IET Acts Over Consumer Unit Ratings

coming up on this week's news the IET urgently  clarifies the rules on the rated current of   consumer units following reports of poor practice  in the trade a Contracting firm is fined £120,000   after a solar panel installer falls from a roof  in Salisbury and the government unveils plans to   make public charger installations easier welcome  back after the winter break to electrical news   weekly in association with solar trade sales your  easy One-Stop shop for all things solo remember  

to click the link in the show notes to check out  their online shop whether you're listening in the   van on site or down at the wholesale counter I'm  Joe Robinson and I've been through the best of the   electrical industry news to save you the trouble  and if you think you've spotted the two words that   I've been challenged to slip into this week's show  comment with them below for the chance to win a   prize the authors of the wiring regulations have 

moved to clarify the rated current requirements of  

consumer units as more and more householders  install micro-generation the institution of   engineering and Technology published its guidance  this week in a bid to reduce the instances where   ratings could be exceeded the organisation gives  the example of a micro generator such as a solar   panel installation with a maximum current of  16 amps connected to a 100 amp unit this fails   regulation 551.7.2 as the assembly current could  hit 116 amps one solution is for electricians to  

request that the DNO cutout fuse is downgraded to  80 amps this works but it limits the capacity of   the board an alternative is to swap the board  for one rated at 125 amps while expensive and   disruptive it complies with the regs another  option is a board from a manufacturer which   can handle both supplies but requires them at  different ends of the busbar remember a busbar   can have a different rating to the whole assembly  in this case the manufacturer must ensure the  

consume unit can distribute the 116 amps without  overheating such an arrangement is likely to be   subject to the application of a rated diversity  Factor this is to account for the mutual heating   of circuits and devices where this is the case  the IET cautions that electricians must obtain a   declaration from the manufacturer and attach it  to the electrical certificate a final allowable   option is to install an overcurrent protective  device immediately Upstream of the dis board you  

then connect the solar panels inverter to the  AC Supply immediately Upstream of this device   using a 100 amp connector block the guidance also  explores overload coordination with an overcurrent   protection device more advanced Solutions such as  a customer limitation scheme using Load shedding   relays are included in Amendment four of the  regulations which has now concluded its period   of public consultation I've put the link to the  detailed guidance document in the show notes as  

well as a link to the free training package that  we made on this very subject supported by the good   Folks at Lewden Palazzoli it's worth a watch and  will count towards your annual CPD requirement   so check it out in other news the government has  announced plans to make it easier to install EV  

chargers in public locations the department for  transport is scrapping the need for installers of   plug-in points to get a section 50 license to do  the work instead charge Point operators should use   a permit which officials say would be much quicker  and cheaper typically applications for Ev charger   jobs that last for three days or fewer need to be  sent within 3 days of when the work needs to start   and the highway Authority must respond within two 

days the maximum permit fee that can be charged   is either £45 or £60 depending on the type of  Road charge Point operators will also be able   to access the online Street manager platform  across England to notify the local Highway   Authority the government says it will also allow  off- Street EV chargers to be installed in homes   using permitted development rights the loosening  of the planning rules comes following reports that   the UK is on the cusp of a charge Point Revolution 

that's because the number of plug-in stations is   set to increase dramatically in the next two  years more than 120 planning applications for   plug points worth more than £500 million have been  granted in the last 18 months by local authorities   that equates to hundreds of thousands of new  points projects given the green light include   a £100 million job for a charging network across  Wales and a £68 million project for West Sussex   Council schemes costing £692 million have been 

approved recently in a sign that local officials   are heeding advice from central government that  charging infrastructure should get priority it's   also been a record year for sales of electric  vehicles in 2024 almost one in five cars sold   was purely electric the growth was dominated by  businesses not private individuals the sales are   partly driven by discounting from Auto Brands who  are trying to avoid government penalties meanwhile   one such brand Nissan has become the latest to 

announce it will include bidirectional charging in   some of its cars from next year cars equipped with  its vehicle to grid technology will be able to use   their batteries to power the home or sell energy  back to the grid the company has become the first   in the UK to gain what's called g99 certification  a g99 Cert is needed to supply electricity to the   UK Network Nissan says that going bidirectional  can cut the annual cost of powering an EV by 50%  

now an exciting update from the Luceco group  as part of their ongoing commitment to support   electricians they've relaunched their online  Training Academy with courses on all manner   of subjects from Electrical design to fire alarms  to EV charger installs and don't worry you don't   need to be bilingual in Tech speak as many of  the courses are presented by a familiar face   click the link in the show notes to see all  the courses available to help you with your  

