'Gas Safe Register' is the new brand name for Capita's gas registration scheme unveiled for Britain.
Capita's Gas Safety Register scheme replaces CORGI's registration scheme from April 1, 2009, and installers will need to be registered on the scheme to operate legally.
Installers can visit the scheme's new website
www.gassaferegister.co.uk launched today, and from January 19 CORGI registered businesses can get their registration renewed online.
Registration will come with a three month probationary period for newly qualified engineers and those returning to gas work after an extended break.
Capita has announced lower registration renewal fees for installers :-
£175 plus VAT for registration by post
£153 plus VAT for registration online.
Under the CORGI scheme, which ends on March 31, 2009, installers were charged £179.
The Gas Safe Register will provide a service for notifying work under Building Regulations but it will not be compulsory. Fees will be £3 to notify by telephone and £2 online.
Capita says these fees will reduce further over time as its costs go down.
The new Gas Safe Register brand is owned by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), but is on loan to Capita for the duration of its contract with the HSE.
Face-to-face interviews with installers, discussions with 1,000 consumers and consultation with other strakeholders led to the brand's development and final sign off last week. The total cost of the HSE's rebranding exercise was not disclosed.
Capita is currently in discussions with energy companies to get the 'Gas Safe Register' logo on customers' utility bills.
Installers will be able to get hold off free vehicle logo stickers in the first issue of the scheme's new monthly magazine 'Registered Gas Engineer'. The magazine comes with technical pullout pages and its first issue is due out on by April 2009.
On December 12, CORGI-registered gas installers will be mailed details about the 'Gas Safe Register' brand and on December 15, installers can record their interest in renewing registration.
Ann Robinson, director of public awareness at Gas Safe Register said 'This is not like Marathon changing to Snickers, because ours is a campaigning brand.
Our aim is to support registered engineers throughout the changeover and beyond. We will make sure your customers know CORGI gas registration is gone and Gas Safe Register is the official stamp for gas safety'.
She added: 'Our over-arching message is always use a Gas Safe Register engineer, check their ID everytime and do not give rogue traders a chance'.
In an effort to raise the public's recognition of the new Gas Safe Register scheme, one of Capita's KPI goals set by the HSE requires Capita to acheive an unprompted public awareness percentage rate of 40% by October 2009.
120 existing CORGI inspectors are being transferred to work for Capita's new registration scheme.
Peter Eldridge, managing director of Gas Safe Register said 'Gas Safe Register must quickly replace CORGI in the minds of gas consumers. It's a big mountain to climb, but we're confident the new brand takes us halfway there.'