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In your capacity as an assistant designer for a building services firm, specialising in electrical works, you have been asked to prepare a report investigating. The application of transformers in building services.

Unit 18 Principles of Electrical Design & Installation

Unit 18 Electrical Services

Assignment Brief

Student Name

 

ID Number

894626

Unit Number and Title

Unit 18 Principles of Electrical Design & Installation

Assignment Title

Unit 18 Electrical Services

Academic Year

25/25

Assessor

 

Submission Date

04/04/2026

IV Name  

 

IV Date

 

Issue Date

11/11/2025

Vocational Scenario or Context

Your client is an upcoming electrical installation, wishing to compete for the electrical installation for a prestigious company headquarter complex to accommodate their expanding organisation.

The proposed new building will involve A new 24m high office block, arranged over 6 floors, 5 floors of office accommodation above ground and a basement level gym and swimming pool.).

The building requires a server room on the ground floor and all floors will multiple desks equipped internet access.

The server room is critical to the company operations and requires an uninterruptable Electrical supply to the four duals redundant server’s systems.

The building also requires an emergency lighting system along with an alarm system suitable for the complete building

 

ACTIVITY 1

In your capacity as an assistant designer for a building services firm, specialising in electrical works, you have been asked to prepare a report investigating. The application of transformers in building services. A report with detailed explanation of the operation of AC Transformers.

Identify and explain difference between iron and copper losses within a transformer and explain how they are minimized

Investigate the Earthing and bonding requirements of BS 7671 and explain what is meant by Bonding metal equipment in bathrooms and kitchens of metal accessories and why it is important.

Investigate The use of uninterruptable power supplies that are required for the server room and possible use for critical desks situated throughout the building.

ACTIVITY 2

In your capacity as an assistant designer for a building services firm, specialising in electrical works, you have been asked to prepare a report that includes illustrations.

  • Investigate the electrical distribution within the building and the layout of the feeders and distribution boards.
  • Identify the boundaries between the DNO and Electrical Maintenance Company
  • Investigate the Earthing and bonding requirements of BS 7671 and illustrate the various methods.
  • With the use of diagrams explain the operation of MCB’S and how the protection requirements of BS7671 are satisfied using MCB’s of the correct rating.
  • Describe and illustrate how Residual circuit protection are used to earth fault protection.

ACTIVITY 3

Within a Building Services installation, there are a variety of motors used for different applications.

Explain With the aid of a diagrams the operation of brushless electrical machines illustrating their winding connections and their operating characteristics and the relationship between back emf, armature current, torque, power, and speed.

The armature of a permanent-magnet dc generator has a resistance of 1 Ω and generates a voltage of 50 V when the speed is 500 r/min. If the armature is connected to a source of 150 V, calculate the following:

  • The starting current
  • The counter-emf when the motor runs at 1000 r/min. At 1460 r/min.
  • The armature current at 1000 rpm. At 1460 rpm.
  • The torque developed at 1000/r/min at 1460 rpm.
  • The efficiency at 1000/r/min at 1460 rpm.
  • Discuss the implications on the above for the primary distribution system.

The operation of AC machines requires the production of a rotating magnetic explain with aid of diagrams and circuit block diagrams how this achieved using inverters in modern electric traction systems.

Investigate the advantages of permanent magnet Synchronous and explain why these are now forming the basis of all electric traction systems

ACTIVITY 4

Explain what is meant by reactive power and why power factor correction equipment is required in premises which have an electrical load which has high reactive power demand.

You are required to determine the Reactive Power Compensation required for a load of 10Kw operating with power factor of 0.8 to improve the Power Factor to 0.95 and describe how this correction could be achieved.

ACTIVITY 5

Prepare a presentation of how miniature circuit breakers function detailing their operating characteristics and how residual circuit breaker’s function and their application.

Calculate the assumed current demand for the following circuits which are installed in a small Hotel.

a) Lighting load – Upstairs = 10.2A, Cable length = 20m

  • Downstairs = 6.8A, cable length =40m
  • Outside = 5.1A, cable length =60m

b) A 10Kw cooker

c) Justify your selection of MCB, s to project the above circuits.

d) Determine The Voltage drop.

e) Discuss what is meant by discrimination when related to circuit breaker tripping times

ACTIVITY 6                                   

The office measures 10 x 7 m with floor to ceiling height of 3 m.

The desk height is 0.8 m (working plane). The office requires an average illuminance of 500 lux.

The ceiling paint is emulsion paint on acoustic tiles (0.7), the walls are plastered and painted mid- grey (0.45 – 0.5) and the carpet floor tiles are dark grey (0.14)   

Calculate how many lamps/luminaires are needed to illuminate the working plane. 

The above office is located 20m from the distribution board, determines the electrical load of lighting installation and the possible voltage drop in the electrical cables.

The office is approximately 10m by 7m determine the optimal layout of luminaries to determine uniformity of luminance and ensure that the space/height ratio is satisfied and comment on the efficiency of the lighting system.       

Determine a lighting design for the pool area of 10m x 5m located in the basement of a house requiring an approximate lighting level 0f 500 lux.

  • The electrical load
  • The number of lighting circuits and the voltage drop on each circuit.

A possible layout for the distribution board along with MCB’s required for each circuit.

Checklist of evidence required.

An appropriately referenced word-processed document, using a suitable referencing style such as Harvard.

Diagrams/sketches/illustrations to support the example calculations

Illustrations/sketches to support the discussions

Use of credible and range of resources.

Sources of information to support you with this Assignment

 

BRANDI, U. (2012), Lighting Design, Walter de Gruyter CATHEY, J. (2001), Electric

Machines, McGraw-Hill Science, Engineering & Mathematics CHAPMAN, S. (2002), Electric Machinery and Power System Fundamentals, McGraw-Hill Science Engineering GURU, B.,

Further Resources may be found at www.edexcel.com/resources/Pages/default.aspx.

