IET Joins External Consumer Unit Row

coming up on this week's news the IET reignites  the heated debate over the safety of external   consumer units it's revealed that 15,000 Council  homes in Sheffield haven't had an EICR in 5   years and electrical contracting firms fear big  losses following the collapse of construction   heavyweight ISG welcome to electrical news weekly  in association with solar trade sales your easy   One-Stop shop for all things solar make sure you  click the link in the show notes to access their  

online store whether you're listening in the van  onsite or down 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  IET has weighed into the heated debate over the  

safety of external consumer units the institution  this week unveiled a long list of its concerns   over the use of the units for installation such as  EV chargers and heat pumps the 4,000-word article   itemised a Litany of its worries including  the effect of bad weather direct sunlight   condensation pollution and corrosive substances  on the Integrity of the boards the I is also   concerned about tampering and the possibility of  impacts from Vehicles Additionally the article  

opens up the ongoing debate around PEN faults  and earthed outdoor electrical kits such as   heat pumps and solar storage batteries a rare  fault condition on DNO cables can cause exposed   metal work to become live and RCDs don't protect  against this dangerous fault condition although   EV chargers include protection against PEN faults  this is usually included within the charger and   offers no protection to other equipment the IET  also stresses that installers can impair the IP  

rating unless they're very careful about how they  select and use cable entry glands the institution   concludes by saying many Engineers would regard  the use of external consumer units as a last   resort option however some observers say that the  intervention by the IET isn't that helpful instead   they say it adds to the confusion in the trade  eFIXX understands there are no plans to change   the wiring regulations in this area and writing  on social media the article's author senior IET  

engineer Craig O'neill says that any regs change  needs to be backed by strong science he says he   doesn't have any evidence to process a proposal  for change many in the trade have also been quick   to point out that external units made to BS61439-3  are compliant with the regs and installing   them can often save the homeowner the expense of  replacing their indoor consumer unit with a larger   one back in March electricians were told to stop 

putting Battery Systems in Lofts following a fast   tracked publicly available specification instead  the document recommended that batteries should be   located outside a property putting consumer units  in the DNO's external meter boxes is also a no no   the energy networks Association ruled it out in  a recent statement it is a space designed for   the use of electricity industry apparatus only  no allowances made for additional equipment for   safety reasons it would not recommend that any 

internal wiring including a consumer unit is   installed within such a cabinet many in the trade  point to the energy companies which are currently   installing thousands of external consumer units  every month as they help householders connect   up EV Chargers solar panels and heat pumps the  companies are accused of using external consumer   units as a first Resort the row has the potential  to reignite concerns about what many independent   Sparks and contractors see as unfair competition 

from the energy firms they point to the fact that   the companies are allowed to pull the service  fuse whereas independent installers need to   request a visit from the energy supplier or the  newly created safe isolation providers or SIPs   octopus declined to reply to eFIXX's requests for  comment tell us what you think about the issue in   the comments below still on electrical safety  it's been revealed that over 15,000 Council  

homes in Sheffield haven't had an EICR in 5 years  it's recommended that local authorities inspect   and test their installations at least once in  that period as well as at a change of occupancy   sources are blaming a pause in checkups during  the pandemic Sheffield City Council now says it   plans to conduct regular inspections of all its  38,000 Properties by 2030 it's estimated that the   plan could cost almost 20 million as part of the  electrical testing work all code one present risk  

of injury and code two potentially dangerous items  must be rectified while the contractor is at the   property in other news electrical contracting  firms this week are assessing their options  

following the collapse of construction heavyweight  ISG it's the biggest failure in the building   sector since Carillian went bust in 2018 many  of those who were subcontracted on ISG building   sites fear they could lose out after five of ISG's  component companies went into Administration the   ECA urged those affected to take immediate action  it said that if you're able to access your site   get photographs video and written records of  your work in progress also recover tools and  

unfixed materials which you have titled to and  have not yet been paid for keep in contact with   ISG representatives and make a claim for unpaid  works with the appointed administrator ensure your   records are up to date as they will be vital in  establishing the value of your final account they   can also be used in any negotiations with any main  contractor who is brought into to complete the   contract remember too says the association that 

