Connections - Winter 2018/19

THE MAGAZINE FOR NICEIC AND ELECSA REGISTERED CONTRACTORS WINTER 2018-19 | ISSUE 208 | £5.00

Sustainable thinking How electrical contractors are reducing waste, upcycling and helping clients save energy

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the power behind your business

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02/01/2019 16/01/2019 14:10 15:32 11:54 08/10/2018 14:41 18/01/2018

WINTER 2018-19 | ISSUE 208

28

CASE STUDY 2 2 David Adams delves into the electrical work behind The Royal Academy of Music’s award-winning new performance spaces

THE YEAR AHEAD D 24 From Brexit to updated dated fire safety regulations, 2019 promises to be an n eventful year for electrical contractors

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS 2 8 How to

‘These days, sustainability is a very real responsibility’

incorporate more sustainable practices into your business

15 15 19 CONTRACTOR PROFILE 32 Tomlinson Longstaff’s female

24

managing director is making her mark in a male-dominated field

TECHNICAL 38 Ask the experts 40 Low voltage electrical

22 HELLO 6 Looking ahead to the new year

INDUSTRY UPDATE 8 Jail for solar fraudsters; Certsure

COVER IMAGE: GETTY

welcomes Hackitt recommendations

9 Record turnout for Live North; farewell to Certsure stalwarts 1 1 Training for the 18th Edition; apprentice competition closes

65 TRAINING 1 4 The new year is a great time to work on the skills you need to improve your business – with help from NICEIC Training

CAUGHT ON CAMERA 1 7 From live metal sockets to snail

supplies for equipment on construction sites 44 Reduced low voltage systems 48 Definitions – and their misuse 52 The interval to the next periodic inspection 54 Benefits of LED lighting 58 Apprentice Corner

infestations: this quarter’s worst offenders

PRODUCT FOCUS 63 The latest products on the market

ADVICE 1 9 Helen Campbell offers tips for generating

OFF THE TOOLS 65 ‘I run a vehicle tuning business’

local media coverage

1 2 Asbestos awareness training;

OPINION 2 0 Understanding tradespeople’s concerns

arctic grade flexibles warning

helps drive safety innovation, says Eric Streuli

CURRENT AFFAIRS 66 The best city to be an electrician in; Leicestershire spark’s unexpected cannabis discovery

5 WINTER 2018-19

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hello

T E C HN CAL KEVA N I PA RKER

Kevan Parker is interim managing director of Certsure

New year, new focus The coming year promises to be one of change, starting with the introduction of the 18th Edition at the start of 2019

W

elcome to the first Connections of 2019 and my first as interim managing director of Certsure.

I hope the festive break allowed you time to spend with your families and loved ones, and that you now feel refreshed and prepared for the year ahead.

For me personally, the new year has provided an opportunity to reflect on my new role, look at the challenges and opportunities ahead and put in place the plans to move us all forward.

Inside this magazine (p24) we take a look at what the electrical sector can expect to see in 2019. It’s an interesting read and it certainly looks set to be an eventful year.

One of the first challenges we all have to get to grips with is the regulatory changes that came into place on 1 January 2019. I am encouraged by how many of you have already attended our 18th Edition events or training courses. It

highlights the dedication that NICEIC and ELECSA contractors place on keeping their professional knowledge updated.

Another area of focus is the political arena. The tragic effects of Grenfell will never be forgotten, and its implications for the construction sector are widespread. We welcome the government’s intentions to take forward Dame Judith Hackitt’s recommendations and will continue to implement the proposals in order to raise standards and drive cultural change in our industry.

We will also be working hard to address specific industry concerns, and working with colleagues across the sector to ensure that competency is at the core of delivering improved safety.

No doubt there will be many other things that crop up along the way, but for now I would like to just wish you all a happy and prosperous 2019. I look forward to catching up with you throughout the year.

