British Standards that changed in 2025 and 2026

This page covers three British Standards that tradespeople in the UK cite on certificates and reports. For each one it gives only what the publisher states on its own public web page: whether it is current, when it was published, what it replaced and when the old edition is withdrawn. All dates were read on 30 September 2026. The standards themselves are sold rather than published openly, so this page does not describe their requirements.

BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 (IET Wiring Regulations)

The IET calls the new consolidated edition the Orange Book. The edition it replaces is the Brown Book (BS 7671:2018+A2:2022) read together with the Amendment 3:2024 PDF.

The IET says the Brown Book and the Amendment 3 PDF stay valid until 15 October 2026, and that during this period electrical installers may work to either edition. From 15 October 2026, work to BS 7671:2018+A4:2026. When you fill in an Electrical Installation Certificate, a Minor Works certificate or an Electrical Installation Condition Report, the edition you state should be the one you actually worked to.

The IET names these as the key areas of change:

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

For the detail, use the standard itself. The IET publishes the model forms for BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 as PDFs on its BS 7671 pages.

BS 9792:2025 (Fire risk assessment. Housing)

BSI says BS 9792 is a code of practice for carrying out and recording fire risk assessments in housing, and that it adds a new pro forma for recording them. According to BSI it applies to houses in multiple occupation, blocks of flats or maisonettes (purpose-built or converted), specialised housing as the standard defines it, student accommodation in those forms, and access areas to homes in mixed-use buildings. It does not cover single-family private dwellings, short-term lets, non-domestic premises, residential care homes or buildings still under construction. Specialist external wall assessments are left to PAS 9980.

If your reports still cite PAS 79-2, which is withdrawn, change the reference to BS 9792:2025.

BS 8674:2025 (Competence of individual fire risk assessors)

BSI describes it as a framework for assessing the competence of individual fire risk assessors, with three levels: Foundation, Intermediate and Advanced. The criteria for each level are in the standard.

Where to check a standard yourself

Each standard has a page on BSI Knowledge showing whether it is Current or Withdrawn, its publication date and its earlier editions. Check there before you change the edition printed on a certificate. For BS 7671, the IET's up-to-date page gives the transition dates.

Sources

Checked against these on 2026-09-30.

• BSI Knowledge: BS 7671:2018+A4:2026
• IET: Ensure you are up to date with BS 7671
• IET: BS 7671 18th Edition Wiring Regulations
• IET Shop: BS 7671:2018+A4:2026
• BSI Knowledge: BS 9792:2025
• BSI Knowledge: BS 8674:2025

Corrected and updated 2026-09-30. This article is for general guidance only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. Always refer to the relevant standards and consult qualified professionals for definitive requirements.