Articles, guides, and updates about electrical certification software and compliance.
Nine UK certification products compared by platform, pricing model and whether they check your values against BS 7671. From a vendor who makes one of them.
What C1, C2, C3 and FI codes mean on an EICR, how they set the satisfactory or unsatisfactory outcome, and what to do next for each one.
Certification software is sold five different ways in the UK. What each model costs you across a year, and how to work out which suits your volume.
Yes, in several forms. Whether any of it is free across a whole year is a different question, and the answer usually depends on what you produce and how much of it.
An EICR follows a fixed structure, and filling it in section by section, in order, is the easiest way to keep the report internally consistent.
The Brown Book goes on 15 October. Here's how to get your team switched over to Amendment 4 cleanly, plus a free checklist to download.
You've got engineers out on site. They're good at their jobs. But when the certificates come back, they don't look the same.
There's no shortage of electrical certification software on the market. They all produce certificates. They all claim to be easy to use. The differences are in the detail, and the detail is what catches you out later.
Amendment 4 was published on 15 April 2026. It is the biggest update to BS 7671 since the 18th Edition came in, and the trade calls it the Orange Book.
Amendment 4 to BS 7671 was published on 15 April 2026. You can work to it today. The previous edition is still valid too. That’s the part that catches people out.
The Electrical Contractors' Association now calls the UK electrical skills gap a "live and growing threat." Their 2026 Skills Index shows electrical apprenticeships fell 5.5% last year, while demand keeps rising.
The annual assessment comes round once a year. The work that earns it happens every other day.
AI is on jobs already. Engineers use it to summarise documents, draft scope notes and write variation letters. Some also ask it regs questions between jobs.
EICR notes rewritten. Medical locations tightened. Cables in walls reorganised into a table. When Amendment 4 drops, your paperwork changes too.
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Battery Installatins and Energy Efficiency both address areas where the regulations were overdue for guidance.
If you've worked on server rooms, data centres, or network installations, you'll know the headaches around functional earthing versus protective earthing.
Dr David Dickie has spent nearly 20 years in AI research and development. He's now joined Shine Forms as Chief AI Officer.
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Your 18th Edition qualification stays valid. You won't need to resit your 2382 qualification. Amendment 4 doesn't wipe the slate clean - it builds on what's already there.
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We get asked this a lot. What does "intelligence" actually mean when we talk about our software? Fair question. The word gets thrown around so much in software marketing that it's basically meaningless. So here's the straight answer.
Everyone's guessing about Amendment 4. Gary Gundry isn't. He sits on JPEL/64, the committee that have written it. When we tell you what's coming, we're telling you what Gary knows.
Gary Gundry doesn't just know BS 7671 – he helps write it. Now his regulation knowledge is built directly into Shine Forms software.
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PIR forms haven't existed for years – but our name was still Pirform. Now we're Shine Forms. Same regulation intelligence. Same team. Better name.
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Shine Forms new Circuit Helper feature brings intelligence directly into your circuits and test results, making it easier to review certificates and understand your work at a glance.
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Learn how Shine Forms intelligence validates ring final circuits against IET On-Site Guide recommendations, automatically checking cable sizing, protective devices, and installation methods to ensure BS 7671 compliance.
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Discover how the unique Intelligence features in Shine Forms automates BS 7671 compliance checking, from cable sizing to RCD operation, saving you time while ensuring consistency across your electrical certificates.
Learn how the Shine Forms Board Manager helps you organize multi-board installations with visual supply chains, drag-and-drop connections, bulk operations, and Excel export for comprehensive installation documentation.
Custom Inspection Schedules: Tailoring EICRs to Your Inspection Needs
Large installations often require multiple engineers working simultaneously—one testing the main building while another handles outbuildings, or team members split across different floors.
A picture is worth a thousand words—especially when documenting electrical installation conditions. Learn how with Shine Forms, electrical cert software
Electrical work often evolves from one certificate type to another. An EICR reveals a consumer unit needs replacing—suddenly you need an EIC.
