Electrical
Small power and data design
Small power layouts and structured cabling design — final circuits, containment, comms rooms and the loads a fit-out actually draws.
- Discipline
- Electrical
- Typical timescale
- 2 to 4 weeks for technical design on a typical fit-out
WHAT IT IS
Small power and data covers everything downstream of the distribution board that a building's occupants actually touch: socket outlets, fused connections to equipment, floor boxes and desk power, structured cabling to Cat 6A or better, comms room and cabinet layouts, and the containment that carries both.
It is the discipline where the design has to reflect how the space is used rather than what the drawing shows. A desk layout that changes after handover is normal, so grids, containment capacity and spare ways are designed with headroom rather than to the exact furniture plan issued at Stage 4.
WHEN YOU NEED IT
On every fit-out and every new build, and on any refurbishment where the layout, the occupancy density or the equipment changes — including the addition of electric vehicle charge points, which fall under Approved Document S in England and Section 7 in Scotland and change the incoming load calculation.
OUR PROCESS
Loads are established from the equipment schedule and the occupancy, with diversity applied, and reconciled with the LV distribution design rather than assumed to fit within it.
Structured cabling is designed to BS EN 50173 and the containment segregation requirements of BS 6701, keeping data separated from power by the required distance. Comms rooms are sized for the cabinets, the patching and the heat they will reject, and that heat load is passed to the mechanical design rather than discovered by the cooling design later.
DELIVERABLES
What you receive
- Small power layouts and final circuit schedules
- Equipment load schedule with diversity
- Containment layouts and capacity
- Structured cabling layouts and cable schedules
- Comms room and cabinet arrangements with heat loads
- EV charge point provision where required
STANDARDS
Standards applied
The editions in force at the time of design. Where a standard is amended mid-project we confirm which edition the appointment is based on.
- BS 7671:2018+A4:2026Requirements for Electrical InstallationsIET
- BS EN 50173Information technology — generic cabling systemsBSI
- BS 6701:2016+A1:2017Telecommunications equipment and telecommunications cabling — specification for installation, operation and maintenanceBSI
- BS EN 50174Information technology — cabling installationBSI
- Approved Document MAccess to and use of buildings — socket outlet heights (England)GOV.UK
- Approved Document SInfrastructure for charging electric vehicles (England)GOV.UK
- CIBSE Guide KElectricity in buildingsCIBSE
QUESTIONS
Common questions
How far apart must power and data cables be?
BS 6701 and BS EN 50174-2 set separation distances between power and balanced twisted pair cabling based on the containment used and the cable type, commonly 50 mm or more in shared containment without a metallic divider and less where a divider or screened cabling is used. The design states the separation applied rather than leaving it to site.
What height should socket outlets be installed at?
Approved Document M recommends switches and socket outlets in dwellings and in the accessible parts of other buildings are between 450 mm and 1200 mm above finished floor level. On commercial fit-outs the same range is generally applied to accessible positions, with desk and floor box power set by the furniture layout.
Does a new commercial building need EV charge points?
In England, Approved Document S requires charge point provision or cable routes for new non-residential buildings and major renovations with more than a set number of parking spaces. Scotland applies equivalent requirements through Section 7 of the Technical Handbooks. Either way it adds to the connected load and should be in the supply capacity calculation at Stage 2, not at Stage 5.