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Industry News
ECA WARNS LACK OF EV STRATEGY COULD LEAVE UK DIVIDED
The ECA has welcomed the government’s announcement at CBI’s annual conference that all new homes in England will be installed with electric vehicle charge points (EVCPs).
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Speaking at the conference, Boris Johnson announced that all new homes and non-residential buildings will be required to have EVCPs installed, adding 145,000 new charging points a year between now and 2030 to the network of 250,000 already installed in homes and workplaces so far.
ECA Director of CSR Paul Reeve says: “This is a welcome announcement, but the bigger challenge across the UK is public access charging. With most EVCP plans centred around London and the south east, there is still a real danger of charging blackspots in many parts of the country.
“‘Levelling-up’ should also mean closing the urban-rural gap when it comes to EV charging infrastructure and installation skills.”
ECA, eca.co.uk
UK tradespeople lose over £1,300 a year due to bad weather, new research has revealed, with the average person having to miss a week’s worth of work every 12 months.
With winter approaching, the study, conducted by IronmongeryDirect, surveyed tradespeople about the impact of bad weather on their work and finances. It found that, on average, tradespeople lose 7.2 days a year because of factors like rain, snow and wind. With the typical UK day rate standing at £184, this means that workers are missing out on £1,325 every 12 months.
However, with almost two in five (38%) people losing over a week and one in 10 (10%) missing over a fortnight, this figure will be far higher for some.
Many tradespeople don’t get paid for days they don’t work, which explains why almost a third (29%) say they can’t afford to pause jobs for bad weather.
Sadly, this means many people put their health and safety at risk. Almost one in 10 (9%) tradespeople say they have felt ill after working in bad weather; one in 12 (8%) have felt unsafe and one in 16 (6%) have been injured.
The trades which lose the most money each year because of bad weather are:
1) Plumber – £1,723 (7 days) 2) Electrician – £1,570 (7 days) 3) Builder – £1,548 (7 days) 4) Painter decorator – £1,335 (9 days) 5) Landscaper – £1,213 (10 days) 6) Building surveyor – £1,120 (6 days) 7) Carpenter – £990 (7 days) 8) Bricklayer – £969 (6 days) 9) Plasterer – £765 (5 days) 10) Joiner – £680 (3 days)
LIGHTING INDUSTRY STARTS PROGRESSTOWARDS A CIRCULAR ECONOMY
The series of Recolight Circular Economy webinars has been attended by over 1,000 individuals over the last two years, with attendees from right across the industry. Participants have shown a great deal of enthusiasm and many practical issues and suggestions have been raised.
Commenting on the outcome of the webinars, Nigel Harvey, CEO of Recolight says: “It has been really encouraging to see the discussions move beyond ‘what needs to be done’ and towards ‘what is actually happening’. There is clearly still a lot to do – but it is starting to happen. That gives me hope that we will increasingly play our part in tackling the climate crisis.”
Simon Fisher of F Mark adds: “It’s clear that there are many challenges to overcome to achieve a truly circular lighting industry. However, there has never been a better time to embrace circularity in terms of client awareness of the environment and the need to make significant changes.”
With over 40 experts from across the lighting industry joining the webinar panels, many recurring themes were discussed:
• Resource depletion will begin to drive up the cost of raw materials, leading to more use of recycled materials. • Recycling is not always the best solution! • Several companies, including Recolight, have introduced new services to facilitate the reuse and repair of fittings. Remanufacturers have indicated they will provide warranties and certification of reused product. • Maintenance and manufacturing companies have an emerging opportunity to offer to remanufacture or reconditioning services. • Specifiers have a crucial role to play in educating end users about the importance of using products which embody circular economy principles.
Recolight, recolight.co.uk
ECS OFFERS GREATER RECOGNITION FOR PROFESSIONALS AND PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
The Electrotechnical Certification Scheme (ECS) has announced recognition for a greater number of professional organisations, offering greater flexibility to individuals applying for ECS cards.
Professionally Qualified Persons (PQP) cards are for those working in specialised electrotechnical disciplines, and the card recognises the holder’s status through their registration with the professional institute.
Professional bodies and memberships are well recognised in the industry for the support and development of their members, and often involve a membership assessment process relevant to the occupation or specialism they cover. Whilst professional membership can already be recorded in the CPD section of an ECS card holder’s account, and some memberships like the Institute of Engineering Technology (IET) have long been recognised on ECS cards for electricians, more people can now apply for the PQP card for a number of electrotechnical related organisations.
