Will This Life-Saving Socket Replace AFDDs?

Coming up on this week’s news. A double  socket that can detect overheating and   rival AFDDs for safety. A smart meter  that can give homeowners an electric   shock is recalled. And our featured innovations  today are all about fire safety and security. Welcome to Electrical News Weekly.  Whether you’re listening in the van,   on site, 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 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. A socket that can detect overheating is set  to transform the market, say its makers,   and it could end up rivaling AFDDs. More on that  in our product focus roundup, so stay tuned. A smart meter that can give homeowners an electric  shock or even cause a fire has been urgently  

recalled. The UK’s Office for Product Safety and  Standards says any contractor who has installed   an affected EDMI Atlas Mk7cD needs to replace  it. That’s because, in certain circumstances,   the neutral terminal weld can fail. This  can cause the copper bar to come away from   the terminal block. In installations where the  neutral wiring is routed through the meter point,   a partial or complete loss of continuity in the 

neutral circuit can occur. This could result in   elevated voltages on accessible conductive parts  or, in cases of high resistance, overheating. The Malaysian-made meter does not meet  the requirements of the General Product   Safety Regulations 2005. Affected units  were manufactured between October 2022   and October 2024. I’ve put the relevant serial  numbers of the faulty units in the show notes. The recall of the Atlas Mk7cD is another  blow to the troubled national rollout of  

smart meters. While the 25 millionth  smart meter was installed last month,   it’s estimated that 35 percent of electricity  meters are still the old style. All in all,   it’s a bit of a hodgepodge, and that’s a worry  because the longwave radio signal that tells   them to switch between on and off-peak  is being turned off at the end of June. The outdated units, known as Radio Teleswitch  or RTS meters, have traditionally been used to   switch storage heaters or immersion systems 

on at night. They allowed special tariffs   like Economy 7. If these meters aren’t  replaced in time, some homes, schools,   and businesses could be left without heating  and hot water. Others might not be able to   turn the heating off. A meter upgrade takes  around two hours to complete, but some jobs   can be more complex if a DNO is needed or the  unit isn’t accessible. Electricians are being   asked to advise customers with RTS meters to  contact their energy supplier immediately.

In other news, Britain’s first HGV charging  station has opened in Lincolnshire. There are  

eight bays at the site in Harport, Immingham,  and each can fully charge an electric lorry in   an hour and a half. The install is a joint  venture between Daimler, Traton Group,   and Volvo. The firms aim to build no fewer  than 1,700 charging points across Europe. As it happens, Joe Hammond has  just released a CPD video on the   special considerations for EV charging  installations for commercial vehicles,   made in association with Lewden Palazzoli. 

I’ve put the link to that in the show notes.

Still on charging, Lewden has announced  that its Siena AC Mode 3 smart chargers   have just been approved by the UK’s Office  for Zero Emission Vehicles. This includes   the Siena 7.4 kilowatt and the 22 kilowatt  versions. The units feature optional 4G   connectivity and seamless control via  the Monta app, allowing customers to   schedule and optimise charging sessions. The  chargers also support solar PV integration.

To complement its home chargers, the company  offers purpose-built EV consumer units,   including one rated at IP65 for outdoor use. There  are also feeder pillars offering configurable   power distribution from 100 amps to 630 amps,  designed for car parks and public charging zones.

If you didn’t catch last week’s live stream, you  missed a good one. We discussed the business of   electrical installation with the team from Simpro  Software. And because it was a Gary-free stream,   Gordon ended up doing some speaking.  I’ve added the link in the show notes.

Also fresh this week is Crompton  Controls’ latest catalogue for   electricians. It’s their 120th anniversary  edition, so congratulations to them for   some serious staying power. The digital book  includes starters, enclosures, and panels.

VAC has announced an AI-driven app for homeowners  to manage their energy. It works with the Hiconic   all-in-one battery packs, time-of-use tariffs like  Octopus Agile, and PV arrays. The app uses machine   learning to understand occupants’ habits and  maximise savings. Called the Q Energy platform,   it adapts to weather conditions and manages  solar panels, heat pumps, batteries,   and inverters to optimise energy use. There’s  a link to a video on that in the show notes.

Now welcome to our product focus  feature. This week we’re sounding   the alarm for fire safety and security. And  the standout development is a smart double  

socket that can detect overheating.  It could even end up rivaling AFDDs. The CI1 and CI Max were designed to  address the electrical faults that   typically cause fires. Inventor  Anthony Parit began developing   them after the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017.  He’s also the guy who invented number plate   recognition. He says that if these smart sockets  had been installed at Grenfell, the fire could   have been stopped before it started. No other  socket can claim to prevent fires in this way.