‘Grenfell will never be forgotten, and implications for the construction sector are widespread’

CO N TAC TS / CO NNE C T IO NS

Level 5, 78 Chamber Street, London E1 8BL EDITORIAL General 020 7880 6200 Editor Nick Martindale nick.martindale@redactive.co.uk Technical editor Timothy Benstead Sub editor Kate Bennett Senior designer Craig Bowyer Technical designer Adrian Taylor Picture researcher Akin Falope Publishing and business development director Aaron Nicholls ADVERTISING/MARKETING Thomas Ainsworth thomas.ainsworth@ redactive.co.uk 020 7324 2726

PRODUCTION General production enquiries 020 7880 6209 Production manager Jane Easterman Senior production executive Rachel Young rachel.young@redactive.co.uk SUBSCRIPTIONS Should you require your own copy of Connections or multiple copies for your staff, subscriptions are available by calling 020 8950 9117 CONTRIBUTIONS Connections welcomes ideas for contributions.

Please email nick.martindale@ redactive.co.uk

© Redactive Publishing Ltd 2019 Level 5, 78 Chamber Street, London E1 8BL Registered No. 3156216. All rights reserved. This publication (and any part thereof) may not be reproduced, transmitted or stored in any print or electronic format (including but not limited to any online service, any database or any part of the internet) or in any other format in any media whatsoever, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Redactive Publishing Ltd accepts no liability for the accuracy of the contents or any opinions expressed herein.

Printed by Precision Colour Printing Limited

ISSN 2042-5732

Recycle your magazine’s plastic wrap – check your local LDPE facilities to find out how.

WWW.NICEIC.COM WWW.ELECSA.CO.UK ENQUIRIES Certsure 01582 539000 Communications manager Paul Collins 01582 539148 paul.s.collins@certsure.com NICEIC Direct Paul Elcock 01582 539709 paul.elcock@certsure.com Twitter @officialNICEIC or @officialELECSA Customer services 0333 015 6625 Sales 0333 015 6626 Training 0333 015 6627 Technical helpline 0333 015 6628 Insurance 0333 015 6629 Legal/tax 24-hour helpline 0117 934 2111 (provided by DAS Business Law)

6 WINTER 2018-19

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news

INDUSTRY UPDATE

BACKING FOR STANCE ON HACKITT REVIEW

Four-year jail terms for solar fraudsters Two directors of a Warrington-based solar panel company have been handed four-year jail sentences for fraudulently deceiving customers and falsely claiming to be NICEIC registered.The two men were each sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court following an investigation by Warrington Trading Standards.

James Thomas Birchall, 36, was found guilty of 12 offences of fraud and money laundering. Peter Steven Haddley, 32, was found guilty of 19 offences of fraud and theft. Both men denied the offences.

The investigation related primarily to Key Energy Solutions Ltd of Winwick Street, Warrington, that was linked with Future-Energy-UK Ltd of Piccadilly, Manchester.

Both companies were involved in the sale and supply of solar panels and battery systems for solar panel systems.

Victims were enticed into purchasing solar panels with the promise of payments back via the feed-in-tariff.

However, customers were never entitled to such payments, because the company was not certified by the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS).

The companies were found to be providing fraudulent contracts using logos they were not entitled to, issuing fake MCS installation certificates, pressure-selling and not refunding deposits legally owed to customers.

Kevan Parker, interim managing director of NICEIC, commented: “The NICEIC name is associated with quality and we will work with the appropriate authorities to protect those contractors who are legitimately registered with us and have the quality of their work assessed on a regular basis.

“This latest prosecution is a warning to anyone thinking about using our logo fraudulently that they will be caught and dealt with appropriately by the courts.”

NICEIC urges anyone who is suspicious about using a registered contractor to check his or her details at the website www.niceic.com It contains a full list of all those contractors who are legitimately registered with NICEIC and also a wall of shame, which lists firms that have been caught misusing the logo.

Certsure, which operates the NICEIC and ELECSA brands, has welcomed the government’s intention to take forward Dame Judith Hackitt’s recommendations for improvements in the building services sector.

Interim managing director Kevan Parker said: “The government has confirmed that competency, and the need for firms to take responsibility for competency at each level within their structure, is at the core of delivering improved safety.

“Certsure has always advocated that competency is a mix of knowledge – gained through qualifications and training, skills and experience. This, in conjunction with third-party assessment and certification, is vital to delivering ongoing levels of competency within the building sector. It also provides a simple route for consumers to raise an issue if something goes wrong.