CPD in the courts this week a Contracting firm has  been fined £120,000 after a solar panel installer  

plunged from a roof in Salisbury in Wilshire the  man who was 23 at the time broke his leg in the   fall while working for EE Renewables Limited in  December 2022 he had been adjusting a solar panel   when he slid and fell 4m onto the ground below  a health and safety executive probe found that   the company had not properly planned the work at  height and it had failed to take suitable steps   to prevent a fall The Firm had been hired by  the homeowner to move nine solar panels higher  

up on the roof at Swindon magistrates Court e  Renewables limited of Salterns Lane, Fareham,   Hampshire pleaded guilty to breaching the health  and safety at work act and was fined £120,000 with   £4,700 in costs still on solar it's been revealed  that mounting pv panels vertically during snowy  

winter months yields up to four times more  power than laying them flat the surprising   finding was discovered by researchers in Norway  acting on behalf of the Over Easy Solar Company   it's partly explained by snow cover on flat  panels reducing their output but the vertical   panels also benefit from light reflected from the  snow panels mounted vertically all year round can   be up to 30% more efficient in a Scandinavian  country with high snowfall says the firm another  

benefit to Vertical panels in snow conditions  the company claims is the faster melting of snow   around them that's because the panel orientation  promotes the mixing of warmer air into the snowy   surface now our first question of the week for  2025 was taken from our free training package  

made with Doncaster cables on the subject of  cables and conductors and asked when PVC cable   is burnt it gives off which gas the correct answer  is of course hydrogen chloride and hang on to your   hats because while 57% of people on YouTube got  the answer right for the first time in a long   time LinkedIn participants showed a higher level  of knowledge and 61% were correct over there the   battle of the platforms is back on for next week  in the meantime head over to that free training  

package From Doncaster cables to find out more  nuggets of useful information in product news  

this month there's been a Spate of recalls the  office for product safety and standards is warning   the trade about a pair of electrical boots aimed  at electricians the Arma A18 lightning boots are   intended to provide protection against electrical  hazards but the office says that they do not meet   the requirements of the regulations when used in  electrical environments it adds the risk of an   electric shock is is high the product is only  certified as a basic safety boot despite the  

withdrawal eFIXX found the Footwear on open sale  on websites which Supply the trade I've put a link   to the official documents in the show notes so  you can be fully informed before any purchase also   being recalled this week is a range of sangamo Kit  being voluntarily withdrawn is a series of power   saver heating timers and fuse Spurs it includes  7-Day 24-hour and boost timers distributor   ESP explains that it has identified a potential 

safety hazard with the product it says a potential   Manufacturing defect may cause the units to  overheat particularly if they're used with a high   load in a high ambient temperature any electrician  who's installed one of the products in question is   advised to isolate and replace it immediately the  company also says that as per IET guidance 13 amp   loads in high ambient temperature environment  such as airing cupboards are not suitable to be  

supplied by standard 13 amp fuse spur products in  such cases a 20 amp double pole switch unit should   be used instead the company says it can report  that no damage or injuries have been reported   at this time I've put list of the product codes in  the show notes finally in a bit of a gotcha moment   the office for product safety and standards has  rejected a recessed ceiling light at the border   it says the LED Luminaire presents a high risk of 

electric shock due to its inadequate insulation   levels the flying leads are simply connected to  a terminal block leaving metal Parts insulated   from Live Parts by basic insulation only should  this basic insulation fail accessible metal Parts   could become live causing the user to receive  an electric shock the product also failed the   electric strength test as the insulation broke  down when the 3,000 volt test voltage was applied   additionally some of the required documentation 

and markings are not present therefore the product   does not meet the requirements of the electrical  equipment safety regulations of 2016 the product   was put up for sale on Amazon before its rejection  if you're aware of any models that have made it   into the UK you're advised to contact your local  trading standards office immediately again I've   listed the link to the PDF containing the model  numbers and carton identifiers in the show notes  

in business news the LED Group which includes  Robus and fusebox has bought the ATC group  

headquartered in Dublin ATC is a renowned brand  in energy efficient electric heaters handryers   and automation controls it was founded in 1991  and operates across the UK and Ireland ATC will   continue as an independent brand but will benefit  from the full backing of LED groups extensive   resources and support and finally a reminder that  we're in the market for your stories your projects   and your recommendations as we'd like to share  them with the wider eFIXX community us pictures of  

your installs or let us know if you've come across  any new kit that's making your job easier and just   before we get to your favourite bit of the show  where I reveal last week's challenge words and  

winners we want to thank our premium Partners  we couldn't make the news without you first up   they're the people who've created the Swiss army  knife of solar inverters along with all weather   batteries very much the Boy Scouts of the solar  industry it's Sunsynk and speaking of solar with   manufacturing powered by a 250 gWh solar PV array  they're literally the greenest test instrument   maker in Europe both physically and ethically it's  KPS are you a bit of a control freak motor control  

that is if so with huge stocks in excellent  service check out Crompton Controls as they said   to me in a recent conversation if we don't have  it then we can build it and the best thing to come   out of Yorkshire since stainless steel the home  of EV Ultra and other groundbreaking and quality   products it's Doncaster cables big thanks to you  all we really appreciate your ongoing support  

for the news if you think you know the words I've  smuggled into this week's show pop your guess into   the comments we'll take all the correct guesses  and select one at random to be the winner of an   eFIXX goodie bag prize answers submitted after  about lunchtime on the Thursday after release will   not be entered into the draw now let's reveal the  winners of last week's challenge word competition   last week's words were dunderhead and Sycamore 

that last being one of my favourite words Sycamore   Sycamore it's lovely anyway the first name to come  out of our electronic hat was dark 22 King so very   well done to you click the link in the show notes  to claim your prize thanks for listening to this   episode of electrical news weekly in association  with solar trade sales your easy One-Stop shop for   all things solar remember to click the link  in the show notes to check out their online  

shop make sure you subscribe to receive the next  update thanks for listening and until next time   have a great week stay safe out there and remember  there's no such thing as a torque calibrated arm