricity, and most of it now runs on information as well. In practice that means two layers of infrastructure. Low voltage, or LV, is the mains power that feeds sockets, appliances and plant. Extra-low voltage, or ELV, is the light-current cabling layered on top of it – the data, control signals, security and communications that make a building intelligent rather than merely powered. On a design-led project the two are inseparable, yet they are routinely designed and installed by separate contractors who never share a drawing.
AVC Integrations delivers both layers as one scope. We assess the loads, design the distribution, install the power and the specialist cabling, then test, inspect and certify the completed installation to BS 7671 – one team accountable from the incoming supply to the last data outlet. Within that scope sit three specialist disciplines, each with its own page: lighting systems, smart home, controls and AV, and networks and Wi-Fi.
Photo location: AVC-EXP-EE-01
Finished prime London interior where the electrical installation has disappeared – flush accessories, considered lighting, no visible cabling
Landscape · 16:9 · min 2400 px wide
In building services, electrical engineering covers the design, installation and certification of a property’s power and light-current infrastructure – from the incoming supply, distribution boards and final circuits through to the data, control, security and communications cabling layered on top. AVC Integrations delivers this as a single design-to-delivery scope for prime residential and high-end commercial projects across London, with every installation tested, inspected and certified to BS 7671.
The starting point
The problem: power and intelligence procured separately
On most projects the electrical installation is fragmented before it starts. An electrician prices the power from a layout drawing; data, AV, security and lighting control arrive later as separate packages, each with its own installer and its own assumptions. Nobody owns the interfaces. Distribution boards are sized before the mechanical plant, pumps and AV equipment declare their loads. Containment fills with power cabling before the ELV first fix begins, and signal cables end up squeezed alongside mains runs they should be separated from.
The consequences surface late, which is where they are most expensive. An incoming supply that proves too small once every load is finally counted – with the network operator’s upgrade process now on the critical path. Boards with no spare ways for the systems added during fit-out. Certification assembled as a patchwork from whichever contractors happened to test their own work. And finished walls reopened because a cable that should have been designed in was never on anyone’s drawing.
How AVC works
The AVC approach: one scope from supply to signal
We start with a whole-building load assessment – small power, lighting, mechanical plant, pumps, kitchen equipment, AV racks and IT – so the maximum demand is calculated rather than guessed, and the incoming supply is confirmed or upgraded before it can threaten the programme. From that assessment we design the distribution: board locations agreed with the architect, sub-mains sized by calculation, containment routes planned for power and signal together with proper separation, and protective devices, earthing and bonding engineered as a system rather than assembled circuit by circuit.
Because the same team designs the ELV systems, their requirements are in the drawings from day one – dedicated supplies for equipment racks, control wiring for HVAC and pumps, structured cabling routes, and spare ways and containment capacity held for whatever the building acquires next, subject to detailed design. Installation, inspection, testing and BS 7671 certification then sit with the team that did the design, which means the certificate at handover describes an installation we can vouch for in full.
Photo location: AVC-EXP-EE-02
Electrical distribution design in progress – single-line schematic, board schedules or coordinated services model on screen
Landscape · 4:3 · min 1800 px wide
What we deliver
Scope of service
Depending on how AVC is appointed – full design and delivery, or installation from a consultant’s design – the electrical scope typically covers:
Power infrastructure
- Incoming-supply assessment and coordination with the network operator
- Whole-building load assessment and maximum-demand calculation
- Distribution boards, sub-mains and final-circuit design and installation
- Containment routes sized for power, signal and future cabling
- Small power, accessories and dedicated supplies for plant and equipment
- Protective devices, earthing and bonding engineered as a system
ELV and specialist systems
- Structured data cabling and Wi-Fi infrastructure
- Lighting-control wiring, including DALI and keypad-based systems
- Smart home, controls and AV cabling with head-end and rack provision
- Security, access-control and communications wiring
- Supplies, interlocks and control wiring for HVAC, pumps and mechanical plant
Testing and certification
- Inspection and testing of every circuit to BS 7671
- Electrical Installation Certificates with full schedules of test results
- Emergency-lighting provision and functional testing where the building requires it
- Distribution-board schedules, labelling and as-installed records
- Periodic inspection and remedial advice on existing installations
Interfaces, resolved
The trade every other trade depends on
Electrical is the one discipline that touches every other package on a project – every mechanical unit needs a supply, every lighting position needs a circuit, every intelligent system needs both power and signal. That makes coordination the core of the job, not an add-on to it. We resolve routes, board positions and builders’ work with the design team on drawings, while every option is still open and no wall has yet been closed.
- Board and riser locations agreed with the architect before spatial decisions close
- Supplies, isolation and control wiring for mechanical plant captured at design stage
- Containment planned with structure and other services, with LV and ELV separation maintained
- Accessory positions and finishes coordinated with the interior designer and joinery
- Rack, head-end and comms-room provision agreed with the technology design
- Emergency lighting integrated with the lighting design where the building requires it
- Spare capacity – ways, containment and space – held deliberately for the future
Photo location: AVC-EXP-EE-03
Installation quality detail – neatly dressed distribution board or containment run with power and data cabling clearly segregated and labelled
Landscape · 4:3 · min 1800 px wide
Where this applies
Project types
Prime houses
complete installations and rewires where the engineering must vanish into the architecture
Apartments and penthouses
lateral spaces with constrained supplies and risers – resolved by calculation, early
Complete refurbishments
phased rewiring designed around retained fabric and, where needed, occupation
High-end commercial
offices, restaurants and galleries where power, data and presentation share one ceiling
Specialist pages
Within this discipline
Lighting Systems
Architectural lighting installation, DALI and Lutron control, dimming and after-dark scene commissioning by AVC Integrations for design-led London projects.
