INDUSTRY NEWS THREE-QUARTERS OF UK ELECTRICIANS DON’T FEEL CONFIDENT HANDLING FINANCES Almost three-quarters (74%) of UK electricians don’t feel confident in handling their company finances, and many have lost money as a result, new research has revealed. The study, conducted by ElectricalDirect, surveyed electricians from across the country and found that only 26% are comfortable dealing with the financial side of their business. This includes pricing up jobs for customers, with a quarter (25%) admitting to having lost money because they’ve made mistakes whilst giving quotes. A simple way for workers to check if their prices are reasonable is to see what other electricians in their area are charging for similar jobs. However, almost three-quarters (73%) of respondents said that this isn’t something they do. Furthermore, the vast majority (76%) of electricians do not account for the cost of living or inflation rates when giving quotes to customers. This is despite living costs rising at their fastest rate for 30 years and inflation predicted to reach 8.3% in April, meaning take-home pay could fall heavily. Although they don’t specifically consider the cost of living, more than a quarter (28%) of UK electricians have raised their prices since the start of 2022, and four in five (80%) have upped their quotes in the last year. However, despite the pandemic significantly disrupting the industry, one in 20 (5%) have not increased their rates in the last two years. This equates to more than 2,000 electrical businesses across the UK. ElectricalDirect, electricaldirect.co.uk
GARDENERS URGED TO STAY SAFE ON SPRING RETURN UK Power Networks wants gardeners to put safety first as many spring into action and venture back outside at the end of winter. The UK’s biggest electricity distributor is reminding those with green fingers to stay on red alert when undertaking any digging work. The company needs gardeners to understand that contact with high voltage underground electricity cables can be fatal. The main risk to gardeners comes with deep digging, but wider advice includes how to stay safe using mowers, ladders and even replacing fence panels which may have been damaged during recent storms. The top tips for gardeners include: • Be aware of the location of underground electricity equipment and request details before work starts. Cable plans can be found at linesearchbeforeudig.co.uk. For larger projects use a Cable Avoidance Tool (CAT). • When digging deep in the garden, for instance planting trees or installing fence panels, assume all cables are live and hand dig trial holes to check the depth of cables. • When mowing the lawn, always fit plugs with a Residual Current Device (RCD) to protect against electrocution. This safety device automatically switches off power when there is a fault. • If doing outdoor jobs involving a ladder, always look up and look out for overhead power cables, as contact could cause serious injury or even death. UK Power Networks, ukpowernetworks.co.uk
HIGH-PERFORMERS TRIUMPH AT EDA AWARDS Ten future leaders won an Electrical Distributors’ Association Learning Achievement Award at an annual lunch high above the rooftops at London’s iconic The Shard on 4 March 2022. The Association’s celebration of training excellence brings together talented individuals from EDA wholesaler and manufacturer businesses. Each worthy winner has delivered an outstanding performance in the EDA’s Product Knowledge Programme or in an apprenticeship. Margaret Fitzsimons, EDA CEO, says, “Our winners are the cream of the UK’s electrotechnical sector. Travelling from as far afield as Guernsey to the South, Cork in Ireland to the west, and North Yorkshire and from businesses large and small, but they all have one thing in common: each has worked extremely hard to achieve amazing results in their training. For an outstanding performance in the EDA Product Knowledge Modules, the Learning Achievement Awards went to: • Sian Alford, Edmundson Electrical in Guernsey • Joe Sayer, BEW Electrical Distributors in Peterborough, part of the Fegime UK buying group • Gary Dowling, Kellehers Electrical, part of Rexel UK, in Cork, Republic of Ireland • Dean Jones, Alert Electrical Wholesalers in Ilkeston, part of The IBA Buying Group • Alex Bright, Termination Technology in Bristol • Richard Banks, Deta Electrical Company, Charlton, Bedfordshire For an outstanding performance in an apprenticeship, the Learning Achievement Awards went to: • Shannon Rooney-Sadler, BED (Corby), part of the ANEW buying group • Finley Maxwell-Hoff, LAMPS – Lighting and Mains Power Solutions in Aylesbury, part of the AWEBB buying group • Joshua Craggs, CEF in Ripon • Harvey Small, Stearn Electric Co in Southampton Electrical Distributors’ Association, eda.org.uk
8 | April 2022
Industry News.indd 8
electricalcontractingnews.com
@ElecConNews
/electricalcontractingnews
@ecn_magazine
30/03/2022 15:48