“Crucially, it is firms which work outside of these parameters where sanction is needed, and we are encouraged by the housing secretary’s comments to take action against incompetent firms which fail to demonstrate the necessary levels of protection required.

“Certsure will continue to work with colleagues across the sector to take forward the government’s proposals to raise standards and drive cultural change in our industry.”

Dame Hackitt led the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety, announced by the government in July 2017 following the Grenfell Tower tragedy earlier that year.

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LIVE NORTH ATTRACTS RECORD NUMBER OF CONTRACTORS More than 450 electricians flocked to Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool recently for NICEIC and ELECSA’s Live North event. Footballing duo Mark Lawrenson and Ray Stubbs kicked off the show with tales from their careers.

Lawrenson played more than 240 games for Liverpool and was a key part of the Reds’ team that dominated domestically and abroad throughout the 1980s. Stubbs started his career as a professional footballer for Tranmere, but would later go on to become one of the UK’s most successful sports presenters. They discussed the

IMAGES: ISTOCK / PA

18th Edition corrigendum The IET has released a corrigendum to BS 7671: 2018. The corrigendum is a summary document of corrections to the original book, which was released in July 2018. It primarily relates to wording, numbering or spelling changes and does not involve any direct changes to any of the regulations.

The corrigendum includes 11 corrections and is produced as an update for contractors who have already bought the book.

The document can be downloaded for free from the NICEIC/ELECSA customer portal or directly from the IET website

importance of communication and teamwork when it comes to building a high-performing team.

Lawrenson said: “There was a mutual respect for everyone and we were never allowed to get complacent. We might have been magnificent in one game but we then had to repeat that standard again and again. That is the challenge electricians also face. They have to keep up a certain standard each day and maintain or better that standard as they go forward.”

Other sessions on the day looked at the changes within the 18th Edition, specifically looking at the introduction of arc fault detection devices and surge protection devices. There were also talks on smart technology in the home and mental health awareness within the electrical industry.

Billy Byrne, the resident electrician on BBC’s DIY SOS, was also a popular speaker on the day, talking about how he got into the industry and life on the show.

Attendees also benefited from some great deals in the exhibition hall, featuring some of the biggest names in

GOODBYE TO CERTSURE INDUSTRY LEADERS Certsure said goodbye to two industry leaders at the end of 2018, as former chief executive Emma Clancy and technical director Alan Wells left after almost 30 years’ combined service.

Emma joined the Electrical Safety Council in 2004 and was employed in several roles, including NICEIC’s chief operation officer. She held the post of Certsure CEO since its inception in 2013.

Emma was a leading figure within the electrical and wider building sector.

She advocated more opportunities for apprentices and females in the industry.

She leaves to take up new challenges.

Alan Wells joined NICEIC in 2003 and took up various technical roles within

DIARY DATES > February 6 TechTalk Brighton AMEX Stadium 7 TechTalk Southampton Southampton FC

> May 16 NICEIC ELECSA Live South Epsom Downs Racecourse

the industry – including Bosch, Brother, Schneider and Scolmore.

Mark Smith, marketing director for NICEIC and ELECSA, said: “It was a good opportunity for contractors to come along and find out all of the information they need to know about the 18th Edition.

“We had a record number of visitors attend and that is testament to the importance NICEIC and ELECSA contractors place on keeping their knowledge updated and staying up to date with what’s going on in the industry.”

the organisation. He was appointed technical director in 2013 and was a leading voice on industry matters.

In 2016 he received the Outstanding Contribution to the Electrical Industry award from the Electrical Times. He retires at the top of his profession to spend more time with his grandchildren.

We wish Emma and Alan the best of luck for the future.

