This SECRET code tells you when you'll have a power cut

- Coming up on this week's news, we reveal the secret code which tells you when you'll have a power cut this winter. The deadline for tax returns is looming, but have you set enough aside to cover it? And thanks to skill shortages, pay packets for electricians are hitting an average of a whopping 1,000 pounds a week. Welcome to Electrical News Weekly in association with Myenergi.

Whether you're listening in the van, onsite, 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 as always, if you think you've spotted the two words I've been challenged to slip into this week's show, comment with them below for the chance to win a prize.

eFixx is today revealing a secret code, which tells you when you'll have a power cut this winter in the event of rolling blackouts. National Grid is warning households and businesses that they could face a series of three-hour power cuts if imported gas supplies from other countries get shut off, and Britain experiences another cold snap like the Beast from the East In 2018. Engineers at National Grid will then share out the available power by using local shutdowns.

In fact, the government has already drawn up the secret rota, and you'll be given just 24 hours notice of a blackout. But eFixx has discovered a code which reveals how exactly the rolling switch offs will work, and who will get hit first. I mean, we're really leaning into this secret code business, all this information is freely and readily available on the government website.

Lack of awareness doesn't imply a shroud of secrecy, but anyway, each home or premises has been allocated a letter of the alphabet from A to U. This letter can be found on most people's energy bills. If not, you can look it up on the internet. You can then plug this into the Government's Published Emergency Rota to see when you'll have power and when you won't. I'll put the link to both the online lookup and the Government's Rota Plan in the show notes.

We use the tools to work out that Lineside Studios is assigned to letter T. That means that in the least severe rolling blackout, we'll have the power turned off for three hours on a Friday morning. Gordon's house meanwhile is M, so he won't be able to heat his Olympic swimming pool on Thursday morning, so he'll have to go gallivanting off for an extra CrossFit session.

Gary's jukebox of Daniel O'Donnell records will be out of action at lunchtime on Tuesdays and my rejuvenating facial massage machine will have a rare moment of idleness on Thursday evenings. I am going to have to have a word with our scriptwriter on that one. On a serious note though, the advice from power grid operators is that widespread blackouts are highly unlikely but everyone should be prepared.

So if you have elderly parents or friends or relatives who use important medical equipment, make sure that they're signed up to your DNOs Priority Services register. Again, I've popped a link to that in the show notes. If you need a bit of personal resilience there's a few bits of kit we can hardly recommend. First of all, the key question, how can you get a brew during a power cut? Before the holidays, we reviewed the Makita battery powered kettle.

So check out our special video to see if it can deliver steaming cups of Yorkshire tea. And what if you need to use power tools? Well, we also bench tested the Power Oak AC 50S portable power supply. Again, check out our video and see if it's something that you'll need to invest in. The links are once again in the show notes. Uncertainty over power supply is also helping the growth of solar power and home battery combos.

If installed correctly, this duo will allow you to operate completely off grid by using the system so-called Island Mode. We've lots on this topic coming up early in 2023. So keep an eye on the video feed for alerts for that.

Now it's January and that can only mean one thing, tax returns. If you are self-employed and registered for self-assessment, you'll need to tell his Majesty's revenue and customs what you earned in the year to the end of the last tax period. And you'll probably have to stump up a wad of cash. And don't be tempted to train any financial hanky panky or you may end up with a fine. The bad news is that the UK's 4 million self-employed people are terrible at budgeting for their tax payments.

Most wait until their tax return is complete before trying to find the money. And a further 15% say they do not yet have enough money set aside for their next tax bill. The insights revealed in a survey of 500 self-employed people and tradesmen and women indicate that tax is a key problem as the current system does not allow them to budget appropriately. A quarter of those asked said they think self-employed people pay too much tax compared to those in employment.

And many self-employed people say they struggle to maintain good financial health. Just 38% have a pension and only 57% have savings set aside, leaving a huge 43% with no savings. The good news for sparks is that pay packets are bulging.

Thanks to widespread skill shortages, electricians picked up 1,200 pounds a week last month. Average earnings are edging close to a thousand pounds a week with weekly earnings hitting all-time highs in some regions. Payroll Firm Hudson contract holders. It said, average earnings went up by 1.5% to 992 pounds per week last month a rise of 5% on the same period last year.

And finally, scientists have managed to create a solar panel which looks like a traditional clay roof tile. The photovoltaic element is hidden under a polymer layer that looks for all the world like a Roman style tile. The manufacturer is, however a little cagey about the tech specs. The firm says it's opaque to the human eye but translucent to sunrise, it's also self-cleaning.

We've put in a request for a sample so we can do a review video. So, watch this space. That's it for this week but we're starting 2023 with a bang. So watch out for a brand new, free training package to help you with the CPD dropping this week. It's on the subject of data trunking and we are going to be running a competition with an absolutely fantastic prize for winning. So make sure you're watching our socials really carefully to get involved with that one.

We'll be releasing that along with a Q and A on the bending radius for data cables. It's also a livestream week, and we've got guests from Fergus, the job management software for UK trades and service businesses, that's helping busy sparks and manage their projects efficiently. So make sure that you're tuned in for that on Wednesday.

If you think you know the words that I've smuggled into this week'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. If you can cast your mind back all the way to about three weeks ago to the last episode of the podcast, you may have spotted the hidden words were Halloumi and argy-bargy. I think the Challenge Words committee drank their lunch that day.

Anyway, loads of people got it right but coming in at blistering pace was Lewis who got both right the quickest. So well done to you. Please click the link in the description below to claim your prize. Thanks for listening to this episode of Electrical News Weekly in association with Myenergi. Make sure you subscribe to receive the next update. And until next time, have a great week. Stay safe out there. And remember, there's no such thing as a taut calibrated arm.