Smart Home, Controls & AV
Smart home, control and AV systems engineered by AVC Integrations for London properties – architecture, platform selection, installation and long-term support.
Networks & Wi-Fi
Structured cabling, enterprise networks and whole-building Wi-Fi designed, installed and supported by AVC Integrations for prime London homes and workplaces.
Delivery
How an electrical project runs
- 01
Survey and appraisal
incoming supply, existing installation and project requirements assessed at the outset
- 02
Load assessment
maximum demand calculated across power, mechanical plant and specialist systems
- 03
Design
distribution strategy, board locations, circuits and containment developed and documented
- 04
Coordination
routes, voids and builders’ work resolved with the architect and other trades
- 05
First fix
containment, cabling and back boxes installed to programme, LV and ELV together
- 06
Second fix
boards, accessories, luminaires and final connections completed against the finishes
- 07
Testing and handover
inspection, testing, BS 7671 certification and documented handover
Timing
Why early involvement matters
Two electrical constraints are genuinely hard to change later: the incoming supply and the space the installation occupies. Network-operator applications and upgrades run to their own timetable, not the project’s, so demand needs to be calculated early enough for the supply to be resolved off the critical path. Riser space, board cupboards and containment zones must likewise be claimed while the architecture is still fluid – reserved on drawings, they cost nothing; recovered on site, they cost programme.
Early involvement also protects the ELV layer. Data routes, rack positions and control wiring are simple to design in and disruptive to retrofit, and the specialist loads that surprise late-procured projects – plant, pumps, equipment racks – are all knowable at design stage if someone is tasked with asking. AVC prefers to be that team from concept onwards, though we join projects at every stage, including on site.
Placeholder – project evidence
Project example to follow – a genuine AVC electrical engineering project with the client’s permission. Photography and project details are being prepared.
Photo location: AVC-EXP-EE-04
Completed kitchen or living space showing coordinated small power, lighting and joinery-integrated accessories in use
Landscape · 16:9 · min 1800 px wide
Connected expertise
Related services
Expertise
every AVC engineering discipline in one place
Lighting Systems
lighting design, control and delivery within the electrical scope
Smart Home, Controls & AV
the intelligent layer – control, audio-visual and integration
Networks & Wi-Fi
the data infrastructure every connected system relies on
Electrical Design & Consultancy
design-only appointments and consultant support
Lutron Lighting Systems
Lutron lighting control for central London projects
From the knowledge centre
Related engineering guides
BS 7671 Explained: The Electrical Certificates Every Developer and Client Should Understand
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What Is DALI? The Complete Guide to DALI Lighting Control
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The Hidden Costs of Choosing the Wrong Smart Home Platform
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Read articleQuestions, answered
Frequently asked questions
What certification do we receive when the work is complete?+
Every installation is inspected and tested to BS 7671, and you receive an Electrical Installation Certificate with full schedules of test results, along with distribution-board schedules and as-installed records. Where the project includes emergency lighting, its testing is documented alongside. Notification to building control is handled as the project requires.
Can you install from our consultant’s electrical design?+
Yes. We deliver both our own designs and packages produced by an external consultant, and we are comfortable in either role. When we take on a consultant’s design we review it first – checking loads, discrimination, containment and the ELV provision – and raise anything that needs resolving before it reaches site rather than after.
What is the difference between LV and ELV, and why does it matter?+
LV – low voltage – is the mains power that feeds sockets, lighting and plant. ELV – extra-low voltage – is the light-current cabling that carries data, control signals, security and communications. They need different design rules and physical separation, yet they constantly interact, which is why an installation designed by one team behaves better than two packages meeting for the first time on site.
How do you coordinate supplies for HVAC, AV and other specialist equipment?+
By capturing them at design stage. Mechanical plant, pumps, equipment racks and kitchen appliances all declare their electrical requirements into our load assessment, so dedicated supplies, isolation and control wiring appear on the drawings rather than as site instructions. On projects where AVC also delivers the mechanical or technology scope, that coordination happens inside one team.
How do you allow for future capacity?+
Deliberately, and at three levels: spare ways on distribution boards, spare space in containment, and headroom in the calculated maximum demand, each determined through detailed design rather than habit. Buildings acquire systems over their life – vehicle charging, additional plant, new technology – and the cheapest time to provide for them is before the first cable is pulled.
Can rewiring be phased around a partial refurbishment?+
Yes. We design phased rewires regularly – sequencing the works area by area, maintaining safe temporary supplies to the parts of the building still in use, and testing and certifying each phase as it completes. The key is a whole-building strategy agreed up front, so each phase builds towards one coherent installation rather than a series of patches.
Do you deal with the electricity network operator about the incoming supply?+
We manage the process on your behalf – assessing whether the existing supply can carry the calculated demand, preparing the application where an upgrade is needed, and coordinating the network operator’s works with the programme. The physical works on the network side remain theirs, which is exactly why the application needs to start early.
Do you only take on full installations, or smaller scopes too?+
The full design-to-delivery scope is where we add most value, but we also take on defined packages – an ELV and technology scope alongside another electrical contractor, a distribution upgrade, or periodic inspection and remedial work on an existing installation. What matters is that the boundaries of responsibility are explicit from the start.
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Share your drawings, programme or brief and our engineering team will come back with a considered view of scope and approach – and the decisions worth making while they are still cheap to make.