9 WINTER 2018-19

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17/01/2019 15:34

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INDUSTRY UPDATE

NEWS IN NUMBERS

CONTRACTORS GET UP TO SPEED ON 18TH EDITION

2.1% The amount by which the UK construction sector grew between September and November compared to the previous quarter, figures from the Office for National Statistics show

25% The proportion of consumers who wouldn’t report a case of energy meter tampering, despite 92 per cent agreeing it is wrong, an Echo Managed Services survey claims

42% The amount by which the number of fire safety checks has fallen over the last seven years, according to the HM Inspectorate of Constabulary, Fire and Rescue Services

80% The amount of engineering firms which typically receive payment more than 30 days past the due date, according to the ECA’s Building Engineering Business Survey

1m The number of jobs set to be created in the European electric car market by 2050, according to the European Association of Electrical Contractors

More than 6,000 contractors have now signed up for their 18th Edition training with NICEIC and ELECSA, delivered in partnership with JTL. The 18th Edition of BS 7671 Wiring Regulations launched in July 2018, and contractors were given a six-month transition period before they came into effect at the start of 2019.

More than 4,000 contractors opted to update their training before the new year. Since then more and more contractors have signed up to take training this year.

Neil Vincent, training manager at NICEIC and ELECSA, said: “January has been a busy period, and I think that will continue for the next few months. Some contractors were extra keen and jumped straight in, and others just bided their time.

Everyone is different, and of course everyone needs to find the right time to take any training.”

NICEIC and ELECSA offers two 18th Edition courses. The full course takes

three days and is for contractors who feel they need a working knowledge of the latest edition of the Level 3 Award in the Requirements for Electrical Installations BS 7671:2018 qualification. The update course is a one-day option for those who have recently completed their 17th Edition Amendment 3: 2015 qualification.

Both courses can be taken online or in the classroom.

A partnership with JTL also means contractors choosing NICEIC and ELECSA now have the option to take the course at more than 35 locations across the UK. In addition, NICEIC and ELECSA can also offer in-house training for companies looking to train large numbers of employees in one go. More than 1,000 people have taken training this way already, with organisations such as Mitie, Places for People and others choosing this method.

For more information visit 18edition.com or call the training team on 0333 015 6626

First stage of apprentice competition closes More than 650 students have entered this year’s NICEIC and ELECSA Apprentice of the Year competition. Stage one of the contest – an online multiple-choice quiz – closed at Christmas, and the judges are working their way through all the entries to see who goes to the next phase.

Darren Staniforth, NICEIC and ELECSA’s senior technical presenter, said: “It’s great to see so many people getting involved. This the fourth year of the competition so we are pleased that it is gaining more and more recognition.”

The second stage will see the top 20 per cent of the contestants take part in a written 90-minute exam held at several locations across the UK, which

will be marked by industry experts Darren Staniforth, Jake Green and Tony Cable.

The top eight students will then take part in the grand final on 4 June 2019, at the headquarters of our competitions partner The Scolmore Group.

More information about the competition by visiting www.niceic.com/apprentice

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18/01/2019 10:25

INDUSTRY UPDATE

Asbestos awareness training NICEIC and ELECSA have launched a partnership with Central Compliance UK (CCUK) to provide training on the dangers of working with asbestos. Contractors can take online or face-to-face training around asbestos awareness, with courses fully certified by the UK Asbestos Training Association (UKATA).

Mark Smith, marketing director for NICEIC and ELECSA, said: “Tradespeople need to know they are working in a safe environment. These courses will highlight what to look out for if they believe asbestos to be present in their vicinity, and what immediate action they need to take to prevent themselves and others around them from being exposed to this harmful material.”

Billy Quinn, managing director of CCUK, said: “There are potentially thousands of contractors who are still not aware of the dangers surrounding asbestos. We strive to get the message across that professional training can change the way today’s workers operate so they don’t put their lives at unnecessary risk.”

Figures from the Health and Safety Executive suggest that 14 people die prematurely every day as a result of being exposed to asbestos, equating

to around 5,000 deaths a year. It is the single greatest cause of work-related deaths in the UK and is considered a major factor in many types of health complications. Although receiving a total ban in 1999, there are an estimated 12.5 million houses that could still potentially contain asbestos.

The partnership means NICEIC and ELECSA contractors can take online training at a special discounted rate of £15 (including VAT). Anyone looking to take the course should visit www.centralcompliance.uk/ certsure

FINAL TWO TECHTALKS The latest series of 18th Edition TechTalks ends next month with seminars in Brighton and Southampton. Darren Staniforth, technical development manager at NICEIC and ELECSA, commented: “With the launch of the 18th Edition it was important to get out and meet as many contractors as possible.

