Trade news · 3 September 2026
EAS: from 1 October, the qualification has to be in your name
From 1 October the EAS stops letting one qualified supervisor cover the rest of the team. Anyone doing periodic inspection and testing, EV charging, solar, battery storage or micro wind needs the qualification in their own name. Four weeks to sort it.
The Electrotechnical Assessment Specification is the standard your scheme provider assesses you against. It was overhauled in October 2024, and the part most firms put off dealing with takes effect on 1 October 2026.
What actually changes
Until now a firm could lean on one Qualified Supervisor. From 1 October the qualification has to sit with the person doing the work.
The ECA is explicit about who that covers. An "employed person" means directly employed staff, subcontractors, temporary and agency workers, and self-employed individuals or sole traders undertaking electrotechnical work. If they are working under your certification, they need their own qualification.
Periodic inspection and testing
Anyone carrying out periodic inspection and testing under your registration now needs to:
- hold a Level 3 award in the Periodic Inspection and Testing of Electrical Installations
- have a minimum of two years' evidence of relevant experience
- show evidence of ongoing continuing professional development
That last one catches people out. It is not a certificate you buy once and file.
Four new low carbon categories
The EAS has added four installation work categories, and from 1 October each one needs the relevant qualification:
- EV charging equipment
- Solar PV
- Electrical energy storage
- Micro wind turbines
Being qualified for one does not cover you for the others.
For EV charging specifically, the ECA confirmed in March that two qualifications are acceptable: City & Guilds 2919-01, the Level 3 Award in Domestic, Commercial and Industrial Electric Vehicle Charging Equipment Installation, and City & Guilds 2919-02, the domestic-only version. Both have applied since 9 March 2026.
What happens if you are not ready
Certified businesses have until 1 October to get there. Assessment visits before the deadline record non-compliance in the report rather than acting on it. After it, it is simply non-compliance.
Four weeks
- Write down every person who carries out or signs off inspection and testing under your registration. Subcontractors and agency labour included.
- Check each of them against the qualification list, not against how long they have been doing the job.
- If you fit EV chargers, batteries, solar or wind, check each category separately.
- Book the training now. Every electrician in the country is working to the same date, and course places are finite.
