TL;DR:<\/strong><\/p>\n Explore electrical services<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Amendment 4:2026, universally known as the Orange Book after its cover colour, is not a minor tidy up. The IET and BSI\u2019s official announcement<\/a> confirms it consolidates several years of technical development into a single publication, aimed squarely at the systems that have changed fastest since the 18th Edition first appeared: battery storage, data-driven building infrastructure, and higher-risk healthcare environments.<\/p>\n The IET\u2019s publication guidance<\/a> sets out four headline additions:<\/p>\n These four changes alone reshape how you\u2019ll specify and inspect a growing share of commercial and healthcare installations.<\/strong> Battery storage is now common on retail roofs and industrial units; PoE powers everything from access control to lighting in modern offices; medical locations sit at the sharp end of patient safety. BSI and the IET describe Amendment 4 as aligning BS 7671 with international standards<\/a> while addressing energy storage, PoE and grid resilience directly, rather than leaving practitioners to interpret gaps.<\/p>\n None of these sit in isolation from earlier work. Amendment 4 absorbs the changes introduced by Amendment 2:2022 and Amendment 3:2024, so the new edition is a complete, standalone document rather than a bolt-on correction sheet. If your library still holds a standalone A2 or A3 amendment booklet, it can be retired once you have the full A4:2026 text.<\/p>\n Two dates matter, and they are not the same thing.<\/p>\n For work already under contract before withdrawal, the position is pragmatic rather than punitive. Installations designed and contracted to the previous edition may continue to be erected and verified against it, provided the contractual arrangement pre-dates 15 October 2026. Anything designed or contracted after that date must comply with A4:2026.<\/p>\n Update your paperwork accordingly. Every Electrical Installation Certificate and Minor Works Certificate should state which edition of BS 7671 the work was designed to, and scheme assessors check this during routine audits. Build a simple habit into your site pack: log the edition on the front sheet of every job file, keep a dated copy of whichever Orange Book or previous edition you referenced, and brief subcontractors so nobody defaults to an outdated print copy left in a van.<\/p>\n The theory in Chapter 57 and Sections 545, 716 and 710 only matters once it reaches a site file, a test sheet or a specification drawing. Here is where each change actually bites.<\/p>\n Battery energy storage systems.<\/strong> Chapter 57 treats stationary secondary batteries as installations with bidirectional current flow, not passive backup boxes. That changes how you approach siting and separation distances, ventilation to manage gas build up, and the fire mitigation measures around the enclosure. Protective devices and cable ratings need to account for current flowing in both directions, not just from supply to load. Any battery room or cabinet installed before April 2026 is not automatically non-compliant, but a new installation designed after the withdrawal date must follow Chapter 57 in full.<\/p>\n Power over Ethernet.<\/strong> Section 716 sets out requirements for cable selection and continuous current capacity where data cabling also carries power, plus protection strategies for higher-power PoE++ applications. Special locations, such as areas with combustible ceiling voids or restrictive conductive locations, carry additional limits. If your projects involve wireless access points, IP cameras or PoE lighting at scale, this is the section your design team needs to read first.<\/p>\n ICT functional earthing.<\/strong> Section 545 specifies minimum conductor cross-sectional areas for functional earthing and equipotential bonding conductors serving ICT equipment, along with identification requirements so functional conductors are not mistaken for protective ones during inspection. Continuity checks now form part of a compliant verification schedule for these systems.<\/p>\n Medical locations.<\/strong> Section 710\u2019s revision is the most consequential for NHS estates and private healthcare providers. It tightens requirements for UPS and dual independent supplies in Group 2 medical locations, clarifies RCD and earth-voltage requirements, and introduces a new schedule of test results specifically for recording the resistance of supplementary protective equipotential bonding conductors. That schedule did not exist in the previous edition, so testing teams working on operating theatres or critical care areas need the updated model forms before their next verification cycle.<\/p>\n Inspection and testing.<\/strong> The EICR observation section has been reorganised so that FI (Further Investigation) and C3 (Improvement Recommended) observations are recorded separately and no longer affect the overall outcome of the report in the same way on the A4:2026 model EICR form. This changes how remedial work gets prioritised: a C3 no longer risks being conflated with items requiring urgent attention, which should sharpen client conversations about what actually needs budget this year versus what can be monitored.<\/p>\n Pro Tip:<\/strong> Don\u2019t wait for your next scheduled EICR to check the FI\/C3 split. If you\u2019re mid-cycle on a hospital or care setting, request an interim review of your recording template now. Fixed wire testing that already shows separated observations](https:\/\/deltafirst.co.uk\/blog\/fixed-wire-testing<\/a>) will save you a re-inspection later.<\/em><\/p>\n The regulations text is only the starting point. To apply Amendment 4:2026 correctly, you need the supporting library alongside it, and that library has been updated in full.