“When the 17th Edition was launched, a lot of industry myths emerged because multiple messages were communicated by different speakers. By going to more places and speaking face-to-face with contractors we have been able to communicate a consistent message.

The crowds have been great throughout this series of talks.”

The TechTalk seminars also include information on EICRs in rented properties, electric vehicle charging points and things to consider when designing heating installations.

The final TechTalks take place at the Brighton’s Amex Stadium on 6 February and at Southampton FC on 7 February.

Tickets cost just £25 and can be booked online at www.shop.niceic.

More information can also be found at www.

com/events or calling 0333 015 6626

niceic.com/asbestos-awareness-training

ACI ISSUES WINTER WARNING ON ARCTIC GRADE FLEXIBLES poor conductor resistance with sheathing and cable insulation disintegrating when subjected to a cold bend test. This problem could result in a fire, short circuit or an electric shock.

Contractors who need cable suitable for outdoor use in the cold should look for the cable marking BS 6004 and the UK cable code for arctic grade cable, such as 3183A. Cables marked with H05VV-F are not intended to be suitable for such use.

Contractors with any concerns over the quality of cables should email info@aci.org.uk

AWARDS SUCCESS FOR TESTING FIRM NICEIC Approved Contractor Circuit Electrical Testing has been named best small business at the Brand Yorkshire Business Awards. The company specialises in electrical and fire safety testing services for organisations nationwide.

Mona Norma, founder and managing director at Brand Yorkshire, said: “Circuit Electrical is a case study in punching above its weight. The management team has strong core values, which drive every decision.”

IMAGE: ISTOCK

The Approved Cables Initiative (ACI) is advising contractors and distributors to check their cable choices carefully following the discovery of significant quantities of substandard arctic grade flex.

Market surveillance during 2018 detected failures on numerous examples of arctic grade flexibles, including preassembled industrial hook-up leads. They were purchased from a variety of sources, including electrical wholesalers, DIY stores, online retailers and eBay stores.

Independent testing by ACI of arctic grade flex has shown cables exhibiting

12 WINTER 2018-19

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17/01/2019 14:17

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E N HA N C I NG S K I L L S

Get up to speed

The start of a new year is a good opportunity to identify new markets for your business, and ensure both you and your workforce are equipped with the skills needed to take advantage of them, says Neil Vincent

F

Neil Vincent is head of training at NICEIC and ELECSA

or many business owners, a new year often means a new focus. It’s a chance to reflect on what has gone before and plan for the future, or an opportunity to assess what your business needs in order to get to where you want it.

For the majority of contractors in 2019, this will mean keeping up to date with the latest regulations and ensuring staff are well versed in everything to do with traditional areas of electrical contracting. For others, it could mean additional training in new areas of expertise, such as solar PV, electric vehicle charging, fire alarms or smart home technology.

All of these are specialisms that many contractors might look to invest in to grow their business and, as we have seen here at NICEIC and ELECSA, there has been a huge growth in these areas in recent years.

However, running a successful electrical contracting business is not just about being able to offer the latest technological advancements.

As anyone who runs their own business will know, there is a range of new skills and other things to learn – many of which will be alien to the busy electrician whose focus has previously been on technical work only.

Going it alone can be a scary prospect for many electricians. Some sparks will never have had the need to open an Excel spreadsheet – never mind run a business.

It requires learning a host of new skills such as project management, book-keeping, client relationship and management, writing tenders and leadership.

Here at NICEIC Training, we are committed to helping you build your business. For 2019, we are looking at developing non-electrical business support training to help you succeed.

This is in response to a survey we carried out late last year, in which contractors indicated they would be keen to find out more.

Top of the list of training requests was effective project management, costing and stakeholder management. These will be the areas we will look to develop first, and we look forward to giving you more information about these and other types of courses in the near future.

‘Some sparks will never have had the need to open an Excel spreadsheet – never mind run a business.

It requires learning a host of new skills’ Technical training Another key area we will be looking at in 2019 is smart home technology. The adoption of new technology in the home continues to grow at a rapid rate, providing more and more opportunities for electrical contractors.

