What RGII Means, and Why It Is Now Called RGI
RGII stood for Registered Gas Installers of Ireland, the organisation that ran Ireland's statutory gas installer scheme until January 2023. The scheme itself did not go anywhere, but the operator changed. Safe Energy Ireland, appointed as the Gas Safety Supervisory Body by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU), now runs it, and the registration is called RGI, short for Registered Gas Installer.
If you are searching for RGII you are looking for the right thing under an old name. The legal requirement comes from the Energy (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2006, which makes it an offence for anyone who is not a Registered Gas Installer to carry out designated gas works.
Each registered installer is issued a unique registration number recorded on the public register at rgi.ie, which any homeowner can search for free. If the installer you are considering does not appear on that register, they are not legally authorised to carry out gas work in Ireland.
Gas work is heavily regulated for good reason. A fault on a gas installation can cause carbon monoxide poisoning, fires, or explosions. Registration is the public's assurance that the person doing the work has been trained, tested and approved to do it safely.
What Gas Work Requires an RGI Registered Installer?
The following work legally requires a registered gas installer in Ireland:
- Gas boiler installation, replacement or modification
- Gas hob, range or oven connection
- Gas fire or gas water heater installation
- Any work on gas pipework or gas supply
- Gas meter installation or modification
The following does not require gas registration:
- General plumbing (water, drainage, waste)
- Oil boiler installation, which sits outside the gas scheme entirely; look for OFTEC oil-firing certification instead
- Air-to-water heat pump installation (requires F-Gas certification)
- Bathroom or kitchen plumbing not connected to gas
For the cost of the most common gas job, see our boiler installation guide.
Why Using a Registered Gas Installer Matters
It is a legal requirement
Gas work carried out by an unregistered person is illegal in Ireland, and an unregistered person doing designated gas works can face criminal proceedings. Knowingly allowing unregistered gas work in your home also carries risk for the homeowner.
Home insurance
Most Irish home insurance policies require that gas work is carried out by a "competent person." An unregistered installation can invalidate your policy entirely in the event of a gas-related claim.
Declaration of Conformance
Only a registered gas installer can issue the completion certificate, formally a Declaration of Conformance, and issuing one is itself a legal obligation on the installer for any gas work carried out. The document is what you produce for property sales, new gas connections and insurance claims, so without it you have no record that the work was done to standard.
Property sale
When you sell a property, your conveyancing solicitor will ask for certification for all gas appliances. An uncertified installation delays the sale and may require expensive remedial work before contracts can be exchanged.
Do not allow any gas work to begin without first verifying the installer's registration. Verification takes under two minutes and costs nothing. A fine or insurance refusal costs significantly more.
How to Verify an RGI Registration Number
Before any gas work starts, take two minutes to confirm your installer is on the register. It is free, public, and could save you from a very costly problem later.
- Ask for the installer's RGI registration number. Every registered installer has a unique number. If they cannot provide it, do not proceed. An older installer may still call it their RGII number, which is the same thing.
- Go to rgi.ie and search. The register is searchable by name, company, or registration number. No account needed. The old rgii.ie address is no longer where the register lives.
- Confirm the registration is current. Registration has to be renewed, so check the entry is active rather than expired.
RGI Versus RGII: What Is the Difference?
There is no practical difference, because they are not two schemes. RGI is the Registered Gas Installer scheme, the single statutory scheme covering natural gas and LPG work in Ireland. RGII was the name of the organisation that operated it until January 2023.
The confusion is understandable, since the old name persists on paperwork, on installer vans and in search results years after the handover. Whichever name you encounter, the check is identical: look the registration number up on the public register at rgi.ie before any work begins.
One thing worth clearing up, because it is a common misconception: neither name covers oil. Gas registration applies to natural gas and LPG only, so if you are having an oil boiler installed or serviced, ask about OFTEC oil-firing certification instead.
| RGI | RGII | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | The registration scheme | The former operator of the scheme |
| Status | Current name and scheme | Legacy name, retired January 2023 |
| Covers | Natural gas and LPG | Natural gas and LPG, never oil |
| Where to check | rgi.ie | rgi.ie (the old rgii.ie is no longer the register) |
Key takeaways
- RGI (Registered Gas Installer) is the statutory scheme. RGII was the name of the organisation that operated it, retired in January 2023.
- Designated gas work such as boilers, hobs, fires, pipework and meters legally requires a Registered Gas Installer under the Energy (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2006.
- You can verify any installer for free on the public register at rgi.ie, and the check takes under two minutes.
- Only a registered installer can issue the Declaration of Conformance you need for insurance claims, property sales and new gas connections.
- Neither RGI nor RGII covers oil. Oil boiler work needs OFTEC oil-firing certification instead.