The socket has built-in thermal monitoring  technology that detects overheating in real   time. It also detects current overloads and  loose connections, and it monitors all sockets.   If it senses danger, it automatically  cuts the power to prevent ignition. The sockets can also detect other  hazards like water leaks, mould,   gas leaks, and even earthquakes. They also  reduce energy use by powering down standby  

devices when not in use. You can connect the  CI1 to air conditioning, washing machines,   automated curtains, and more, with  compatibility across Google Home,   Samsung SmartThings, and Apple HomeKit.  It’s basically the James Bond of sockets. The sockets are certified for use in the UK,  UAE, and Saudi Arabia, with further approvals   expected. The company is also  working on worldwide patents. Ajax has launched a range of mains-powered  fire and life safety detectors with different  

combinations of sensors. The FireProtect 2 AC  range includes five models: heat and smoke,   heat smoke and CO, heat only, heat and CO,  and CO only. These include sealed backup   batteries that last the life of the detector  and meet the UK’s highest safety regulations. They also feature the Vargo 221 terminal   across all bases. All the detectors have built-in  radios and can operate with or without a hub for   interconnect functionality. Ajax says  installation takes just 90 seconds.

Also in the detector space is Hyfire, which  is promoting its Pulse Retrofit range to the  

social housing sector. It says the range  covers 90 percent of existing hardwired   bases. The range includes battery and mains  units, head-on and full units, with options   like 10-year rechargeable lithium batteries  and fast-fix versions for quicker installs. Kidde Safety Europe has launched a fire alarm  controller to make testing and maintenance of  

its K-Series wireless alarms easier. The CV9101  is wireless and doesn’t require physical access   to alarms. Occupants can test and silence them  remotely using a test or hush button. Kidde   says this is especially useful for elderly or  disabled people or in homes with high ceilings. We’ll be featuring the CV9101  in a couple of videos soon.

A fire protection product we really like is the  SpeedCutter. It’s a drill attachment with an   integrated fire collar. After drilling, you just  slot the collar in to maintain fire protection.   During a fire, it expands and seals the hole.  No need for intumescent mastic. It’s EI30 rated,   so suitable for 30-minute firewalls with 70  mil studs and 12.5 mil board on each side. Another smart bit of kit is the Thermarestor.  It’s installed inside consumer units and panels  

to detect overheating. It senses heat from  high-resistance connections and sends alerts   via a fire alarm panel, building  management system, or other method.

Linean has launched a new cable tray clip.  It works with all tray brands, locks in by   hand with no tools or steel ties, and installs  90 percent faster. It’s BS7671 compliant,   prevents premature collapse during fire,  and is made of fire-rated steel. It’s also   weather resistant and available in five sizes.  You can order from City Electrical Factors. And no fire safety roundup would be complete  without mentioning PV Stop. It’s a spray that  

blacks out solar panels in emergencies.  It comes in a metal bottle like a fire   extinguisher. Because solar panels produce  power as long as there’s light, you can’t   switch them off easily—but PV Stop blocks light  and shuts them down. Safe, simple, and effective. In our question of the week, we asked how  you would describe PV Stop in electrical   terms. The choices were isolating  solution, de-energising solution,   shutdown solution, or lockout-tagout solution. 

On LinkedIn, 56 percent chose de-energiser. On   YouTube, 70 percent said the same. So  we’re calling that the correct answer.

Oxford Safety Components has developed a  special crawl board for loft spaces and   similar areas. The CoverSafe  Spark board is lightweight,   portable, and made from aerospace-grade  GRP. It’s designed to prevent falls through   ceilings and is available with 10 percent off  using the code SPARK10 until the end of June. That’s our weekly roundup of products we  think deserve more attention. Next week,   we’ll be looking at cable management. As always, we want to hear from 

you. Send us your stories, projects,  

and recommendations so we can share them  with the wider eFIXX community. Over   the next few weeks, we’ll be featuring  cable management, commercial lighting,   and tools and testing—so if you’ve got  photos or product tips, send them in. And just before we reveal last  week’s challenge words and winners,  

a quick thank you to our premium partners.  We couldn’t do the news without you. First up, the people behind the Swiss  Army knife of solar inverters and   all-weather batteries—it’s Sunsynk. Next, with manufacturing powered by a   250 megawatt solar PV array, the greenest  test instrument maker in Europe—it’s KPS.  For top-quality circuit protection and  isolators with built-in surge protection—it’s   Whitecliffe Electrical Distribution.

For those of you who love motor control,   with great stock and great  service—check out Crompton Controls.  With the new award-winning Lumo consumer  unit and full product support from their   expert team—it’s CPN Cudis. Don’t forget to use code   EIX30 for 30 percent off lighting from Philips  and Ecolink—just download the LumExpert app.  And finally, from the home  of EV Ultra and other quality   innovations—the best thing out of Yorkshire  since stainless steel—it’s Doncaster Cables.

If you think you’ve worked out the two  challenge words I snuck into this week’s show,  

drop your guess in the comments. We’ll  pick a correct answer at random to win   an eFIXX goodie bag. Entries close at  lunchtime on the Thursday after release. Last week’s words were corkscrew and gatekeeper,  and the first name out of the electronic hat was   PM Steve. Well done Steve—click the get involved  link in the show notes to claim your prize. Thanks for listening to this episode  of Electrical News Weekly. Make sure   you subscribe to get the next update. 

Until next time, have a great week,   stay safe out there—and remember, there’s  no such thing as a torque-calibrated arm.