Electrical Installation Certificate: What AI Can Draft and You Must Sign

AI can draft the words around an electrical installation certificate, but it cannot complete the certificate. It can write the description of the work, lay out the circuit schedule and draft the cover note. The test results, inspection ticks, departures and the three declarations come from the electrician who designed, built or tested the work.

The model certificate explains why. It is valid only when the schedule of inspections has been completed and the schedules of circuit details and test results are attached, and each signatory declares that they used reasonable skill and care. Those are statements about what a person did and measured. A drafting tool has done neither, so the useful question is which boxes hold words and which hold evidence.

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Check the edition and the form before you draft anything

As of 1 November 2026, the IET's own BS 7671 page (the IET co-publishes the standard with BSI) says the transition period for Amendment 2 (BS 7671:2018+A2:2022) ended on 15 October 2026. It adds that Amendment 2 should no longer be referenced for new installation work, project specifications, certification or compliance, and it names BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 as the current edition. The IET's model forms page offers free PDFs for that version, for Amendment 2 and for the original 2018 forms.

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That matters for AI because each of the three declarations on the form has a blank for the date the installation was "amended to". Models learn from older text, so a draft tends to reach for whichever amendment was current when most of that text was written. Put the edition and amendment in your prompt, and fill that blank yourself.

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The notes on the form say when an Electrical Installation Certificate is the right document: the initial certification of a new installation; an addition or alteration that introduces one or more new circuits; the replacement of a consumer unit or distribution board; or one certificate covering several additions, alterations or remedial jobs that don't extend to new circuits, instead of several minor works certificates. It is not for periodic inspection of an existing installation. That takes an Electrical Installation Condition Report, and EICR software and AI covers where the line falls there. A single small addition with no new circuit can use the Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate.

The IET lets you photocopy or electronically edit its forms free of charge, for use solely in connection with your electrical contracting business, and says that permission doesn't mean it has checked them for errors or omissions, or that they suit your particular purpose. Your scheme operator or a client may ask for a different layout. If so, everything below still applies to it. Whatever the layout, the words can be drafted and the evidence can't.

Section by section: which boxes are words and which are evidence

The table follows the sections of the A4:2026 model form. The third column is the most an AI assistant should be given. The fourth stays with you.

Two rows deserve a second look. Section B is where AI is most useful and easiest to get wrong, because each declaration on the form limits the signatory's liability to the work described. Whatever extent you write is the extent you have certified. The schedule of test results is the one it should never write, and the form itself shuts off one shortcut: an "X" for incorrect polarity can't be entered on the schedule when it is issued with an Electrical Installation Certificate.

A worked certificate: consumer unit swap and two new circuits

Take an illustrative job in a three-bedroom house. The electrician replaces the consumer unit (the fuse board, or panel) in the hall cupboard with a ten-way board that has an RCBO on every circuit, adds a cooker circuit and a four-socket radial for the utility room, and reconnects five existing circuits. A replaced consumer unit and new circuits both point to an Electrical Installation Certificate rather than a minor works certificate.

Step 1: AI drafts the description and the circuit list

Start from the notes you'd jot in the van, abbreviations and all.

CU swap hall cupboard, 10 way RCBO board. New cooker ckt 6mm from CU to kitchen.
New utility room sockets, 4 off, 20A radial. Reconnected: up ring, down ring,
up lights, down lights, garage supply (16A). Nothing done to heating or smoke
alarms. Ze to be measured.

The prompt gives the model one job and one rule: nothing that isn't in the notes.

You are helping an electrician draft wording for an Electrical Installation
Certificate. Edition: BS 7671:2018+A4:2026. Use ONLY the notes below. Do not add
any number, test value, tick or compliance statement that is not in the notes.
Where something is missing, write [CHECK] instead of guessing.

Task 1: write "Description of installation" (two or three sentences) and
"Extent of installation covered by this certificate" (one sentence saying what
is covered and what is not).
Task 2: list the circuits as a table: number, description, new or existing and
reconnected, device rating from the notes. Leave points served and cable sizes
as [CHECK].

Notes: [paste your notes]

A typical first pass (illustrative) comes back like this.

Description of installation: Replacement of the main consumer unit with a ten-way RCBO consumer unit in the hall cupboard. Two new circuits installed: a cooker circuit in 6 mm² cable to the kitchen and a 20 A radial circuit serving four double sockets in the utility room. Five existing circuits reconnected.

