Energisation certificate: free pre-energisation checklist and record (Excel and PDF)
Deskely Completions team Singapore
Energising a switchboard, transformer or circuit for the first time changes the site: from that moment the equipment is live and controlled under the electrical safety rules. The energisation certificate records that everything needed before that moment was done, and what was measured once the supply was on.
This page gives you a free energisation certificate in Excel and PDF, with the pre-energisation checklist, the energisation record and a register of energised equipment.
- Energise only when every test on the equipment and its supply is complete and signed.
- Announce it: once energised, the equipment is live and controlled under the permit system.
- Record phase voltages and phase rotation straight after energising.
- Keep a register of what is energised, so everyone on site knows what is live.
The pre-energisation checklist
| Section | Typical checks |
|---|---|
| Tests complete | Insulation resistance on cables and equipment, continuity of protective conductors, earthing resistance, transformer and switchgear tests, protection relay settings applied and tested, CT and VT checks, interlocks tested. |
| Installation | Equipment installed and inspected, cables terminated and labelled, covers and shrouds fitted, Ex equipment inspected in hazardous areas, mechanical completion signed or the agreed exceptions listed. |
| Safety | Energisation notice issued, area barriered and signed, equipment labelled live, permit and isolation system updated, earths removed, trained personnel and an authorised person present, emergency arrangements in place. |
For low voltage installations, IEC 60364-6 sets out initial verification: inspection, then tests such as continuity of protective conductors, insulation resistance, polarity, earth fault loop impedance, RCD operation and phase sequence. In hazardous areas, IEC 60079-14 requires an initial inspection of Ex equipment before it is put into service. In North America, acceptance testing of electrical equipment commonly follows ANSI/NETA ATS, with work practices under NFPA 70E.
The template
The checklist has a status and reference for each check. The energisation record takes the line-to-line and line-to-neutral voltages, frequency and phase rotation, with the expected values beside them. The certificate is signed by the person in charge of the energisation and the client, and the register lists everything energised with its date and permit reference.
Readings at energisation
- Phase voltages: L1-L2, L2-L3 and L3-L1, and each phase to neutral where there is one. They should be balanced and within the tolerance your specification sets around the nominal voltage.
- Phase rotation: checked with a rotation meter before any motor is started. A wrong rotation at a board reverses every motor fed from it.
- Frequency: within limits, particularly on a generator or temporary supply.
- Transformers: a soak period energised on no load is common before load is applied; record the tap position and secondary voltages.
Where energisation sits in commissioning
Energisation is usually the first step that turns a subsystem from static to live. It follows the electrical tests in pre-commissioning (see the megger test report and earthing test report) and comes before motor solo runs and function tests. Many projects treat it as a hold point that needs a ready for commissioning certificate, or a specific energisation certificate, for each board or subsystem. See substation commissioning for the order on larger installations.
Deskely holds the test records and punch items for every breaker, relay, cable and transformer against its tag, and shows what still stands between each board and energisation.
The Deskely products for this
Frequently asked questions
What is an energization certificate?
The signed record that equipment was ready to be energised, that it was energised safely, and what was measured: phase voltages, rotation and frequency. Also spelled energisation certificate.
What tests are done before energization?
Insulation resistance, continuity of protective conductors, earthing, protection relay and interlock tests, and the equipment's own tests, such as transformer ratio and switchgear tests. IEC 60364-6 sets out initial verification for low voltage installations.
Why check phase rotation at energisation?
If the rotation at a board is wrong, every three-phase motor fed from it will run backwards. It is checked before any motor is started.
Who signs the energisation certificate?
Normally the electrical commissioning lead or authorised person in charge, with the client or owner's representative, after the pre-energisation checklist is complete.
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