Industry News

99% OF WORKING ELECTRICIANS BELIEVE THERE ARE MAJOR RISKS WITH EV CHARGING WORK

As the UK gears up to meet its electrical vehicle (EV) charging targets by 2030, and purchases of EVs soar, a lack of appropriate training and skills could be leading to thousands of unsafe installations of EV chargers in homes, streets and commercial locations – with potentially disastrous consequences.

That’s according to City & Guilds, the skills development organisation, which is calling on the industry to ensure all those working on EV charge point installations are equipped with the skills they need to install chargers in a way that’s safe for both themselves and consumers.

In a survey of 500 UK electricians, conducted by Censuswide on behalf of City & Guilds, 99% of respondents understood there to be major risks associated with electrical vehicle charging work. Despite the dangers, only 28% of respondents said they have so far undertaken specific electrical vehicle charge point training. With the vast majority (73%) of respondents likely to seek work in installing or repairing EV charge points in the next 12 months, this demonstrates a clear risk unless companies ensure their workforce have the necessary training, skills, knowledge and experience to undertake this work safely.

This new research is supported by findings from CENEX and OZEV, which reported that nearly a fifth (18%) of new at-home charge point installations installed as part of the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS) had dangerous or potentially dangerous issues, and only 32% were labelled as satisfactory.

City & Guilds, cityandguilds.com

DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS UPGRADE SUPPORTS A RELIABLE, FLEXIBLE POWER NETWORK

UK Power Networks has upgraded digital communications across 16,000 electricity substations to enhance network visibility and reliability, while preparing for a future with more smart connections and flexibility services.

Engineers have rolled out new 4G mobile network routers, which enable remote communications and control of electricity substations across the South East and East of England to maintain reliable supplies for millions of homes and businesses.

The new infrastructure maintains modern communications used by automatic power restoration systems and allows engineers to remotely control local network equipment. The routers send signals between network control systems and 11,000V secondary substations to restore customers’ power supplies quickly in the event of a fault.

While its primary purpose is supporting electricity network resilience, the communications will also enable UK Power Networks to connect more smart flexibility services and electric vehicles in the future, supporting the transition to net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

UK Power Networks trained 78 employees in new skills to support the roll-out, enabling engineers with basic computer knowledge to replace equipment without specialist SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) engineering skills.

UK Power Networks, ukpowernetworks.co.uk

JTL LAUNCHES FIRST APPRENTICESHIP ACADEMY IN PARTNERSHIP WITH ENERVEO

JTL has recently partnered with Enerveo to launch its first apprenticeship academy. The academy will see 20 JTL trainees undertake a six-week traineeship before beginning their apprenticeship with Enerveo. The goal of the traineeship is to equip learners with key skills that will form the foundation of their apprenticeship journeys, as well as educating them about the role.

All 20 learners, who began their traineeship at the end of July, will begin their apprenticeships in September. The traineeship will cover sector-specific training alongside developing each learner’s English, maths and digital skills. Three weeks of the programme will also focus on practical work experience, during which Enerveo will assign each trainee with a colleague to shadow within a relevant department. These departments span across Enerveo’s multitude of services such as mechanical, electrical, high voltage, test and inspection services, EV charging and street lighting.

JTL, jtltraining.com

AICO TAKES ON THE SNOWDON SUNRISE TREK TO SUPPORT THE MOVEMENT CENTRE

Aico is no stranger to fundraising challenges, and is already looking to 2023 when it will take on the Snowdon Sunrise Trek challenge in support of local charity, The Movement Centre.

On Wednesday 28 June 2023, over 50 Aico colleagues from Aico and HomeLINK will set off from its headquarters in Oswestry, travelling through the night and beginning their mountain ascent at 2am. The team will reach the summit of the largest mountain in Wales in time for the sun to rise, all to raise vital funds for one of its long-term local charity partners. The journey will be carried out in the complete darkness of night and will see the team travel nine miles and ascend 3,199ft.

The Movement Centre helps children who have cerebral palsy, Down’s syndrome or other diagnoses to achieve new skills through increased strength and control of their movement.

