Substations and battery rooms

Power, lighting and earthing for substations, switchrooms and battery rooms, including battery rooms classed as hazardous areas.

Substations and switchrooms keep everything else running, so the work around them has to be planned around permits and outages. Battery rooms add a hazardous-area question: hydrogen from charging batteries collects at high level, which can make the room a classified zone.

What we do for substations and battery rooms

Low-voltage power, small power and lighting in substations, switchrooms and control buildings
Battery room installations: Ex-rated lighting, extract fans and controls where the room is classified
Battery chargers, DC distribution boards and cabling, with temporary supplies during changeovers
Earthing and bonding, and periodic inspection and testing to BS 7671
Emergency lighting, heating and ventilation controls
Ex inspection of battery room equipment to IEC 60079-17, with results in your client portal

Relevant services

Industrial

Design, installation, inspection, testing and certification for factories, warehouses, processing plants and distilleries.

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Hazardous Area / Oil & Gas

CompEx certified work in explosive atmospheres for oil and gas, distilleries and process plants. Onshore and offshore technicians.

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Maintenance and Callout

Planned preventative maintenance, inspection and testing, thermal imaging and fault finding for industrial and commercial sites, with emergency callout.

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Frequently asked questions

Why can a battery room be a hazardous area?

Vented and some valve-regulated lead-acid batteries give off hydrogen while charging. If ventilation cannot keep the concentration low, the area near the batteries and at high level is classified (often Zone 2), and the lighting, fans and any other electrical equipment there must be Ex rated and installed and inspected by competent, CompEx certified people.

Do you work on DC systems and battery chargers?

Yes. We install and maintain battery chargers, DC distribution boards and the cabling between them, and can keep the site on temporary batteries while we work.

Can you work in a live substation?

Yes, under the site owner's permit and safety rules. Low-voltage power, lighting, small power and earthing in substations and switchrooms is routine work for us.