Much of this technology is dependent on a stable and reliable network. Our data cabling courses provide a good entry route into how electricians can benefit from this particular area of work.

In 2019 we will be looking to build on this and other industry-related courses to ensure you have all the skills you need to expand your knowledge.

For more information about how NICEIC Training can benefit your business, call 0333 015 6627 or email traininginfo@niceic.com

14 WINTER 2018-19

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0800 018 9112 16/01/2019 16:06

YO UR P I C T U R E S

2

Caught on camera

1

4

Trusty NICEIC and ELECSA contractors have been busy uncovering and rectifying dodgy installations and DIY botch jobs. Here are some of the worst offenders from the past quarter

3

T

his quarter’s collection of dangerous discoveries includes how not to wire a plug (1); a 230 volt extractor fan mounted behind a shower spray head (2); a still-live metal socket found in a cavity wall (3); taped-up wiring in a wall (4); and a central heating connection box featuring several earth cores of cables used as switched lives and one cable with two cores cut out (5).

It continues with burnt-out MCBs in a consumer unit (6); an outside decking socket with no earth or RCD protection (7); the effect of sunlight on a cable (8); a bathroom extract duct where the cables had been eaten by mice (9); and an ingress of insects and snails in an outside consumer unit (10).

6 5

8 Thanks to... >Sarah Tamburro of Bojen Electrical in Abingdon >Chris Smith of CD Smith in Whetstone >Danny Harmsworth of VH Electrical Ltd in Weymouth >David Bowman of Bowmans Electrical Contractors in Sheffield >Martin Barker of L Barker Ltd in Kendal >Martin Cheshire of CT Electrical Engineers in Warwickshire >Martin Meehan of Martin Meehan Electrical in Cwmbran >Richard Evans of Cambrian Electrical Engineers in Garndolbenmaen, North Wales >Robin Hoad of Ringwood Electrician in the New Forest >Robert Sadler of Sadler Electrical

7 10

in Oundle.

Keep those shots coming in!

Email caughtoncamera@redactive.co.uk

9 17

WINTER 2018-19

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17/01/2019 14:18

THE POWER TO PUT YOU IN THE FIRE PROTECTION BUSINESS BAFE accreditation opens up new business opportunities in the Fire Protection industry and can generate more work.

We offer scheme certification for the following modules dependent on the type of work you undertake: - Design - Installation - Commissioning - Maintenance

We also support contractors through the BAFE accreditation journey with:

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TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT HOW BAFE ACCREDITATION CAN GROW YOUR BUSINESS VISIT NICEIC.COM/BAFE IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BOOK ONE OF OUR FIRE ALARM TRAINING COURSES VISIT SHOP.NICEIC.COM OR CALL 0333 115 6626

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M E D I A COVE R AGE

Close to home Targeting local magazines, newspapers, websites and radio stations can be a good way of raising awareness of your company and the services it offers, says Helen Campbell

W

hich publication would you prefer to see your business mentioned in: the Sunday Times or the Shropshire Star? I suspect most would opt for the former, but which would actually impact your business more?

If you are a contractor, it’s likely that most of your customers will be local, so getting coverage in local media can be just as valuable than appearing in a national title – if not more so. If you are based in Coventry, it’s unlikely you will have customers in Colchester; why focus on national media when you have an audience on your doorstep?

Local PR now involves much more than newspapers, as local media has had to establish a digital presence in order to survive. Many regional newspapers and radio stations use platforms such as Twitter and Facebook to reach more people.

The following tips will help you build a local media presence:

THINK STRATEGICALLY You need a strategy. Identify why you want press coverage and what you want to convey. Are you launching a service, building your brand, building credibility or raising awareness? There are many ways businesses can benefit from PR, but it helps if you know what you want to achieve and why.

Helen Campbell is head of PR at The Ideal Marketing Company

DO YOUR RESEARCH One advantage of local media is that there will be a manageable number of outlets – and it pays to do your research. What local newspapers, radio stations, TV programmes, magazines and websites exist in your area? Which outlets are potential clients most likely to read/listen to/watch?

IDENTIFY YOUR IDEAL CUSTOMER Decide who you want to target. This might be everybody, but in my experience you will be more successful if you focus on a specific demographic.