Criteria covered by this task:

Unit/Criteria reference

Activity 1

To achieve the criteria, you must show that you are able to:

 

P1,

1

Explain the performance of electrical and magnetic circuits, including transformers.

 

M1

Design a simple electrical circuit for a given non-domestic building

 

P2

2

Illustrate the key principles of parallel and series circuits.

 

D1

Evaluate the use of electrical or magnetic circuits for a given range of nondomestic applications.

 

P3

3

Analyse the principles that underpin the operation and control of AC and DC motors

 

P4

Calculate the performance of given AC and DC motors.

 

M2

Select a motor, based on performance needs, for a given non-domestic application.

 

D2

Assess the suitability of AC and DC motors for a given non-domestic context.

 

P5

 4&5

 Discuss different methods of electricity generation.

 

P6

Describe the equipment used for different methods of electrical distribution.

 

M3

3Calculate the electrical load for a given nondomestic building to enable selection of a suitable distribution panel.

 

P7

6

Present a proposal for non-domestic lighting installation, including calculations to support design, selection of equipment and energy consumption for a given project.

 

P8

Discuss strategies to ensure health and safety during installation and operation of a non-domestic electrical installation.

 

M4

Illustrate circuits and distribution for a nondomestic lighting design proposal.

 

D3

Evaluate the relationship between lighting design and electrical circuit design for a non-domestic installation

 

 

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All About Unit 18: Principles of Electrical Design & Installation

Unit 18: Principles of Electrical Design & Installation teaches you how to plan safe, efficient electrical systems for homes and small buildings. You learn about circuits, protection devices, wiring layouts and regulations so you can design, test and install installations that meet current industry standards.

Sample Answer for Unit 18 (Do Not Submit)

Activity 1

1. Operation of AC transformers in building services

In a modern building, transformers quietly sit in the background making sure every circuit gets the right voltage. A transformer is an electrical device that changes AC voltage up or down using a magnetic field. It does this without any moving parts.

A standard AC transformer has three main parts: a primary winding, a secondary winding and a laminated iron core. The primary winding is connected to the incoming supply. When AC flows through this winding, it creates a changing magnetic field in the iron core. This changing magnetic field then passes through the secondary winding. Because the magnetic field is always changing, it induces a voltage in the secondary winding. This process is called electromagnetic induction.

The size of the voltage on each side depends on the number of turns of wire on the windings. If the secondary has fewer turns than the primary, the transformer steps the voltage down. If the secondary has more turns, it steps the voltage up. In building services we normally use step-down transformers, for example:

  • A distribution transformer that reduces 11 kV from the network down to 400/230 V for the building.

  • Small control transformers that supply lower, safer voltages for control panels, BMS, fire alarms and emergency systems.

Transformers also provide electrical isolation between the supply and the load, which can improve safety and reduce interference. Because they have no moving parts, they are very reliable, but they must be designed and installed correctly to limit losses and overheating.

2. Iron and copper losses in transformers and how they are minimised

No real transformer is perfect. Some of the input power is always lost as heat. For basic building-services design, the two main types of loss are iron losses and copper losses.

Iron (core) losses

Iron losses happen in the magnetic core and are present whenever the transformer is energised, even with no load connected. There are two main parts:

  • Hysteresis loss – Every time the AC reverses, the tiny magnetic domains in the iron core have to flip direction. This constant reversing uses energy and appears as heat in the core.

  • Eddy current loss – The changing magnetic field induces small circulating currents in the metal core itself. These eddy currents also cause heating.

To reduce iron losses, transformer manufacturers:

  • Use high-quality silicon steel or other special core materials that are easier to magnetise and demagnetise.

  • Build the core from thin insulated laminations rather than one solid block, which breaks up the path of eddy currents and keeps them small.

  • Design the core shape and flux density carefully so it does not saturate.

Because iron losses do not depend much on load current, they are often called “no-load losses”.

Copper (winding) losses

Copper losses happen in the windings. When current flows through the copper conductors, some power is lost as heat due to their resistance. This is given by the familiar formula:

Loss = I²R

where I is the winding current and R is the resistance of the winding. As the load increases, the current increases, so copper losses go up rapidly.

To reduce copper losses, designers:

  • Use copper conductors with low resistance and select a suitable cross-sectional area.

  • Keep winding lengths and connections as short and compact as possible.

  • Design the transformer to operate efficiently near its rated load, avoiding long periods of operation heavily overloaded.

 

In practice, transformer design is a balance. The manufacturer aims to minimise both iron and copper losses so that the transformer runs cool, is efficient, and has a long service life in the building installation.

 

Sources of information to support you with this Assignment

 

BRANDI, U. (2012), Lighting Design, Walter de Gruyter CATHEY, J. (2001), Electric

Machines, McGraw-Hill Science, Engineering & Mathematics CHAPMAN, S. (2002), Electric Machinery and Power System Fundamentals, McGraw-Hill Science Engineering GURU, B.,

Further Resources may be found at www.edexcel.com/resources/Pages/default.aspx.

Unit 18 is all about how electrical systems in buildings are planned and designed. You look at things like transformers, earthing and bonding, protection devices, motors, power factor and lighting design.

No, but you do need a basic understanding. For this unit, you should be able to explain what a transformer does, what iron and copper losses are, and how transformers are used in building services.

For this type of assessment, diagrams really help. Simple sketches of a transformer, earthing system, distribution board layout or lighting positions can earn marks because they show you understand how the system fits together

You are usually expected to perform basic design calculations, such as current demand, voltage drop, power factor correction, and simple motor or transformer calculations. The important thing is to show your working and use the correct formulas.

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