BS 7671 Amendment 4 (2026): what changed & what it means for the exam

Amendment 4 to BS 7671:2018 is now the current version of the 18th Edition. It adds a new chapter on batteries, new sections on functional earthing and Power over Ethernet, overhauls the medical locations section and changes how some EICR observations affect the overall result. This guide walks through every change in plain English with its regulation number, recaps Amendments 3 and 2, and explains what it all means for the City & Guilds 2382-26 exam.

Full title

BS 7671:2018+A4:2026

Published

15 April 2026, usable immediately

Nickname

The "Orange Book"

Includes Amendment 3?

Yes, A4 incorporates A3:2024

Previous version withdrawn

A2:2022 (the "Brown Book") and A3:2024, on 15 October 2026

Matching exam

City & Guilds 2382-26, offered since 16 April 2026

Amendment 4 key dates

BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 was published on 15 April 2026 and could be used straight away. It's a consolidated book: everything from Amendment 3 (2024) is already folded in, so you only need the one copy.

The previous version, the A2:2022 Brown Book together with the A3:2024 pages, is withdrawn on 15 October 2026. From then on, A4 is the only current version of the 18th Edition. The IET publishes background on the amendment through IET Electrical.

What about the 19th Edition? There's no official announcement, no draft for public comment and no date. Anything you read beyond "nothing announced" is speculation.

What's new in Amendment 4

Chapter 57: Stationary secondary batteries

Battery storage is now a common sight in homes and businesses, often alongside solar PV. Amendment 4 gives it a chapter of its own in Part 5. Chapter 57 covers stationary secondary batteries, meaning rechargeable batteries installed in a fixed position.

• A battery is treated as a source of supply in much the same way as a generating set; 551.7.2.1 treats stationary batteries as a generating set, not a load, for the rules on sources in parallel.
• For dwellings, 570.6.7.203 points to PAS 63100, the specification dealing with fire protection for battery systems in homes.
• The old regulation group 551.8 has been deleted. Battery requirements are now in Chapter 57.

Chapter 57 is named in the 2382-26 test specification under learning outcome 5, so expect it to come up.

Section 545: Functional earthing and functional bonding for ICT

New Section 545, in Chapter 54, deals with functional earthing and functional bonding for information and communication technology (ICT) equipment. Functional earthing exists to make equipment work properly rather than to protect against electric shock. The functional earthing conductor is identified by the colour pink, matching the colour given for functional earth in Table 51.

Section 716: Power over Ethernet

Power over Ethernet (PoE) sends DC power along data cabling to devices such as cameras, wireless access points and some lighting. New Section 716 in Part 7 sets out the requirements.

• It uses modified SELV and PELV voltage limits: 60 V ripple-free DC in dry conditions and 15 V in other conditions.
• The current is limited to up to 750 mA per contact.

Section 710: Medical locations

Section 710 has had a major revision. One addition worth knowing is a new Annex B710, which provides a schedule for recording supplementary bonding resistances. If you don't work in healthcare, focus on knowing where Section 710 is rather than its fine detail.

Chapter 81: Energy efficiency

New Chapter 81 in Part 8 covers energy efficiency. It's informative rather than mandatory and points you towards the Building Regulations. The old Appendix 17 (energy efficiency) has been deleted. Part 8 now has two chapters: Chapter 81, Energy efficiency, and Chapter 82, Prosumer's low-voltage electrical installations, which arrived with Amendment 2.

Inspection, testing and certification changes

EICR codes: C3 and FI no longer make a report unsatisfactory

On an Electrical Installation Condition Report, only C1 (danger present) and C2 (potentially dangerous) observations now make the overall assessment unsatisfactory. C3 and FI do not. The FI wording has also changed to "Further investigation is advised". For the full picture, see EICR codes explained.

PNB on the model forms

Protective neutral bonding (PNB) now appears as an earthing arrangement option on the model forms, shown as "TN-C-S (PNB)".

Minor Works continuity entries

The continuity entries on the Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate are now laid out as r1-r1, rn-rn and r2-r2.

Chapter 65: photographs and thermal images

Notes at 653.1 and 653.2 make clear that photographs or thermal images may be attached to periodic inspection reports.

Smaller updates in Part 5

Amendment 4 also makes smaller revisions across Part 5, including 521.5.1, the note to 521.10.202, 522.6, 536.4.202, 537.4.2 (firefighter's switches), 551.7.1 and 560.6. A few worth knowing in outline:

• the rules for cables concealed in walls and partitions are now set out as a table within the 522.6 group;
• the new note to 521.10.202 makes clear the aim is to stop wiring systems collapsing in a fire, not to keep circuits working (that's Chapter 56);
• firefighter's switches are now required where the fire engineer specifies them, in line with the building's fire strategy;
• in 421.1.7, "higher risk residential buildings" has become "high-rise residential buildings", with the other premises unchanged.

These are refinements rather than new topics. Read them in your own copy, but don't try to memorise the wording: in the exam you can look them up.

A quick recap of Amendment 3 (2024)

Amendment 3 was published on 31 July 2024 and was deliberately small. It made only these changes:

• two new definitions in Part 2: bidirectional protective device and unidirectional protective device;
• 530.3.201, which requires device selection to take account of whether a device is unidirectional or bidirectional. Unidirectional devices are marked "in/out", "line/load" or with arrows, and must be connected the right way round.

