¶ Electrical News Weekly
- Coming up on this week's news, it's been revealed that the Scottish Hotel in which three people died in a fire this month was warned about its electrics and emergency lighting three weeks before the blaze. Electrical contractors who install solar panels are set to face competition from the big guns in the shape of Octopus Energy. And we check out the groundbreaking shirt which calls for help if you've been electrocuted. Welcome to "Electrical News Weekly" in association with SCAME.
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.
¶ Hotel warned about its electrical installation 3 weeks before bursting into flame
Our main story this week is the revelation that the new county hotel in Perth, in which three people died in a fire earlier this month was warned about its electrical installation and emergency lighting some three weeks before the blaze. Experts from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service are understood to have completed a safety audit on the building on the 12th of December last year. Scottish newspaper, The Courier, reports that the completed audit was sent to the hotel on the 16th of December.
It raised no fewer than 21 concerns that fire chiefs wanted to see addressed. Among the issues flagged up were deficiencies with the emergency lighting, which it said needed to be resolved. The experts reported it as being inadequate on some routes and recommended a complete system upgrade. They also said that a competent person should inspect the electrical mains installation within the premises at suitable intervals.
It's unclear whether the hotel acted on the fire services report at the time of the inferno on the 2nd of January. One guest said that they could only see two inches in front of them as they tried to escape from the hotel. An investigation by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and Police Scotland continues.
¶ Electrical faults are the biggest causes of fire on farms
The revelations about the new county Hotel come in the same week that it's been disclosed that electrical faults are the single biggest causes of fire on the nation's farms. Insurer NFU Mutual says the cost of fire in agricultural buildings is now approaching a whopping 100 million pounds a year. Rats and mice, overloaded sockets, and simple wear and tear are the most common causes of electrical fires on farms.
The company says routine maintenance on electrical installation's heating systems and especially biomass boilers, is now an absolute must. And it's not just farms, also raising concern among safety chiefs is an increase in fires at recycling centers. The cause, lithium ion batteries. Just last month a devastating blaze ripped through an Aberdeen recycling plant with batteries as the prime suspect.
In fact not-for-profit organization Material Focus estimates that nearly two fires a day are caused by batteries that have been thrown into household waste. Lithium cells alone are set to be responsible for 200 fires every year. Material Focus is now calling on local authorities to provide free curbside collections to help stem the problem.
¶ Octopus energy to compete with electrical contractors for solar panel installations
In other news, Octopus Energy has announced that it's about to compete with the UK's electrical contractors for solar panel work. The company's engineering arm already fits EV chargers, air-source heat pumps, and smart meters. Now it wants to complete 5,000 PV installations in 2023, it also wants to install home batteries and inverters. The company says it's pitched to homeowners will be that they will get the best prices for selling electricity to the National Grid.
In the year to the end of last September, customers on its best tariff were paid 34 pence per kilowatt hour on average. Customers on its fixed tariff got 15 pence per kilowatt hour, three times more than any other UK energy supplier says Octopus. We understand that the service is launching initially in the Midlands and the South with a view to going nationwide within the first year.
¶ Do your customers cause you problems when working?
How long will the power be out for? Are you going to turn off the Wi-Fi? When will a drilling end? These and other forms of balderdash are the endless questions electricians are increasingly being asked by householders working from home. So in our eFIXX Survey this week we asked you if customers on their laptops are causing you problems with residential work.
A 1/5 of you say isn't an issue, over 1/3 of you say you have to compromise to keep the power on and the Wi-Fi working, but a chunky 27% of you say it's a total nightmare. For instance, viewer Charlie McCluskey says he stopped doing EICRs in properties with tenants as they're too reliant on a connection for work. A viewer named Mr. Boo says householders should go to a cafe or co-working space while the work is being done.
Rohan Gisiawan, however, provides his customers with a wifi hotspot and unlimited data, so that they can work while he gets on with the electrics. Bob Lewis says customers should work off their laptop batteries for a couple of hours. He also then goes on to call all millennial snowflakes, which technically would include me, Bob, so maybe we could have a chat about how your comment has affected my feelings. That's after I finished my avocado toast and almond milk latte, of course.
But electrician Oli R says, home-working has made his life easier as he can work during the day, and he hardly ever does evening work now. So a bit of a mixed bag there. Check out the full results and comments in our survey, I've popped the link in the show notes. In product news this month, we've just tested a beast of a nail gun. Gordon has just put the Spit Pulsa 27E through its paces and his verdict is, wow.
This bad boy is set to make first fix installations as easy as lofting a shuttlecock over a net by driving nails easily into brick, concrete, wood, and steel, yes steel. If you don't believe me, watch Gordon's video, the link is in the show notes.
¶ TIS releases brochure to help with renewables testing
If it's testers for renewables and electric vehicle charges you're after, Specialist firm TIS has just produced a brochure which brings together all its latest PV and EV kit. It's been produced to make it easier to pick out the right product for this burgeoning market sector. The firm is well known for safe isolation, electrical installation testing, environment checking, and more.
But this fine digital publication brings together everything for contractors working in the renewables and EV SE sector, and helps you stay compliant with the regs. I've put the link for the PDF download in the show notes.
¶ Free Dado trunking training package
Staying compliant with data trunking is a different matter. Did you know it's very easy for perimeter trunking to full foul of BS-7671? That's why we've teamed up with Marshall Tufflex to create a a free training CPD, looking at what best practice looks like. We explore some of the common pitfalls to avoid, we look at how you can maintain IP ratings, and how you can separate data and mains cables. The link as ever is in the notes. And finally, an innovation that could save your life.
¶ This shirt could save your life
The Angel Smart Shirt from Adresys recognizes if the wearer has been electrocuted or has fallen, and alerts the emergency services. It has hidden electrodes, which can measure electrical current going through the body. And it has sensors which can tell if the person has fallen and is motionless. It then tells the smartphone app to contact an emergency call center urgently. It will even supply the exact GPS coordinates of the accident.
The Austrian manufacturer says the shirt is aimed at electrical contractors who regularly work in isolated locations such as the electricity network, remote infrastructure, and farms. We gave Gordon the shirt to wear, and because we're cruel we subjected him to a controlled electrocution. See the results in a special video, the link as ever, is in the show notes.
That's it for this week, but if you think you know the words I've smuggle into this week's show, pop you guess into the comments, and we'll dig out a goodie bag prize to the first to get the right answers. Last week's words were gallivanting and hanky-panky, which were always going to stick out like a sore thumb. However, due to a major red herring it took a little longer than usual to get picked up. But the first person to get there was Carl Robson, so very well done to you, Carl.
Click the link in the description below to claim your prize. I'd also like to go on the record after last week's episode, and state that I do not possess a rejuvenating facial massager. And if I did, I'd probably be asking for a refund as it's clearly not working. Thanks for listening to this episode of "Electrical News Weekly" in association with SCAME. Make sure you're subscribed 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 taught calibrated arm.