The IET and BSI published Amendment 4 to the 18th Edition of the IET Wiring Regulations on 15 April 2026. The official designation is BS 7671:2018+A4:2026. The trade name is the Orange Book. This note is for homeowners and landlords in Wrexham and Chester. It is practical information as of 31 August 2026, not legal advice.

Stewart Rawson Electrical is an NICEIC approved contractor, founded in 2010. We work from Jubilee Manor on the Wrexham Industrial Estate. New work, alterations, and inspection and testing are done against the current 18th Edition of BS 7671. The NICEIC Amendment 4 page is the scheme source used here. The IET and BSI press release of 15 April 2026 is the publication source.

When Amendment 4 can be used

NICEIC says the amendment can be used immediately for:

  • new electrical installations
  • modifications to existing installations
  • periodic inspection and testing

The previous version is BS 7671:2018+A2:2022+A3:2024 (the Brown Book), plus the Corrigendum 2023. It stays current until it is withdrawn on 15 October 2026. Until that date both versions are current. From 15 October 2026 the Orange Book is the current British Standard. New Electrical Installation Condition Reports (EICRs) must then be carried out to Amendment 4.

From 15 October 2026, NICEIC-certified businesses must also demonstrate access to Amendment 4 to stay within the scheme rules. That is a contractor requirement, not a new duty invented for this page. Until then, a report or certificate should still say which version of BS 7671 it was done to. Read that declaration. Do not assume the colour of a book from a verbal summary.

What NICEIC lists as significant changes

These are changes to what the regulations now cover. They are not a catalogue of work we sell. We do not treat medical locations, Power over Ethernet, or battery storage as product lines on this site.

  • A new chapter on stationary secondary batteries used for electrical storage and supply of an installation.
  • A new section on functional earthing and functional equipotential bonding for information and communication technology (ICT) equipment and systems.
  • A new section on Power over Ethernet (PoE).
  • A major revision of Section 710 Medical Locations, including a schedule of test results for the resistance of supplementary protective equipotential bonding conductors.

NICEIC also records a change to how the FI classification code is treated on an EICR. Historically an FI made the report unsatisfactory. Under Amendment 4, FI and C3 do not affect the overall outcome. C1 and C2 still make the report unsatisfactory. That change is set out in a separate note: EICRs and the FI code under Amendment 4.

What this means if you own or let locally

If you are having new work, an alteration, or an EICR in Wrexham or Chester, ask which version of BS 7671 the paperwork is to. Until 15 October 2026 that may still be the Brown Book. After that date it should be Amendment 4. The same applies in the surrounding towns we already cover — Gresford, Ruabon, Holt and Penycae among them. Those names are places we drive to, not separate websites.

The five-year EICR interval for a Welsh rental is already explained on our EICR page and on smoke, heat and CO alarms in a Welsh rental. This news post does not invent a change to Renting Homes (Wales) or to the Fitness for Human Habitation regulations. Those duties sit on the pages linked above. Estate agents who need a listing or handover checklist can use electrical services for estate agents in Wrexham and Chester.

NICEIC’s householder explainer on Electrical Installation Condition Reports sets out what an EICR is for homeowners, landlords and businesses. The scheme home page is niceic.com.

Get a quote

For a quote on new work or an EICR, call Stewart Rawson Electrical on 07789 264398 or 01978 664757, email info@stewartrawsonelectrical.co.uk, or use the form on our contact page.

Stewart Rawson Electrical, Jubilee Manor, Sun Lane, Wrexham Industrial Estate, Wrexham, LL13 9RW.