In today's news...
We reveal the 10 most dangerous electrical blunders that contractors see in people's homes...
We learn how full YOUR order book is in our weekly eFIXX survey...
And we hear about the electricians who detained a violent knife man – using just cable ties...
Welcome to Electrical News Weekly in association with Schneider Electric, whether you're listening in the van, on site, down at the wholesale counter or if you're a designer and you've made it safely to your desk, wherever you are, I hope your week is off to a great start.
I'm Joe Robinson and I've been through the best of the electrical industry news to save you the trouble, and as always don't forget to listen out for the two words I've been challenged to slip into today's show, comment below or tag us on social media if you think you've spotted them.
And of course if you've got a story you'd like to feature in the news then please click the link in the show notes for more information on how to do so.
And if you're watching on YouTube, you may like to know that an audio only version of this video goes out on all major podcasting platforms so you can listen to us while in the van or on site.
And if you're already listening to the audio version why not check us out on YouTube for some extra visuals as well.
A survey out this week has disclosed the dodgy DIY doings that professional electricians are seeing in people's home.
Turns out almost half of Brits have acted as an unsuspecting saboteur by meddling with their home’s electrics, so ElectricalDirect, the specialist retailer of electrical products, asked hundreds of electrical contractors to reveal the most common errors people make, and then rank them in terms of severity.
At the very top of the league of shame is leaving plastic-sheathed cable unprotected.
This clearly exposes them to snagging and cuts, which could lead to fires or even lethal shocks.
People living in Northern Ireland are most guilty of making this top clanger, with 40% of electricians in the country saying they see it regularly.
Clearly, householders need to engage an electrician to run bare cable safely through conduit.
The second biggest mistake is leaving switches or outlets loosely connected.
This can of course disrupt the power supply or worse, allow live wires to wiggle loose, exposing them to fingers. This means that there’s a potential risk of electrocution or fire.
Other common howlers include cutting the wires too short, recessing boxes BEHIND the wall surface and installing cable without a clamp.
Homeowners also over-stacking extension leads and electrical outlets in a bid to plug in more and more and more devices.
They connect wires outside of electrical boxes, overfill those boxes and even make the basic error of reversing hot and neutral wires.
DIYers often connect a GFCI backwards and they install electrical outlets too close to water in breach of regulations.
ElectricalDirect's chief Dominick Sandford has now warned that people should stay away from certain electrical jobs that can lead to injuries.
[https://electricalcontractingnews.com/news/uk-electricians-reveal-the-10-most-dangerous-electrical-mistakes-they-see-in-homes/]
We happily concur and remind householders that all work needs to be conducted by a qualified professional and be compliant with all the latest changes to the 18th edition of the wiring regulations.
To help you keep up with those changes, Schneider Electric have produced a really useful e-book.
This details the updates to the 18th Edition as well as the latest products to help installers comply.
The amends include
•Changes to special location installations including solar and electric vehicle systems
•Prosumer low voltage electrical installations and the need for systems that can both produce and store energy.
•Installation requirements for fire risk buildings including escape routes and cabling
•Removal of the CRL calculation and the increased need for surge protection.
Nico Van Der Merwe [phonetic: van der merveh], vice president of Home and Distribution UK at Schneider Electric sees the changes as a great opportunity for the electrical industry.
And he believes that the company's line-up of products will support the trade in complying with the latest regs. Speaking of Schneider, we're just going to pause the podcast for a moment while I say a big thank you to the company for supporting today's show.
Schneider Electric are the huge company that produce electrical equipment across a number of fields and are extremely supportive of the electrical industry contributing to various good causes including our very own college connections tour so we're extremely grateful for their ongoing support. OK, on with the show!
Another great reference guide we're loving this week is a brilliant pocket guide app from the NICEIC. This is free to download and is available to all NICEIC certified businesses. It contains a bank of no fewer than 35 technical reference guides, all updated to BS 7671:2018+A2:2022 where relevant.
There are also really handy calculators for checking Zs values, Adiabatic Equations, Conductor Resistance and Length and Design Current. It's fully searchable and is optimised for iPhones, Android phones and tablets.
Another set of innovations to help you do your job better has been unveiled by Draper. In fact, the 103-year-old family firm has introduced no fewer than 200 new models. I know this because the new thousand page catalogue landed on my desk last week with a thump, almost knocking over my giant Sports Direct mug. My highlights would be the new XP1000 range of VDE compliant screwdrivers and pliers, a series of heat guns and the Bunker secure storage box which is designed to keep your tool safe from thieves.
Keeping your whole van safe from thieves is another matter entirely. In fact annual thefts are predicted to double in the next decade. Londoners are most often the victim and the top model targeted by thieves is the Mercedes Sprinter 313 CDI. Two thirds of break-ins include the theft of tools, and the research shows that only 1 per cent are ever recovered due to their high resale value, leaving a devastating impact on electricians and their ability to service their customers.
