Low Voltage Electrotechnical Regulations (REBT)
Introduction
The Electrotechnical Regulation for Low Voltage of Spain (also known by its acronym REBT) aims to establish the framework of the technical conditions and guarantees that must be met by electrical installations connected to a supply source within the limits of low voltage, with the aim of preserving the safety of people and property, ensuring the normal functioning of said installations and preventing disturbances in other installations and services, and contributing to the technical reliability and economic efficiency of the installations. The complementary technical instructions develop specific aspects of it.
According to this regulation in Spain, low voltage is considered to be that which is less than or equal to 1000 volts in alternating current or 1500 volts in the case of direct current.
Legal framework
The current Regulation (which replaces the 1973 Regulation) was approved according to Royal Decree 842/2002 of August 2, 2002 and published in the Official State Gazette number 224 on September 18, 2002. [1].
Royal Decree 1053/2014, of December 12, approves a new Complementary Technical Instruction (ITC), ITC-BT-52: "Installations for special purposes. Infrastructure for recharging electric vehicles", and modifies other complementary technical instructions of the REBT. [2].
The latest edition was modified on April 10, 2019. Downloading can be done on the official BOE website.[3].
Structure of the regulation
The new regulation (from 2002) maintains the structure of the old one (from 1973) and is made up of two parts. The first are 29 articles that address the legal and administrative issues of the facilities. The second part focuses on the technical aspects of the installations included in 52 complementary technical instructions (ITC). The ITC are structured in a tree-like manner (except for the first ones, which are the glossary of terms, the UNE "Standard (technology)" references and the requirements of authorized installers), with the trunk of the tree being the origin of the installation and the branches being each type of receiver that can be connected to it. In addition, there are a series of ITCs that give additional prescriptions for specific uses or premises with special characteristics: homes, public premises, humid and wet premises, etc.