A new register for energy consultants is aiming to become a ‘kitemark’ of excellence for the sector.

The Energy Institute (EI), a professional body for the energy sector set up the register last year after the Carbon Trust closed its own register, leaving a gap in the market.

Now the Institute is calling for energy consultants to join the Register of Professional Energy Consultants (RPEC) as soon as possible or risk missing a “fast track” membership.

It says anyone who was a member of Carbon Trust’s register can skip out extra paperwork if they join by the end of March, through the ‘grand-parenting scheme’. The EI will run the professional register with the Energy Systems Trade Association (ESTA).

Sarah Beacock, International and Professional Affairs Director at EI said: “With energy prices rising and energy efficiency remaining a strong focus for UK Government policy, we expect this register to be in high demand. One main difference to this register, compared to previous incarnations, is that all consultants who wish to join RPEC must achieve chartered status.”

A spokesman for the EI told ELN it expects this requirement to add extra credibility to members on the register, compared with other associations which only require a fee for membership.

Consultants who were previously registered with the Carbon Trust but are not currently chartered can apply to join the register through the grand-parenting scheme, as long as they get chartered status by January 2014.

There is a one-off application fee of £100 to join RPEC and an annual registration fee of £200 for members of the EI and ESTA and £300 for non-members.