What RETIE is and why it exists
Electrical failures are a common cause of fires and injuries in homes. To reduce that risk, Colombia regulates electrical installations through RETIE, the Reglamento Técnico de Instalaciones Eléctricas. It is issued by the Ministry of Mines and Energy and is compulsory. It covers the design, the construction, the materials and the verification of electrical installations, including those in houses.
The regulation is updated from time to time, with transition periods for new requirements. Check the current text with the official source or with your electrical engineer.
RETIE and NTC 2050
RETIE sets the safety requirements. NTC 2050, the Colombian Electrical Code, is a technical standard that explains how installations should be built to meet them. In practice, an electrical designer follows both. Lighting is regulated by a separate technical regulation, RETILAP.
Who is responsible for what
| Who | Responsibility |
|---|---|
| Electrical designer | Prepares the design, with the professional registration required for the role |
| Installer or contractor | Builds the installation according to the design, using certified materials |
| Utility company | Confirms the connection to the network |
| Inspection or certification body | Verifies compliance when the regulation requires it for the type of installation |
| Owner | Requests the documents and the evidence that the work meets the rules |
The exact obligations depend on the type and size of the installation, so your electrical engineer should tell you what applies to your project.
What an owner can ask for
- The electrical design and its drawings, before the work starts.
- The professional registration of the designer and of the installer.
- Certified materials: cables, protections and equipment with the certification required.
- Proof of compliance at the end of the work, as required for your type of installation.
- As-built drawings that show what was actually installed, including where cables run.
What we check on site
The most important checks are the ones that can only be done before the walls are closed:
- Conduits, boxes and cable routes, against the design.
- Sizes of conductors and protections.
- Grounding system and its connections.
- Distribution board, circuits and their labelling.
- Separation between electrical and other installations, such as plumbing.
- Outdoor and wet areas, where protection requirements are stricter.
At the end we check the operation of the installation and compare the as-built information with the design.
Solar photovoltaic systems
A solar system on a house is also an electrical installation. It must be designed and installed under the electrical regulations, with attention to protections, grounding and the connection to the house’s installation. John has worked on electrical and solar photovoltaic projects, including systems with 80 kWp of accumulated installed capacity, and we offer design and review of solar systems as a separate service.
Limits of this guide
This guide is a plain-language introduction. RETIE is a technical regulation that must be applied by qualified professionals. For the official requirements, consult the Ministry of Mines and Energy or your electrical engineer. Independent construction oversight checks that the installation is built as designed, and does not replace the responsibility of the professionals who design and build it.