MK Screwless Sockets - Now Available from More Wholesalers

coming up in this week's electrical news weekly  mk make their rapid fix screwless socket available from more wholesalers uk power networks are trying  to find out how customers with heat pumps react to freezing weather and we discover how electric  chopsticks can reduce your salt intake all this and more so stick around i'm joe robinson and i've  been through the best of the electrical industry news to save you the trouble welcome to electrical  news weekly whether you're listening in the van

on-site down at the wholesale counter or if you're  an electrical designer and you've made it safely to your desk wherever you are i hope your week  is off to a great start first up we had a thump

at the door last week as a new catalogue from  electrical direct landed having a flick through we noticed that mk have now released a rapid  fix screwless socket to more wholesalers previously it was only available from screwfix and  bmq diy stores the rapid fix is the first 13 amp screwer socket on the uk market and offers up to  a 45 time saving compared with traditional screws check out the video we made for the product  launch last year i'll leave a link in the show

notes and also a link to pick up a copy of the new  electrical direct catalogue moving on to product

news skullmore group have released a new metalclad  fused connection unit with a secret key operating switch so it's intended for the same purpose as a  regular switch fuse connection unit but the switch can only be operated by a key rather than just by  hand this product has been launched in response to demand from contractors working in areas such as  student accommodation because apparently students have been known to switch things off as some form 

of practical joke unlike the rest of the general population of course next up hilec have launched a  new version of their popular d-box enclosure range

the d-box 11 is ideal for exterior electrical  applications with a rating of up to ip67 and multiple cable entry options manufactured from  polypropylene with innovative mounting features and captive lid screws along with three terminal  lever type connectors this new addition looks like an absolute winner for electricians hilec have  adopted the classic henry ford colour scheme as the d-box 11 is available in any colour  you want as long as it's black and just before

anyone leaps in to tell us that this statement  about the ford model t was only ever partly true we know but it made for a nice conclusion there in  an interesting move marshall tufflex have produced

a product to help electricians save time when  installing accessories into suspended ceilings when installing circular recessed lights or  sensors often they require a petrous installing behind them to help support the weight so the  tile doesn't break often this would mean cutting a wooden square out of plywood or similar however  this is time consuming unless you happen to know a friendly chippy the tuflex tile is a product that  solves this problem it's super lightweight strong

and easy to cut or drill meaning installations  can be completed far more quickly additionally the product is flame retardant and lsf so it  won't contribute to the dreaded fire triangle it's made from super lightweight correct material  easy to handle and store it comes in pre-cut 595 by 595 mil squares with pre-chamfered  corners making it easy and quick to install and won't produce waste and dust from soaring  also reducing the need to use ppe for long periods

always nice to see some outside the box thinking  from manufacturers although in this case it's more thinking outside the two-dimensional plane now we  can't move out of product news without a mention

of lighting which has a special place in our  hearts here at efix knightsbridge have announced the launch of their new low bay light fittings  for commercial installations where ceiling heights are typically under 6.1 meters demand shallower  reflectors and manageable outputs the fittings come in a 90 watt 12 800 lumen version and 165  watt 23 220 lumen achieving efficacy levels of over 140 lumens per watt accessories available  include emergency lighting packs 360 degree pir

and microwave sensors and even mounting brackets  for surface mounted installations definitely a consideration for your next commercial project  in testers and testing a new device from mega the

evcc 300 electric vehicle charger checker which  can make you feel either like james bond or a road traffic controller depending on where your  ambitions lie for those listening only we should point out that the charger is vaguely gun choked  this tester does exactly what it says on the tin it's a checker so it's not designed for initial  verification of a new install but it is a super helpful diagnostic tool for maintenance and fault  finding it's centered around the basics such as

earthing checking protective devices for nuisance  tripping and correct ev charge point operation the best way to understand it is to think of it as  being a bit like a plug-in socket tester it serves as a great functional check and the starting point  for fault finding although of course with way more

functionality tool news now in our fortnightly  live streams we've looked at the precursor to this tool briefly we've all been there trying to  use our biggest flat head screwdriver to tighten up roofing bolts on cable tray with it skidding  out at the critical moment no doubt wondering why isn't there a better way of doing this the  same thought must have occurred to electrician john mielski who was tired of the endless struggle  when installing roofing bolts to fix tray in place