Extent of installation covered by this certificate: The new consumer unit, the cooker circuit, the utility room radial and the reconnection of the existing circuits. The complete installation complies with BS 7671:2018+A4:2026.

Three things need fixing before it goes anywhere. The notes say "4 off", not four double sockets, so that detail becomes [CHECK] until you've counted the outlets. The last sentence is a compliance claim you never gave it, and the only place that claim belongs is in declarations you sign yourself, so it goes. And the extent doesn't say where it stops. Add that wiring beyond the consumer unit on the existing circuits was not altered and is not covered, because the form limits your liability to the work described.

The circuit table is where you do the checking. The draft arrives with [CHECK] in the points and cable columns, and you fill them from what is physically installed, then add the maximum permitted Zs (earth fault loop impedance) for each device from the regulation tables.

The limits are illustrative, so copy yours from the edition you certify to. The tables rest on a simple formula: the nominal 230 V multiplied by a 0.95 voltage factor, divided by the current that makes the device disconnect in the required time. For a type B device that current is five times the rating, which gives 1.37 Ω for 32 A and the other figures above. The form's own footnote adds that a limit taken from anywhere other than the Chapter 41 tables must have its source written in the Remarks column.

Step 2: the numbers come from the instrument

Before the board is energised, Section F needs the supply details. The form asks for the external earth fault loop impedance (Ze) and the prospective fault current (Ipf) by enquiry or measurement, and its notes say the Ipf you record should be the greater of the prospective short-circuit current and the prospective earth fault current. Say you measure a Ze of 0.38 Ω and record 1.2 kA. After isolating, you test each circuit, then energise and test again. Here is what the schedule holds once you've typed the results from your tester's memory or notebook.

Every figure above is illustrative and every real one belongs to your instrument. The arithmetic does hang together, which is the point: Zs should equal Ze plus R1+R2, so circuit 1 reads 0.38 + 0.41 = 0.79. The form also says insulation resistance for an Electrical Installation Certificate should be tested at the voltage stated in Table 64 of the regulations, and that RCD effectiveness is verified with an alternating current test at the rated residual operating current. Those are test-method decisions for the person holding the tester.

Step 3: AI checks what you typed, not what you built

This is the second job where an assistant earns its place, and it is a proofreading job. Give it the limits you copied and the results you typed, and tell it not to rule on compliance.

Below are the maximum permitted Zs values I copied from the regulation tables and
the results I typed from my tester. Ze is 0.38 ohm. Do NOT decide whether the
installation complies. List: (1) any circuit where measured Zs is above its limit;
(2) any circuit where Zs is lower than R1+R2, which cannot be right because Zs
includes R1+R2 plus Ze; (3) any blank cells; (4) any value whose units look
wrong. Say "no issue found" for each category with nothing to report.

[paste the two tables]

Suppose you'd typed circuit 4's Zs as 1.05 instead of 1.50 and left circuit 6's RCD time empty. A reply along these lines (illustrative) is what you want.

1. Above limit: no issue found.
2. Zs below R1+R2: circuit 4 shows Zs 1.05 Ω but R1+R2 is 1.12 Ω. With Ze at 0.38 Ω I'd expect about 1.50 Ω, so this may be transposed digits.
3. Blanks: circuit 6, RCD trip time. Instrument serial numbers are also not entered.
4. Units: no issue found. All insulation readings are above 200 MΩ.

What you do next matters. Don't edit 1.05 to 1.50 because the assistant expects it. Open the tester's stored result, or retest the circuit, and enter what the instrument shows. If the instrument says 1.05, the R1+R2 reading is the suspect one and you have a measurement problem to chase before anything is signed. The check is useful because it points at the cell. It can't tell you which number is wrong.

Step 4: the cover note the customer reads

The form comes with guidance for recipients, and the last drafting job is turning it into an email a homeowner will read. Give the assistant the facts and the things it must not say.

Draft a short, plain-English email to a homeowner to go with an Electrical
Installation Certificate. Say what is attached (certificate, schedule of
inspections, circuit details and test results, [n] pages in total); that the
original should be kept safely and shown to anyone who inspects or works on
the wiring in future; that the RCD test button should be pressed every six
months; and that the next inspection interval recommended in Section D is
[interval]. Do NOT say the installation is "safe" or "fully compliant". Sign off
as [your name] and greet [first name].