And those customers are asking for more and more work, according to this week's eFIXX survey. We asked how your business outlook today compares to this time last year. And it's looking pretty good. 43 per cent of you told us that you're busier than usual with lots of work booked ahead. One in five of you reported being fully occupied now, but don't have much forward bookings. 13 per cent of you disclosed that it's quieter than usual, with only some jobs coming up. And one in 10 of you quoted the specials saying: This town ooh ooh is coming like a ghost town. That's the closest I'll ever come to singing in public. Let's hope trade picks up for us all when people get back from their holidays.
In the meantime, here's some dates for your diary. The Green Home Festival opens on Monday 8 August as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. This is a week-long series of events delivering practical assistance and advice to help Scotland become a net zero nation. It consists of 12 in-person and virtual presentations on green topics, targeting homeowners, contractors, housing associations and local authorities. Screwfix Live is back in Farnborough after two years of virtual outings. The free-to-enter show is returning to Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre from Friday 23rd September to Sunday 25th September. Expect to see 170 top brands of kit, product demonstrations, giveaways and lots more.
Screwfix Live will also host the final of Screwfix Top Tradesperson. The annual competition will see 10 skilled trade finalists go head-to-head from across the UK and Republic of Ireland to be crowned Screwfix Top Tradesperson 2022. Participants who register and visit the event will have the chance to put their hands on exclusive deals and a free goody bag.
Also in September is the UK's first event dedicated to sustainable lighting. Called Circular Lighting Live 2022, it's a one-day conference and exhibition taking place on Thursday 22 September in central London. I've put the links to all the events in the show notes.
And this is the part of the show where we like to say hello to one of our devoted followers, this week we're saying what-ho to Tyler Harris an electrical apprentice who Gary had the pleasure of meeting on site recently. He assured us that he's an avid listener of electrical news weekly and we thought we'd put that to the test, so if you are indeed listening Tyler drop us a comment or tag us on social media and thanks very much for watching and following us, hopefully our content will help you on your career journey.
Now to electric vehicle news. In last week's eFIXX News Weekly we reported how Fuuse, the company which writes the operating system for charging points, had teamed up with EV Comply, the firm whose app helps installers commission the chargers. The idea was to make it easier to install and use those chargers. Well this week comes news of another strategic partnership as players in the EV scramble to buddy up. Jumptech, the charger installation platform has announced a collaboration with the charger maker Sevadis. The idea is to provide electrical installers with an efficient and streamlined charge point installation process. The Jumptech platform will simplify the install process for Sevadis’ installers, commercial customers and EV drivers. As you may recall Sevadis partnered with YESSS electrical as their strategic wholesale partner, providing installers with access to Sevadis’ full range of charging equipment.
And finally, we turn to the tale of two heroic electricians from Chichester. Alex Carruthers and Josh Hawes of Impact Electrical Solutions were working on site when they heard the desperate cries of a woman from inside a nearby flat. The duo entered the property only to be confronted with a man wielding a knife. Without a thought for their own safety, they tackled him and managed to wrestle the weapon out of his hands. They then had the problem of how to restrain him and protect the woman. The answer? They grabbed some cable ties and tied him up until the police arrived. The woman has since recovered from her injuries.
Detective Constable Kat Wilkins says she believes that the electrical contractors saved the woman's life. She said that it was a violent and unprovoked attack by and the aggressor has been sentenced to 16 years in prison.A High Sheriff’s Award of £500 will be given to both of the heroes.
Awww. We like a happy ending here on eFIXX.
Coming up this week on our YouTube channel, we've got a great Q&A video shot on location at the installer show about the rise of the prosumer, a fascinating interview with the good folks at Marshall Tufflex who are just about to celebrate their 80th anniversary and we meet Victor Muhin the CEO of a business that's like the deliveroo of the electrical world, plus we'll have the usual mix of shorts and social media fun so stay connected for all that.
If you think you know the words we've smuggled into today's show, pop your guess into the comments and we'll dig out a goodie bag prize to the first to get the right answers.
We had quite a number of guesses for last week's words, Bill Doodson came volleying in first with emus and wallabies but they were a bit close together Bill, I like to space them out a wee bit, Regular commentor Sergio Fernandez guessed lackadaisical while on his way to the outer Hebrides for work, quite a journey that one, Tom Taylor may have been guessing my Doctor who esk quote of Illuminescent Solar Concentrator, or he may have just enjoyed saying it but either way it wasn't right, and someone who simply goes by Dan stuck with that theme guessing lackadaisical and Doctor Who but there was only one person in the comments who got both and that was Calum Clark who came in with lackadaisical and emu, spot on Calum, please click the link in the description to claim your prize. The good news is Joe 2.0 is back from his Turkish sojourn where he informs me the food was glorious in fact he had a liver kebab which was the best he's ever had apparently, anyway the point is that prizes will be getting posted out now won't they Joe?
Thanks for listening to this episode of Electrical News Weekly in Association with Schneider Electric, make sure you're subscribed 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.