The Movement Centre’s Fundraising and Marketing Officer, Curtis Langley says, “The response has been that great, not only from Aico, but other local businesses too, that we may have to put two events on in 2023 to keep up with demand, which will raise vital funds for The Movement Centre, and the families who attend.”

Aico, aico.co.uk

2022 ELECTRIC CAR SALES ALREADY HIGHER THAN THE WHOLE OF 2020

The latest EV sales data shows that 2022 has seen more electric cars bought in the first seven months of the year than in the whole of 2020.

This data is from New AutoMotive’s Electric Car Count (ECC) – the most up-to-date and comprehensive electric car sales data in the UK.

It also shows that in the first full month since the government scrapped the plug-in car grant on 14 June, electric car sales dropped slightly, with year-on-year car registrations down 8% in July 2022 when compared to July 2021.

That said, the data shows how the EV market is continuing to grow, with the top three manufacturers for EV registrations all newcomers in the industry. In July 2022, Genesis took the top spot with 68% of cars registered being EVs, DS came in at second place with EV registrations making up 36%, and Cupra saw 34%. Jaguar came in at fourth place with 32%.

The number of diesel cars registered have remained at historic lows, accounting for around one in 10 new cars bought, whilst sales of petrol cars have not recovered since before the pandemic.

New Automotive, newautomotive.org

TOOLSTATION LAUNCHES EVERYDAY GREAT VALUE CAMPAIGN TO HELP CUSTOMERS SAVE MONEY

Toolstation has launched its Everyday Great Value campaign on its app, in-store and online to help showcase the value it offers its core customers on the items they need the most every day.

The new campaign, which launched on 1 August, was established to help customers save money on trade-quality products during a challenging period of rising costs. Every two weeks, Toolstation will highlight a selection of 10 to 15 products that are currently the best value on the market, to ensure customers are able to purchase everyday products for the best price possible.

These products range across various trade types, from plumbing fittings, electrical accessories, painting and decorating products, construction gear and more, making sure no customer is left behind. The highlighted products will be replaced every two weeks with a new selection.

These products will be accessible to customers via the Toolstation app, online and in-store, displayed using the campaign logo.

Matt Nourse, Commercial Director at Toolstation, comments. “Now, more than ever, we know how important it is for our customers to save money on products that they use frequently. That’s why we’re continually reviewing our prices to bring them great value within our range. With this new campaign, we hope to help our customers save money on trade-quality products by giving them easier access to great value everyday essentials.”

Toolstation, toolstation.com

MKM TACKLING CARBON EMISSIONS WITH SOLAR PV TRIALS

The UK’s largest independent builder’s merchant is taking another step forward in its commitment to tackling carbon emissions after installing solar PV technology at both its Leeds and Newark branches.

Rachel Constable, Head of ESG for MKM, comments: “As a business, it’s very important that we are ‘doing the right thing’. For us, this includes operating in the most environmentally-conscious way.

“The trial of solar PV technology at MKM Leeds and MKM Newark marks another strategic step in our journey towards our sustainability goals. The pilot scheme, which runs for the next 12 months, aims to successfully generate enough energy to power the existing branch’s operational demand, accommodate future electric vehicle technologies and also sell electricity back to grid.

“Whilst it’s still early days, trial data suggests this is going to be a huge success and therefore has the potential to be rolled out at more of our existing MKM branches and in our new-build sites in the future.”

This latest announcement follows a number of sustainable initiatives that MKM has introduced in recent months, from the trial of Compressed Natural Gas HGVs and the introduction of electric forklift trucks, to the installation of EV charging points across its branch network, which will take place over the next few years.

MKM Building Supplies, mkmbs.co.uk

THE JOY OF FLEX – MYENERGI INVITES CUSTOMERS TO JOIN EV CHARGING TRIAL

myenergi is inviting owners of its iconic zappi electric vehicle (EV) charger to take part in one of the country’s largest ever energy flexibility trials.