having snapped the corner of yet another flathead  screwdriver this ingenious electrician decided enough was enough and decided to solve the problem  instead of just moaning about it the result was the impact rated roofing bolt driver a driver bit  specifically designed for use with roofing bolts including a magnetic holder in the center  that holds the roofing bolt in place prior to and during installation mr mielsky  worked in partnership with ahmeg to get the

tool onto shelves and into the hands of  grateful electricians now however armage have released another version that clocks in at  a longer 100 millimeters or about four inches if you're listening from the past the longer length  will make it much easier to access bolts in tray with deeper flanges and is better than using an  extension bit as the bolt driver is impact rated

making it much tougher in ev and renewables news  now in response to the booming ev market ctek the swedish charge point manufacturer has expanded its  uk team to support a growing network of installers and wholesalers cecilia routledge no relation  global director of energy and facilities for ctek says we are delighted to have expanded  our uk team to provide unrivaled expertise training sales and technical support in the field  of ev technology another swedish charge point

manufacturer joining the uk market is charge  amps headed up by paul routledge no relation the keynote viewers will have seen the charge  amps residential charger in a recent effects video exploring power supplies to garages and  outbuildings presented by gordon routledge again no relation this follows on from our successful  workplace ev charger series co-presented by gordon routledge no relation and featuring the  ctek chargestorm ev charger we must stress again

that we don't believe any of these routledges  are related however we have passed this case over to a family history researcher for further  investigation and we can only imagine gordon's reaction when he discovers he's actually from  sunderland i'll leave a link to the ev charging videos in the show notes uk power networks are  conducting research to find out exactly how much

energy is needed to keep homeowners warm using  heat pumps and other electric heating technologies the neighborhood green project will compare energy  use in the trial homes with a theoretical model to predict energy use in response to 1 in 20  year cold winters the data will be used to help plan electricity network upgrades to cope with the  expected growth in heat pump installations as gas heating is phased out and our next story relates  to the sterling work being carried out over

the last couple of years by napit in supporting  letting agencies local authorities and landlords in getting to grips with the electrical safety  standards in the private rented sector regulations of 2020 the rules surrounding electrical safety  and the need for periodic testing to produce electrical installation condition reports  for rented properties can be confusing for non-electricians and electricians and so napit  have delivered a number of free webinars to

interested parties reaching over 850 individuals  from the rental sector to educate and inform them about their responsibilities what eicrs are  and how to find a competent electrician to carry them out they've received overwhelmingly positive  feedback about the clarity and informative nature of the webinars this is undoubtedly a real boost  to improving electrical safety for residents in the rental sector and we wish napit all the very  best with their ongoing efforts in this regard now

here's your rundown on what's coming up on efix  this week the team will be visiting the elect show in harrogate on thursday joining the weha stand to  take a look at some of the latest tall additions and recount tales of the recent electricians  challenged by weha uk boss steven lester please please do pop along and say hello if you're  visiting the show on friday we'll be visiting fully charged live taking place at the farnborough  exhibition center to bring you the latest in ev

charger and home energy technology videos being  released on our youtube channel this week include 10 things you didn't know about waygo or is it  vargo tune in to find out the definitive answer and a lot more about this powerhouse of innovation  we'll also be taking a look at some new downlights from ansel and an ev charger from zaptech  which solves problems for ev owners who live

in apartments and while we're busy blowing our  own trumpet we've spotted one of our 30 under 30 award winners making the national press as colin  mulvaney owner of cm electrical made an appearance in the daily record leading with the headline  hard work pays off as lannister electrician's bright young company recognised with a ward in  the lannisha live section of the records website the story details how colin came to start his  own business and how he felt on receiving the

news that he was a winner initially thinking that  the call was a wind-up a big congratulations to colin and all the other winners we're looking  forward to next year's awards so keep an eye on our website and social media to see how  you can get involved and even win an award

and finally in lighter news researchers in japan  have created chopsticks that use electricity to intensify the umami taste in food by adjusting  the function of ions such as sodium chloride and sodium glutamate to change the perception  of taste by making food seem to taste stronger or weaker the chopsticks work in conjunction  with an electronic controller one on the wrist while eating to change the perceived saltiness  of food to the taste buds it's hoped that the

use of the chopsticks could reduce the sodium  intake of people using them as less salt can be used to achieve the same flavor we'll keep you  posted if they make it into production and become widely available and in the meantime please do not  attempt to make your own version using the mains or even a battery because if you do then high  sodium in your diet may well be the least of your worries that's all from us this week make  sure you subscribe to receive the next update

have a great week stay safe out there and remember  there's no such thing as a torque calibrated arm