The list of recognised organisations has recently been expanded to more than 20 professional bodies, including the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), Institute of Fire Safety Management and the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE). Electrotechnical Certification Scheme, ecscard.org.uk
VAN THEFT ON THE RISE AND IS SET TO INCREASE 62% BY 2030
Comparethemarket has predicted future levels of van theft could double to over 20,000 in the next decade after research found an 81% increase from 2015 to 2019. The research also highlights the makes and models of vehicles that are most at risk and the most frequently stolen contents from a break-in.
During 2015, 12 vans were being stolen each day across the country, rising to 35 vans during 2021. Comparethemarket predicts that the level of theft could reach as high as 56 thefts per day by 2030, equating to over 20,000 stolen vans annually.
The lowest levels of theft have been reported in the North of England, followed by West Midlands, South West of England and Wales. Unsurprisingly, Greater London has the highest rate, and could see over three thousand van thefts during 2030 alone.
During 2019, the vans most at risk were Mercedes Sprinter models – this remains the same in 2021, as predictions show the Mercedes Sprinter 313 CDI will be the most stolen van model, increasing by 44 annual thefts in just two years.
Nearly 67% of break-ins include having tools stolen, and research shows that only 1% are ever recovered due to their high resale value, leaving a devastating impact on tradespeople and their ability to do their job. Comparethemarket, comparethemarket.com
LEADING ELECTROTECHNICAL BUSINESSES WIN TOP INDUSTRY AWARDS
Sixteen electrotechnical and engineering services organisations and individuals were recognised at the 2020/21 ECA Industry Awards, held on Friday 22 October at the London Hilton Bankside Hotel.
After an almost two-year hiatus, the 2020/21 Awards highlighted some of the key achievements by leading talent in the sector, providing a great opportunity for contractors and others across the electrotechnical and engineering services industry to showcase their exceptional work.
Guests on the night were treated to a range of entertainment, including live music, table magic and more. Thousands of pounds were raised for the Electrical Industries Charity during a prize draw. TV and radio personalities Steph McGovern and Alan Dedicoat (the voice of the National Lottery) hosted the proceedings and presented awards to the winning ECA organisations and individuals.
In all, 16 performing businesses and individuals from across the industry scooped honours at the awards, which were supported by headline sponsors Electrium and LEDVANCE.
These included awards for Contractor of the Year, Best Fire and Security Project, and the Excellence in Training and Development Award.
Long-time industry advocate and major player in the fight for fairer payment practices in the construction industry, Rudi Klein deservedly won the Major Contribution to the Industry Award.
“Many congratulations to this year’s deserving winners, and also to the highly commended nominees who all submitted impressive entries,” says ECA Director of Member Services, Helen Atkinson. “We would like to encourage ECA Members who are working on impressive and innovative projects this year and next, or who are delivering new health and safety or training and development initiatives, to enter the next awards, which will be held in June 2023.”
THE KEY TO THE PERFECT TURKEY IS CHECKING YOUR ELECTRICS AHEAD OF CHRISTMAS
With the nation reuniting with loved ones this Christmas, checking your household electrics could be fundamental to preventing any festive melt downs.
Hexo Electrical Testing commissioned a poll to gauge consumer attitudes on keeping home electrics healthy and safe. When asked what the most important task was for getting the house ready at Christmas, 19% of the nation state that they get their electrics checked to prevent anything from going wrong with the oven when cooking for family and friends, and 27% of individuals check their fire alarms and carbon dioxide levels.
When it comes to roasting the perfect turkey, 30% of participants who check their oven electrics ahead of Christmas are aged 18-34, whilst a mere 10% are aged 55+. According to the research report, participants from London (36%) are the most concerned about checking their electrics at Christmas, in comparison to 0% from Northern Ireland.
But it is not just the Christmas roast that needs to be monitored – with the announcement of 20,000 electrical fires damaging homes in 2021, almost 40% of mums state they have learnt how to check for faulty electrics this year, with 19% who have already booked in their electrical testing ahead of Christmas. Hexo Electrical Testing, hexoelectricaltesting.co.uk
GET YOUR HANDS ON A NEW PS5 OR SONOS MOVE WITH MK ELECTRIC
ABLOY WINS £2.5M CONTRACT WITH UK POWER NETWORKS
Want to offer quality and safe wiring device installations to all customers, even when working to a prudent budget? Had your eye on a PlayStation5 or Sonos Move Smart Speaker? MK Electric could have the answer to both.