That's all. A common mistake is to credit Amendment 3 with Chapter 57 or the Section 712 rewrite. Chapter 57 came with Amendment 4, and Section 712 was rewritten in Amendment 2.

Amendment 2 changes you still need to know

Amendment 2 (published 28 March 2022) made big changes, and they're all still examinable because they carry straight through into A4.

Topic	Where	Key point
AFDDs	421.1.7	Required on single-phase AC final circuits supplying socket-outlets up to 32 A in high-rise residential buildings (A4's term; A2 said "higher risk"), HMOs, purpose-built student accommodation and care homes. Recommended elsewhere.
Additional protection	411.3.3	Rewritten as three indents: 30 mA RCD for socket-outlets up to 32 A likely to be used by ordinary persons or children, for socket-outlets up to 32 A in other locations, and for mobile equipment up to 32 A used outdoors. A documented risk assessment can remove the requirement only for the second indent, and never in a dwelling.
Surge protection	Section 443	The CRL risk calculation was removed. Under 443.4.1 (as corrected in May 2023), SPDs are required where an overvoltage could cause serious injury to, or loss of, human life, or significant financial or data loss. Otherwise they're required unless the owner declares they aren't needed, which is recorded on the EIC.
RCD types	531.3.3	Type AC only for fixed equipment known to have no DC components.
Prosumer installations	Chapter 82	New Part 8 chapter for installations that produce and use energy.
Colours	Table 51	Functional earth is pink. Two-wire DC: positive red, negative white.
Earth electrodes	411.4	An additional earth electrode is recommended for TN systems.
RCD testing	643.7 and 643.8	Test at 1 × IΔn only: 300 ms maximum for general type, 130 to 500 ms for S-type. The 5 × IΔn test is no longer required.
Bathrooms	701.512.3	Socket-outlets at least 2.5 m horizontally from the boundary of zone 1 (it was 3 m).
Solar PV	Section 712	Substantially rewritten.
Outdoor lighting	714.411.3.4	RCD protection for outdoor lighting accessible to the public.
Appendices	Various	Appendix 7 deleted, Appendix 11 (warning labels) added, Appendix 13 replaced, and the RCD table removed from Appendix 3.

Some rules people assume came with an amendment actually date from the original 2018 edition. Chapter 46 (isolation and switching), the Part 6 restructure into Chapters 64 and 65, and 411.3.4 (30 mA RCDs for lighting in domestic premises) are all 2018 rules.

What changed in the exam: 2382-22 to 2382-26

City & Guilds replaced 2382-22 (based on A2) with 2382-26 (based on A4). The key dates are:

• 16 April 2026: centres started offering 2382-26;
• 31 July 2026: registration for 2382-22 closed;
• 15 October 2026: last 2382-22 test;
• 31 December 2029: last registration date for 2382-26.

There was never a "2382-24": Amendment 3 didn't get an exam of its own.

The format is 60 multiple-choice questions in 120 minutes, open book, with a pass mark of approximately 60%. The book you take in must be BS 7671:2018+A4:2026. The test specification now names Chapter 57 within learning outcome 5, and every A4 change above is fair game. Our 18th Edition exam guide covers the format in full, and 2382-22 vs 2382-26 compares the two side by side.

Do you need to re-sit the 18th Edition exam?

Not automatically. City & Guilds certificates don't expire, so your 2382-22 (or older) certificate remains a valid record of what you passed.

Whether you need the new 2382-26 qualification depends on your employer, your competent person scheme provider or the contracts you work under. Requirements vary, so ask whoever requires the qualification rather than relying on rumour.

If you do sit 2382-26, it's the full 60-question exam across the whole book, not a test of the changes alone. Start with a full timed mock to see where you stand, then work on the amendments and your weakest Parts. Our 2382-22 vs 2382-26 guide sets out an update plan.

Either way, the work you design, install and inspect should follow the current amendment, so you need to know what's changed. If you want a structured way to catch up, the 18th Edition course includes an Amendment 4 drill alongside lessons for every Part and unlimited timed mocks.

Frequently asked questions

When was BS 7671 Amendment 4 published?

BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 was published on 15 April 2026 and could be used immediately. The previous version (A2:2022 with A3:2024) is withdrawn on 15 October 2026.

Do I need to buy Amendment 3 as well?

No. Amendment 4 incorporates Amendment 3, so the A4 Orange Book is all you need, both at work and in the exam.

What are the biggest changes in Amendment 4?

New Chapter 57 (stationary secondary batteries), new Section 545 (functional earthing for ICT), new Section 716 (Power over Ethernet), a major revision of Section 710 (medical locations), new Chapter 81 (energy efficiency) and EICR coding changes, where C3 and FI no longer make a report unsatisfactory.

Do I need to re-sit the 18th Edition after Amendment 4?

Certificates don't expire, so there's no automatic requirement. Whether you need 2382-26 depends on your employer, scheme provider or contract, so check with them.

Has the exam format changed?

2382-26 is 60 multiple-choice questions in 120 minutes, open book with BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 only, with a pass mark of approximately 60%. The content now includes the A4 changes.

Is a 19th Edition on the way?

Nothing has been announced. There's no draft for public comment and no publication date.

---

Curious how well you know the current regulations? Take the free 20-question 18th Edition mock exam. It's timed, built for 2382-26 and needs no sign-up.