Precisely because of the possible dangerous situations that could occur as a result of improperly constructed electrical networks, the legislation is very strict regarding their design and installation. Law no. 123/2012 even provides for a prison sentence.

Art. 92. (1) Damage, unauthorized modification or blocking of the operation of the equipment for measuring the delivered electrical energy or unauthorized modification of the components of energy installations constitutes a crime and is punishable by imprisonment from 3 months to 2 years or a fine.

Also, paragraph 2 of the same article of law shows that "the execution or use of clandestine installations for the purpose of direct connection to the network or to bypass the measuring equipment constitutes a crime and is punishable by imprisonment from 6 months to 3 years or a fine".

According to article 93 of law no. 123/2012, the following facts also constitute contraventions:

the carrying out by natural or legal persons of activities and/or provision of services in the electricity sector without holding a license or establishment authorization;

the design, execution and verification of electrical installations without a certificate and/or authorization;

non-compliance with the technical rules issued by ANRE;

non-compliance with the validity conditions associated with licenses/certificates/authorizations issued by ANRE.

What certificates must an authorized company have to plan and install electrical networks

Before looking for an electrical installation company, you need to know what types of certificate it must have in order to operate legally. The list of certificates is available on the website of the National Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE).

According to ANRE, the categories of electrical installations for which a certificate is needed are:

a) indoor electrical installations - they are the most important installations for domestic consumers, because they are exclusively on the property and in their care. This includes the entire electrical network, from the consumption measurement point to sockets, light bulbs or household appliances.

This type of electrical installations can also be divided into indoor or outdoor electrical networks (performed outside buildings), depending on the area where they are located.

When designing the electrical network for your home, the indoor electrical installations are the ones that interest you exclusively.

b) low-voltage electrical installations - operate at voltages of 0.4 KV (line voltages) and 0.23 KV (phase voltages). These installations are used for the direct supply of electricity to household consumers: houses, blocks of flats or other buildings.

The route usually starts at a transformer. Other elements during the installation are distribution channels and distribution, sectioning or protection boxes. The lines are usually of short length (2-3 kilometers) and can be overhead (on poles) or underground (buried).

This type of electrical installations is usually planned and built by the electricity distribution company.

c) medium voltage electrical installations - they work at voltages of 6 KV, 10 KV or 20 KV. One of the extremely important equipment of this type of electrical installations is the transformer, whose role is to transform the electric current from medium voltage to low voltage.

d) high voltage electrical installations - are those that transport electrical energy from the producer to the consumers.