How you split up circuits determines how comfortable and how safe an installation is. If one faulty appliance takes out half the house, too much is sitting on a single circuit. AREI sets limits here, and practice adds some common sense on top.
The broad rules
- Separate lighting from sockets. Replacing a lamp should not leave you in the dark because the sockets go down too.
- Limit the number of points per circuit. A common rule of thumb is a maximum of eight sockets on a 16 A circuit.
- Heavy appliances get their own circuit: hob, oven, water heater, washing machine, dryer, dishwasher, heat pump and charging point.
- Keep wet rooms separate. Bathroom and laundry belong behind a 30 mA RCD.
Think in rooms, not in walls
Divide the home into logical zones: living area, kitchen, upstairs hall, bedrooms, outdoors. When something trips you immediately know which breaker to look for, and the position diagram stays readable. Avoid circuits that wander across three floors just because that is how the cables happened to run.
Leave room for later
Keep a few free slots in the board. A charging point, a solar inverter or an extra garden circuit will be the rule rather than the exception in the coming years. A full board turns every extension into a renovation.
Related reading
How Voltuno helps
A clear circuit layout shows fastest on a diagram that re-flows by itself. With Voltuno you draw a correct single-line diagram, position diagram and matching bill of materials in minutes, straight from your browser. The software is built around AREI requirements, so you work faster and walk into the inspection with a clear, complete file.
Please note: this article is a general explanation and not legal advice. Always consult the official, consolidated AREI text (FPS Economy) for the exact obligations and article references.