The company’s broad new MK Base range of white moulded switches and sockets has been designed to deliver the quality and reliability expected from the brand – all with a price tag that works when budgets are tighter. It’s also easy to install and, along with MK’s renowned Logic Plus range, it offers the widest antimicrobial testing on the market. And, if that wasn’t enough, MK is also giving electrical installers, contractors and specifiers the chance to get their hands on a much-coveted PS5’s or a Sonos Move Smart Speaker, in its latest prize draw.
To be in the running for one of the five PS5 or five Sonos Move Smart Speakers, simply head over to hwll.co/MKBaseWatchtoWin, watch the MK Base video, see how the range could help meet your client or project needs, and correctly answer three questions.
The competition is open from 15 November to 12 December 2021 and installers correctly answering all three questions during that time will be entered into the prize draw and the winners picked at random.
MK Electric, hwll.co
Abloy UK has been awarded a five-year contract with UK Power Networks valued at £2.5m to upgrade the current mechanical locking systems to a combined electromechanical and mechanical locking solution, for its high and low voltage distribution networks.
UK Power Networks owns and maintains the electricity distribution network across South East England, the East of England and London.
Products specified include a mix of Abloy PROTEC2 CLIQ electromechanical and PROTEC2 mechanical padlocks and cylinders, which will be controlled and administered using the new CIPE Manager operating systems.
It is estimated that Abloy will supply around 9,500 padlocks per annum, together with programmable PROTEC2 CLIQ Bluetooth Low Energy keys, enabling UK Power Network’s system to be expanded conveniently in the future.
CLIQ offers high security and flexibility that supports the complex workflow of organisations in the energy sector by enabling audit trails to be generated for individual cylinders, padlocks, keys and system users.
If a key is lost or stolen this no longer creates a major security risk, because each individual key can be deactivated if required and have access rights changed or removed using the CLIQ web manager software, providing a truly dynamic secure system.
The battery powered CLIQ keys are programmable, so a temporary contractor can be issued with a key that permits entry to specific sites for a limited time period. After the authorisation period ends, the key cannot open the lock. Abloy UK, abloy.co.uk
AICO COLLEAGUES SELECTED FOR KEY POSITIONS AT FIA
Esteemed colleagues of Aico have been selected for key positions at the Fire Industry Association (FIA), following the 2021 FIA Annual General Meeting. Voted for by FIA members, the appointments will provide a fantastic opportunity to further support the fire industry.
The FIA is a not-for-profit membership organisation and is the largest fire protection trade association in the UK. The FIA aims to promote, improve and perfect fire protection methods, devices, services and apparatus. As Aico strives to promote best practice and improve fire safety legislation across the UK, these positions will be pivotal in achieving their vision.
National Account Manager for Aico, Paul Cartwright, has been elected to the FIA FIRESA Council, which provides vital communication between the Fire and Rescue Services and their suppliers, as well as liaising directly with the government and other external bodies.
National Technical Manager for Aico, Andy Speake, who previously held a position on the FIA Fire Detection and Alarm Council, has been re-elected for the role and has also been elected to the FIA Board.
MOVERS & SHAKERS…
Ovia Ireland has welcomed Jay White to the team as Area Sales Manager, covering the Northern Ireland, Donegal, Cavan, Monaghan and Sligo regions. He comes to the role with seven years’ sales experience working with two of the industry’s leading electrical wholesalers, where he was responsible for building relationships with electrical contractors to sell in products from across all electrical accessories and lighting products.
The CMD leadership team has been strengthened by the promotion of former internal sales manager, Jamie Cox, to the new role of head of operations. His new role includes warehouse management and regulatory compliance. Former design engineer, Jonny North, has been promoted to the new role of design manager at CMD, with responsibility for driving new product development and ensuring both customer feedback and commercial considerations are embedded in the product development journey.
ESP has welcomed Peter Hampson on board as the new Area Sales Manager covering Scotland. Peter has a wealth of experience and expertise garnered during his career spanning some 23 years and spent with some of the industry’s leading security products manufacturers.
JCC has announced the promotion of Dan Golding to the role of Sales Director. Dan began his career in the electrical industry over 25 years ago. He held senior sales roles in wholesale and manufacturing before starting his career at JCC in November 2014 as Key Account Manager. He took the role of National Sales Manager in 2018, establishing himself as a leader, embodying the company’s values, whilst providing dedicated support to its loyal customers.
Become An EVIE Approved Installer!
EVIE approved installers will receive:
A feature on the EVIE website www.eviecharge.co.uk
An optional EVIE site visit
Opportunity to offer customers annual maintenance contracts
