Without a commissioning certificate there is no gas connection. Yet most still fill it in manually.

There is no document in the installation sector that is so directly blocked by external parties as the commissioning certificate for a gas installation. Without that certificate, the grid operator does not activate the gas connection. Without a gas connection, the client cannot heat, cook or get hot water. The pressure to deliver it quickly and correctly is enormous.

And yet that certificate is still produced in most small and medium installation companies using a Word template from years ago, printed, signed, and sent by email or post to the grid operator. Every step manual, every step a potential delay.

What the ARGB requires

The General Gas Installations Regulation (Royal Decree of 28 June 1971) establishes that every new gas installation or significant modification must be inspected by the accredited installer before commissioning. That inspection generates a mandatory commissioning certificate with:

• —Leak test of the complete installation: initial pressure, waiting time, final pressure, conclusion
• —Working pressure and supply pressure measured at the appliance, conforming to technical specifications
• —Ventilation verification: type of system, measured or calculated airflow
• —Flue inspection: visual check of the duct and connection
• —Decision: commissioned or not, with justification if rejected
• —Signature of the accredited installer with accreditation number
• —To be provided to the owner and sent to the grid operator

The grid operator verifies this certificate before activating the connection. An incomplete or incorrect certificate is rejected. The installer must correct it and resubmit. Every day of delay is a day the client has no gas.

Where things go wrong in practice

Incomplete certificates that get rejected

The most common problem: the technician forgets to fill in a field. The pressure test values are there, but the accreditation number is missing. Or the ventilation verification is blank because the technician considered it obvious. The grid operator rejects the certificate. The technician must correct it, sign again, resubmit. Two extra days of waiting for the client.

Certificates submitted too late

A technician installs a boiler on Tuesday. They complete the certificate on Thursday. The grid operator processes it the following week. The client waits two weeks for their connection — not because the installation was not ready, but because the administration was delayed. That client calls the installation company, not the grid operator.

Modifications that go undocumented

An installer extends a gas pipe or moves a connection. Technically a minor intervention. Legally, every modified pipe section requires re-inspection and a partial commissioning certificate. This is often skipped. If there is a problem with that section later, there is no documentation of the modification.

Gas leak interventions without a dossier

In a gas leak intervention, speed is the priority. The technician repairs the leak, conducts a pressure test, and leaves. The report comes later. But in the event of a gas explosion or fire, the intervention dossier is the first evidence. If that report is incomplete or late, the technician faces liability.

What automation looks like

A technician finishes a gas installation. On their phone they enter the pressure test values: initial pressure, after 30 minutes, final pressure. The software automatically calculates whether the test passed based on ARGB standards. They fill in the working pressure and ventilation verification. Their accreditation number is already filled in.

The commissioning certificate is automatically generated in the correct format for the grid operator. The technician signs digitally. The certificate is sent to the grid operator and a copy goes to the client. Everything done before they leave the premises.

• —No more incomplete certificates: mandatory fields are validated before submission.
• —Pressure test: values entered, pass/fail automatically calculated based on ARGB standards.
• —Ready immediately after installation: no delay between installation and certificate.
• —Gas leak intervention documented on-site: time, cause, repair, new test.
• —Archive per address: all certificates for an installation bundled, always retrievable.

The link with boiler maintenance

Many gas installers also do boiler maintenance. They therefore produce two types of documents: the commissioning certificate when installing and the maintenance certificate at every periodic visit. Both currently manual, both with the same problem: paper and Word produced too late.

A tool that covers both workflows is doubly interesting for those companies: all documentation for gas installations and boiler maintenance in one system, grouped by address, always correct and on time.

Gas commissioning and certification requirements in the Netherlands, Germany and France

The Belgian ARGB (Royal Decree of 28 June 1971) imposes a system of accredited installers and mandatory commissioning certificates. In the Netherlands, NEN 1078 is the technical standard for indoor gas installations, with mandatory certification via Kiwa for gas installation companies. After every new installation or modification, written evidence of the inspection is required. In Germany, DVGW Arbeitsblatt G 600 TRGI (Technical Rules for Gas Installations) and the Energiewirtschaftsgesetz apply, with certification by DVGW-accredited installers.

In France, NF DTU 61.1 and NF EN 1775 are the reference standards for gas installations. Qualification via Qualigaz or Qualiténergies is required for recognised installation work. In all countries, the grid operator refuses to activate the connection without a correctly completed and signed commissioning document — identical to the Belgian practice with Fluvius, Sibelga and ORES.