Administration is not liquidation you may even get   a chance to finish the job so stay positive I've  popped a link to the ECA's full list of advice in   the show notes it's been revealed that women  electricians often earn less than their male  

counterparts more than a third of Trades women say  that they are not taken seriously because of their   gender that's according to research by industry  platform rated people Katy Bradshaw an electrician   from Gloucester and a winner of eFIXX's 30  under 30 award this year told the BBC this   week that she struggled to find an apprenticeship  despite being the only one of her training course   to pass first time with distinction every other  lad in her class failed Bradshaw maintains that  

nobody would take her on because she's female she  eventually found someone who already had a woman   installer on their books and was willing to take  her on meanwhile down in Australia a specialist  

electrician has broken cover with the eye watering  salaries that some in the trade can earn Down   Under the instrumentation specialist from the  Gold Coast earns a basic salary of a whopping   £92000 that's more than enough to create a garden  filled with topiary herons the high earnings are   partly because he works in the lucrative oil  and gas sector instrumentation electricians   are qualified Sparks with specialist training  who work with Control Systems they install and  

maintain equipment and repair faults to reduce  interruptions in a production environment he   said the sector was screaming out for workers and  urged young people to consider it as a career in  

product news this week Spanish Brand Zemper has  unveiled a dedicated emergency light for a range   of applications it helps reduce installation time  because you can have 30m spacings in offices and   26m in corridors you can also put in lenses  including ones for Escape Routes it features   a 3-hour battery check out the Q&A video I made  on the subject of corridor and area lighting   featuring The Spatio Plus at the link in the  show notes Sunsynk has unveiled the latest  

range of Acure hybrid inverters at the solar and  storage trade show in Birmingham a key feature of   the series is a wireless current Transformer which  enables easier installation and monitoring without   the need for wiring the inverters support up to  10 Wireless smart switches allowing prosumers   to maximise their own power consumption by  diverting excess solar energy into household   loads such as water heaters or electric vehicles  units also boast a crucial safety feature in the  

form of arc fault detection on solar strings  which detect and mitigate potential electrical   faults that could lead to fires models range from  3.6 KW single-phase options to 12 KW three-phase   units if if you're doing a lot of solar these  days then you'll be super interested in a video   that's fresh from the edit Suite in it Gordon  bench tests the latest PV Checks Pro from TIS   a tool which saved us big bucks when we did a big  solar install on the roof of the Lineside Studios  

the link as ever is in the show notes and finally  eFIXX has learned that British brand myenergi is  

developing a special EV charger which can power  your home from your car it's set to be the UK's   first mass Market vehicle to grid plug-in Point  sources say the product could hit the market   early in the New Year it's understood the launch  will be released to coincide with the arrival of   a host of mainstream vehicle to grid enabled  electric vehicles will keep you posted when we   hear more and our usual 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 send us pictures   of your installs or let us know if you've come  across any new kit that's making your job easier  

now just before we get to your favourite bit of  the show where I revealed last week's challenge   words and winners we want to thank our premium  Partners we couldn't make the new news without   you first up it's 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 up next they're   resolving ventilation problems one property at  a time offering a simplistic ventilation design  

service and high quality products made right here  in the UK breathing fresh air into your home its   environment and do you want a no fuss lighting  Solution that's packed with value then try the   Ecolink range from signify combining value for  money with top-end Signify quality now a business   that will literally bend over backwards to give  you first class service on the trade only supply   of signal reception and distribution custom  install home automation and security products  

for all residential and Commercial projects it's  Alltrade 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 with an incredible range of  equipment from EV charge points through industrial   sockets and switches to kit for explosive areas  plus they supplied gear for a Campari factory   so they'll always have a place in my heart it's  Scame big thanks to all we really appreciate your  

ongoing support for the news if you think you know  the words that I've smuggled into this week's show   pop your guest 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 

phenomenon and Worcestershire see I can say it and   the winner we plucked from our digital hat was  Ellena Jones 7131 so well done to you make sure   you click the get involved 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 that 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 talk calibrated arm