The reply (illustrative) is short enough to send as it stands, apart from one fix.

Hi [first name], your electrical installation certificate is attached, together with the schedules that make it valid: the schedule of inspections and the circuit details and test results (6 pages in total). Please keep the original somewhere safe and show it to anyone who works on or inspects the wiring in future. If you move, the new owner will want to see it. Two jobs for you: press the test button on the RCD every six months (it should switch the supply off; switch it back on afterwards, and call us if it doesn't switch off), and book the next inspection within [interval], as Section D recommends. Reply here with any questions. [your name]

The fix is specific to the job. On a board with an RCBO on every circuit, the note should say each test button, because the assistant is working from generic guidance and doesn't know what is in the cupboard. The A4:2026 guidance for recipients also asks for a six-monthly press of any arc fault detection device (AFDD) that has a test button, and a check of any surge protective device's status indicator, so add those lines when the board has them. Check the page count and the interval yourself, and read the whole note for any sentence that sounds like a promise about safety.

Five slips drafts make on certificates

• The older amendment. The declarations get dated to an amendment the IET now calls obsolete for certification. Name the edition in the prompt and read the date box yourself.
• A wider extent than you tested. "The electrical installation" sounds tidier than "the new consumer unit and circuits 5 and 6", and it certifies far more.
• Typical values. Ask for a "typical completed EIC" and you'll get tidy numbers such as 0.35 Ω and over 200 MΩ. They look right and measure nothing. A certificate carrying numbers nobody measured is a false record.
• Unit slips. Ω and mΩ, or MΩ and kΩ, drift when text moves between apps. A limit of 2.19 becomes 21.9 when a decimal point goes missing.
• Last job's circuits. Paste two jobs' notes into one conversation and the second certificate can inherit the first job's circuit list. Start a fresh chat for every certificate.

Who signs each declaration, and what the signature claims

The form has three declarations: for design, for construction, and for inspection and testing. Each has the signatory certify, "to the best of my knowledge and belief", that the work they were responsible for accords with the regulations except for any departures listed, having "exercised reasonable skill and care". The form's notes say the signatures are those of persons authorised by the companies executing that work, and that a signatory authorised to certify more than one category signs in each place. On a single-signature version, one authorised person signs for all of it.

An AI assistant isn't a signatory, and neither is whoever pressed the button to generate the draft. Where an apprentice or an office administrator helps, they can type, format, assemble pages and chase blanks. The inspection and testing signature belongs to the person responsible for that inspection and testing, and the test schedule carries its own tester's name and signature.

A practical test works better than a rule here. If you couldn't defend an entry to an inspector using your own readings or your own eyes, it isn't ready to sign.

Who drafts and who signs in different firms

The split looks different depending on who is in the van, but the rule is the same everywhere: the person who measured it signs it.

In the one-person firm the saving is modest, perhaps ten or fifteen minutes a certificate (my estimate, not a measurement), and it all comes from the typing, none of it from the testing. A one-line rule keeps the larger firms honest: the draft has no numbers in it until the person who measured them types them in. The weekly list of certificates still missing pages can be produced by pasting the tracker into an assistant, in the way admin yes, code answers no describes for other jobs. A library of descriptions is fine for wording, such as "like-for-like consumer unit replacement", but the extent line must be rewritten for every site because it is the line that limits your liability. If you're weighing certification apps that advertise AI features, what to check before you pay applies the same split to a purchase.

Placeholders for client names and site addresses

An Electrical Installation Certificate carries a client's name and address, and the schedules can reveal how a house is used. Draft with placeholders. Write [client] and [site address] in the notes, let the assistant produce the wording around them, and merge the real details into the form afterwards. On consumer ChatGPT and Claude plans there is a switch in privacy settings for model training. On business plans (ChatGPT Business and Claude Team, which both need at least two seats) content isn't used for training by default. Placeholders make that difference matter less.

Regulation questions are a separate risk. An assistant can summarise a regulation you paste in, but asking it to recall one invites an answer from the wrong edition. AI for electrical code sets out a simple test for how far to trust those answers.

Questions electricians ask about AI and certificates

Can AI fill in the schedule of test results for me?

