I.S. 10101
Ireland’s National Rules for Electrical Installations. What I.S. 10101:2020+A1:2024 covers, how the Safe Electric and Registered Electrical Contractor regime fits around it, and what WireSketch does — and doesn’t — model for Irish installations.
What I.S. 10101 is
I.S. 10101 is the Irish National Rules for Electrical Installations. It is published by NSAI (the National Standards Authority of Ireland). The current document is I.S. 10101:2020+A1:2024, with a further AC2:2025 corrigendum layered on top of the 2024 amendment. The 2020 publication was the 5th edition and the first major revision in more than ten years, replacing the long-running ET 101.
NSAI describes the scope as covering “design, erection and verification of low-voltage electrical installations” in residential, commercial, agricultural and similar premises. The technical content consolidates IEC/TC 64 and CENELEC/TC 64 material with Irish-specific additions — so the skeleton is the same HD 60364 family that BS 7671, NEN 1010, VDE 0100, NF C 15-100 and AREI all share, with Irish-specific overlay.
Who I.S. 10101 applies to
All low-voltage electrical installations in Ireland. The standard is the technical reference; the regulatory and certification regime around it is administered separately, and that is where the Irish picture differs from the rest of the HD 60364 family.
The enforcement model: REC + Safe Electric + HSA
Three institutions interlock around I.S. 10101:
- CRU (Commission for Regulation of Utilities) is the policy and enforcement regulator with statutory responsibility for electrical safety. CRU runs the Safe Electric scheme; the current Electrical Safety Supervisory Body (ESSB) appointment, Safe Energy Ireland, holds it for the 2023–2028 term.
- Safe Electric is the consumer-facing scheme. Only a Registered Electrical Contractor (REC) can issue Safe Electric Completion Certificates for the work the regime designates as Controlled Works.
- HSA (the Health and Safety Authority) hosts the “Works Needing Certification” regime. Only an REC, or a Safety Supervisory Body inspector, can issue a certificate for Controlled Works.
The practical implication: the legal compliance artefact in Ireland is the REC Completion Certificate (or equivalent SSB inspector certificate), not a design document. WireSketch’s planner output is a design and discussion artefact only.
Key requirements
Because I.S. 10101 transposes the HD 60364 family with Irish additions, the baseline mirrors the rest of the European HD 60364-aligned set:
- IEC 60364 wet-room zones (the Zone 0/1/2 model), with IP ratings rising as you approach water, in the locations transposed from HD 60364-7-701.
- RCD protection for socket and bathroom circuits, with Irish-specific scope additions per A1:2024 and AC2:2025.
- Selection and erection of wiring systems from HD 60364-5-52 as transposed.
- Special locations from the HD 60364-7 series — bathrooms, swimming pools, EV charging, photovoltaic, agricultural premises.
- Initial verification and periodic inspection from HD 60364-6 as transposed and overlaid by the Safe Electric Completion Certificate format.
WireSketch’s research did not surface a verified primary-source enumeration of the Irish-specific deltas (socket density, mandatory circuit counts per room, AFDD scope choices). A practising REC will know them; this page does not invent them.
What WireSketch models from I.S. 10101
Honest answer: WireSketch does not yet model I.S. 10101 as a separate region. The two closest selectors are BS 7671 (UK) — because British practice is culturally and technically close, and many Irish electricians come from a BS 7671 background — and DIN 18015 / VDE 0100 (Germany) as a generic HD 60364 fallback. With either selector you get:
- An HD 60364-aligned wet-room Zone 0/1/2 in bathroom mode, which translates directly to I.S. 10101.
- RCD protection defaults that are correct as a baseline but do not encode A1:2024 / AC2:2025 Irish-specific scope changes.
- A general circuit layout sensible for a HD 60364 dwelling, without enforcing Irish-specific socket density or circuit counts.
Treat the planner output as a sketch, not certification. An Irish installation that needs a Safe Electric Completion Certificate requires a REC to design, install, test and certify against I.S. 10101:2020+A1:2024 (with AC2:2025). The WireSketch layout is a useful conversation starter for that REC, not a substitute for their work.
What WireSketch doesn’t model
- I.S. 10101 Irish-specific additions — socket density per room, mandatory circuit counts, Irish-specific AFDD scope under A1:2024 / AC2:2025.
- Safe Electric Completion Certificate format — the legal compliance artefact is the REC’s certificate, not a WireSketch PDF.
- Controlled Works classification — the app does not flag which proposed changes fall under HSA’s Works Needing Certification regime.
- Periodic inspection scheduling — Irish periodic-inspection intervals are not encoded.
- Local network operator connection acceptance — ESB Networks connection acceptance sits downstream of the REC certification and is outside the app.
Practical tip
If you are a homeowner in Ireland planning a remodel: use WireSketch with the BS 7671 selector as a reasonable HD 60364 baseline, capture the layout you want, generate the Renovation Brief PDF, and give it to your REC. Be explicit that you understand the certification must come from them under I.S. 10101 + Safe Electric, and that the brief is a planning conversation, not a design.
If you are an REC, treat WireSketch as a layout and client-communication tool. Use it to capture what the client wants on their wall photographs, then produce the actual design package to I.S. 10101:2020+A1:2024 (including AC2:2025) and certify under Safe Electric.
Important. WireSketch produces a planning and design artefact, not a compliance document. Standards are modelled at their baseline — local amendments apply, and final certification of any installation must come from a licensed electrician operating under your jurisdiction’s adopted edition and amendments.