What Is an AFDD and Why Is It Beneficial to any Home or Premises?

Richard Speller (Speller's Sparks LTD Director)
Oct 28
1 min read

An AFDD (Arc Fault Detection Device) is one of the latest safety devices designed to protect your home from electrical fires. It works by detecting arc faults – tiny sparks or “arcs” that can happen if a cable is damaged, loose, or deteriorating (for example, a crushed cable or a loose terminal).

AFDDs can be identified by the steady green light - they will flash a certain way which will tell you the kind of fault that is present on that circuit! Clever stuff!!!! — AFDDs are seen here with the steady green light -- if there's an issue they will blink in patterns to let you know what the fault is! They have small microchips inside, hence why they will cost more than your standard RCBO.

These arcs don’t always trip a fuse or RCD, but they can create enough heat to start a fire. An AFDD spots these dangerous patterns and automatically switches off the circuit before things get worse.

Why are they worth the extra bucks!?

Extra fire protection – especially in areas where cables may be hidden or under stress.
Added peace of mind – it offers another layer of safety on top of fuses, MCBs, and RCDs.
Recommended for higher-risk settings – such as bedrooms, living rooms, or places where fires would be especially dangerous.

While not required everywhere yet, AFDDs are becoming more common as part of modern consumer units, and many homeowners choose them for the highest level of protection.

If you’d like some more info on what an AFDD is you can watch the video below!