No. Every figure in that schedule has to come from your instrument, and the tester signs the schedule. AI can check what you typed for slips, such as a Zs lower than R1+R2 or a blank cell, but it cannot supply a reading, and a plausible-looking number it invents is a false entry on a signed document.

Can an apprentice or office admin complete the certificate?

They can type, format, chase missing items and assemble the pages. The declarations are different: the form says the signatures are those of persons authorised by the companies carrying out the design, construction, inspection and testing. The person who inspected and tested signs the inspection and testing box, whoever typed the rest.

Which edition do I put in the declaration?

The amendment your design and work were carried out to. The IET's page now names BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 as current and says Amendment 2 should no longer be referenced for certification. If work began under an earlier amendment, check with your registration scheme before choosing the date.

Can AI work out the next inspection interval?

It can list the factors, such as how the building is used and how well it will be maintained, but the decision is not its to make. The form's notes say the period should be agreed between the designer, the installer and other relevant parties, and the designer recommends it in Section D.

Should I paste customer names and addresses into an AI chat?

Avoid it. Draft with placeholders such as [client] and [site address] and merge the real details afterwards. Consumer ChatGPT and Claude plans have a switch for model training in their privacy settings, and business plans do not train on content by default, but placeholders mean the question never comes up.

Further reads

• Seven Best AI Tools for Electricians, From Calls to Certificates — Seven AI tools for electricians by job, with what each costs.
• Can AI Write RAMS for Electrical Work? Who Must Sign It Off — The same drafting-versus-sign-off line, applied to risk assessments.
• Gas Engineer Software: What AI Can Draft and What You Must Sign — See how the split works for gas records and certificates.
• Emergency Lighting Certificate With AI: Test Log to Signed Paperwork — Another certificate where the readings are yours and the wording can be drafted.
• Electrical Permit Application: Track Permits and Inspection Dates With AI — Track permits and inspection dates around the certificate.
• Practical Completion Certificate: What Each Clause Means, Then an AI Draft — What each clause of a completion certificate commits you to.
• EPC Assessor Software: What to Check First, and Where AI Helps — Check scheme approval, approved-list status and update speed before you pay, then use AI for client emails and wording, never for lodgement.
• EV Charger Installer App or Software: AI and Features Beyond Quotes — A neutral checklist for EV charger installers: survey forms, certificates, handover packs, scheduling, what a general job app can do and where AI helps.
• Electrical Contractor AI: Setting Up Permit and Inspection Tracking — A spreadsheet tracker for permits, notifications and inspection dates, plus AI prompts that draft the chasers and flag jobs before they stall.
• Six AI Automations an Electrician Can Set Up in a Weekend — Missed-call texts, invoice reminders, quote chasers, review asks, job notes and certificate reminders, ranked by weekend effort, cost and payoff.
• Tradify vs Fergus for Plumbers and Electricians: AI Features Compared — Tradify's SmartTools and Fergus's assistant judged on a plumber's or electrician's week, with prices for one to five users and a switching plan.
• 10 ChatGPT Prompts for Electricians: Quotes, Emails and T&Cs — Ten prompts for quotes, customer emails and terms and conditions, each with a filled example and the check to run before anything is sent.
• AI App for Electricians: Do You Need One or Is ChatGPT Enough? — A decision rule by quotes, supplier bills and team size, with Tradify SmartRead for Bills, Jobber's AI and ChatGPT priced and compared.
• AI for Electrical Project Management: Diaries, RFIs, Snag Lists — Voice note to site diary, an RFI log that gets chased, and snag lists others can close: a working setup for a small electrical contractor, with prompts.
• Backflow Testing Software for Plumbers: Reminders and Reports With AI — A small plumbing firm's route to annual backflow test reminders and customer notes: register fields, reminder ladder, cover-note prompts and filing checks.
• Boiler Installation Checklist: AI Sorts the Photos, You Sign the Records — A 24-photo boiler install shot list, AI prompts for sorting photos and drafting the handover pack, and warranty prompts. The engineer signs every record.
• AI Tools and AI Development: The Complete 2026 Guide — the AI hub, including every tutorial in the AI-for-business series.

Sources: IET BS 7671 page and model forms page (checked 1 November 2026); the IET model Electrical Installation Certificate for BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 (form dated 15 April 2026, with its notes and guidance for recipients); privacy defaults as published by OpenAI and Anthropic for their plans (checked September 2026).