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Version control matters more than usual this year, given two editions are legitimately in circulation simultaneously. Retire paper copies of superseded guidance notes from van libraries, and make sure any digital subscription your business holds has actually been updated rather than assumed to auto-refresh. A building services glossary<\/a> is a useful quick reference if your team needs plain-English definitions of terms like SELV, PELV or FI while reading the new sections.<\/p>\n For facilities teams managing multiple sites, the practical challenge isn\u2019t understanding Amendment 4, it\u2019s rolling it out consistently. Delta First approaches this the same way we approach any compliance shift: confirm the edition referenced on every active project, procure the Orange Book for our design and test teams, then run focused CPD briefings so installers and inspectors are working from the same page as soon as possible.<\/p>\n Priority checks go where the risk sits. Battery storage installations, medical location power supplies, PoE-driven lighting and access control loads, and functional earthing arrangements on ICT-heavy sites all get reviewed first. Our planned preventative maintenance schedules, reactive maintenance visits and EICR reporting templates are updated to reflect A4:2026\u2019s recording requirements, including the separated FI\/C3 structure and the new medical locations bonding schedule. Clients receive documentation that clearly states which edition of BS 7671 their installation was assessed against, which matters for insurers, CQC inspections and future contractors alike.<\/p>\n If your estate includes UPS systems supporting critical loads, our UPS maintenance checklist sets out the three-tier approach we use to keep dual-supply arrangements audit-ready under the revised Section 710 requirements.<\/p>\n The pattern behind Amendment 4 is clear once you step back from the individual sections: storage, data infrastructure and life-safety supply continuity are now central to how buildings are wired, not niche add-ons. Chapter 57 exists because battery storage stopped being a specialist installation years ago. Section 716 exists because PoE now powers building systems that used to run on mains cable. Neither change should surprise anyone who has specified a commercial fit-out in the last two years.<\/p>\n What I\u2019d push back on is the temptation to treat this as paperwork. The real work is procurement and training, done properly, before October. Prioritise sites where the risk is highest, battery rooms, medical locations, anywhere PoE carries a safety-critical load, and loop in fire engineers early where Chapter 57 intersects with your fire strategy. That collaboration matters more than reading the regulations cover to cover.<\/p>\n \u2014 Ashley<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Getting Amendment 4:2026 embedded across a multi-site estate before October takes more than a read-through of the new sections, it takes someone checking every project file, every battery room and every medical supply against the current standard. Delta First runs exactly that kind of compliance survey across Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk and Greater London, giving facilities managers an auditable record of where each site stands against A4:2026 rather than a guess.<\/p>\n Our engineers update EICR reporting, UPS and battery checks, and PPM contract documentation to reflect the new recording requirements, so remedial work gets prioritised correctly and nothing sits unrecorded until your next scheduled visit. If you manage commercial premises and need a clear picture of where Amendment 4 affects your estate, request a planned maintenance survey or compliance quotation from our commercial electrical team<\/a> and we\u2019ll walk your sites against the new standard.<\/p>\n For the full regulatory text and supporting detail behind everything covered here, go directly to the publishing bodies rather than secondary summaries.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/strong><\/ul>\n <\/p>\n Need help with your electrical installation or compliance?<\/strong> Delta First\u2019s directly employed electricians provide testing, maintenance, installations and upgrades for commercial and residential properties across Essex, Suffolk and London, with 24\/7 emergency cover. Call 01206 237422 or request a quote<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n
\nBS 7671 updates: what changed in amendment 4:2026<\/h2>\n
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When does the old edition expire, and what are your options now?<\/h2>\n
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What amendment 4 changes on site: design, installation and inspection<\/h2>\n
![\"Engineer](\"https:\/\/www.deltafirst.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1788925587110_Engineer-inspecting-battery-storage-enclosure.jpeg\")
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Which publications and training do you need now?<\/h2>\n
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How Delta First applies amendment 4:2026 for clients<\/h2>\n
![\"How](\"https:\/\/www.deltafirst.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1788925665760_How-Delta-First-applies-Amendment-4-2026-for-clients-overview-diagram.jpeg\")
<\/p>\nAmendment 4:2026: an editorial view on where the priorities sit<\/h2>\n
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Delta First: compliance surveys and amendment 4 implementation support<\/h2>\n
![\"Delta](\"https:\/\/www.deltafirst.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1783116648075_deltafirst.jpg\")
<\/p>\nWhere to find the official documents and further guidance<\/h2>\n
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Sources<\/h2>\n
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Recommended<\/h2>\n
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Talk to Delta First<\/h2>\n