As the UK shifts towards an energy system that is more reliant on renewable generation, it will need more flexible capacity in order to respond to peaks and troughs in supply and demand, including when the sun isn’t shining, and the wind isn’t blowing. This flexibility is delivered through technology that can essentially be turned on or off, or dialled up or down.

EV drivers with zappi chargers are being invited to sign up for this major new trial, which aims to provide a greater understanding of how demand-side flexibility, through demand-side response services, will work in practice, including what the incentives for customers might be in the future.

Drivers taking part will allow myenergi to remotely make small adjustments to how and when they charge, with the aim of reducing stress on the electricity grid and maximising the potential for renewable generation. The beta trial is the next step in enabling myenergi to eventually offer demand-side response services directly to customers, following successful smaller scale technology demonstration trials by the company.

myenergi, myenergi.com

TOOLBOX TALKS SEE ELECTRICIANS ADD NAMES TO SELECT’S GROWING CAMPAIGN

The growing campaign for regulation of the electrical industry has received a timely boost, after more than 180 electricians pledged their support for the crusade being spearheaded by SELECT.

An unprecedented number of professionals rushed to add their names to the association’s Wall of Support at a series of Toolbox Talks held across Scotland in May and June.

As well as attracting a record number of delegates, the roadshows also saw 184 electricians from a wide range of SELECT member firms giving their backing to the organisation’s long-running campaign for the protection of the title ‘professional electrician’.

In a further sign of its accelerating momentum, the campaign has also been endorsed by Certsure, which offers certification services through the NICEIC brand, with Managing Director Richard Orton adding his name to the wall.

The ‘drive for protection of title’ is currently under consideration in the Scottish Parliament, with SELECT now planning meetings with other MPs and MSPs in the coming months to add further names to the Wall of Support.

SELECT, select.org.uk

NEARLY HALF OF CONSTRUCTION BUSINESSES LACK DIGITAL MARKETING SKILLS

A lack of in-house skills is the most common challenge facing construction businesses when it comes to promoting their businesses online, reveals a new poll.

Conducted by construction digital marketing agency Koozai, the new survey found that 44% of construction industry professionals believe that their businesses lack the skills needed to properly implement an effective digital marketing strategy.

Carried out during a digital marketing webinar for construction websites, the poll quizzed construction marketing and business professionals about the biggest challenges they face in digital marketing.

It also found that a third (33%) of construction industry professionals believe that their businesses lack time to oversee digital marketing activity. 17% said that a lack of budget was the biggest obstacle to digital marketing success and just 6% said that there was a lack of buy-in in digital marketing from senior decision makers.

The new poll comes as Google searches for construction goods and online sales of construction products and services continue to rise. According to the latest Office of National Statistics (ONS) figures, online sales in construction have grown by £1.6 billion in the last 10 years.

However, the ONS figures also suggest that most construction businesses are yet to fully embrace online marketplaces. Just 5.5% of construction businesses are making e-commerce sales, compared to 22.8% of manufacturing businesses, 24.3% of information and communication services businesses, 28.6% of UK businesses overall, 44.1% of wholesale businesses, and 48.3% of retail businesses.

MOVERS & SHAKERS…

Scolmore has announced two new appointments to its sales team, with Jonathan Roberts and James Collins taking on key roles. Jonathan Roberts has been appointed Group Key Account and Specification Manager and will be responsible for developing new business opportunities across Scolmore’s group of companies. James Collins has been appointed Area Sales Manager for the Kent and Sussex regions. His responsibilities include developing new and existing relationships with customers and contractors to drive demand for the breadth of products available from Scolmore.

Seaward Electronic has appointed a senior executive to oversee its brand development and marketing as it invests further in growth and international expansion. Natalie Nichol joins as Marketing Manager in a move that will see her working alongside the senior management team to develop a new marketing and communications strategy.

Ellis Patents has appointed Chris Davies as its new Project Specification Manager. Chris, who has over 30-years’ experience in the cable management industry, including well over a decade with Legrand Electric, will be responsible for raising the profile of Ellis Patents during the design and specification stages of projects.