For example, are you aiming for commercial or domestic customers? Do you want to focus on a specific age group or gender? Are you promoting high-end services or value? This will impact the stories you release, the way you present your company and the publications you target.

‘If you are based in Coventry, it’s unlikely you will have customers in Colchester’ TYPE OF COVERAGE People can get confused about the difference between press releases, adverts and articles. In a nutshell, a press release is a news story. It needs to be based on fact, not opinion, and should present those facts in a non-promotional way. Adverts allow you to say what you want but they are less likely to be read (or believed) than a news story.

Ideas for press releases could include stories about new staff, company expansion, new premises, new services or community events such as charity fundraising. They are a good way to raise awareness of services and build credibility.

Articles are different, as they tend to offer information, explanation or opinion on a topic that would be of interest to the reader. Depending on your target audience and the publication, this will vary. For example, if you want to get more work in the construction industry, you could suggest writing an article about sustainable electrical solutions in newbuilds. Articles are particularly effective in building trust and credibility as well as positioning you as an expert in your field.

BUSINESS PUBLICATIONS There are usually regional websites, newspapers and magazines specifically for the business press, so if you are interested in reaching the business community or in promoting your services, these can be excellent vehicles for news coverage. Some newspapers also have business reporters, so it’s worth contacting these people directly.

It may be easier to get coverage in local media, but it takes planning, research and skill to identify the right publications and stories. Good quality coverage will help position you as a great company to do business with, helping you win new work.

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HEALTH AND SAFETY

Pole position UK tradespeople are the most safety-conscious in Europe, according to new research.

Understanding their concerns can help drive further innovation, says Eric Streuli

T

he findings of a recent health and safety survey conducted for Bosch Professional give us some fascinating insights into the latest health and safety thinking of electricians and other trade professionals.

The research confirms that 56 per cent of UK trade professionals stop work several times a day, if not more, to comply with health and safety requirements. This makes our UK trade professionals the most safety-conscious in the UK, with Germany second (39 per cent) and Spain third (37.5 per cent). In addition, more than a quarter of UK tradespeople dedicate at least 20 minutes of their day to health and safety.

While we are delighted to see the UK in the lead when it comes to safety, it’s also important to help trade professionals prevent unnecessary interruptions to workflow. Research like this gives us the invaluable information we need to help drive innovation and ensure product development balances safety and productivity.

The yearly number of accidents involving power tools runs into tens of thousands, so

we asked about the type of protection that respondents value the most. One of the main risks faced is ‘kickback’. It was no surprise that 46 per cent of UK professionals said their highest priority was protection when metal grinding. This was closely followed by safety concerns when drilling concrete and sawing wood.

A fifth of all survey respondents in the UK highlighted the importance of protection from dreaded dust particles in everyday materials, including concrete, stone, brick and slate.

Advanced tools for both wet and dry applications now remove dust as close as possible to the source with vacuum cleaning and filtration systems, significantly reducing the risks.

It is good to know that our UK trade professionals are leading the way in safe practice.

This, in turn, continues to drive advances in power tool technology, designed to deliver safety without compromise.

Eric Streuli is training manager at Bosch

IN FO C U S / DAVID W ILLIAMS currently renovating a big country house in Pembrokeshire.

How long have you been working for yourself?

This is my 13th year. I worked for a local electrical company for 11 years, and then for British Gypsum for 17 years as a production electrician. But I did a new entrepreneur scholarship with Nottingham Business Venture and set up on my own.

What kind of work do you do now?

David Williams, DTW Electrical Services

I’m on the Crown Estate preferred contractor list and I’ve worked for it for 12 years, on farms, houses or rental accommodation. I also do domestic work around the Nottingham area, although I’m

Is it just yourself?

Yes, I like to keep things small because I can look after customers better that way.

How do you find work?

It’s all word of mouth. People just phone me up as they need the work.

What are your plans for the future?

I’d like to retire in the next three to four years so I’m not going to be expanding. I’ve enough to keep me busy.

What’s the hardest part of running the business?

Sourcing materials at the right price. Sometimes it’s cheaper to order online and get it delivered the next day, rather than using a wholesaler.

What do you get up to outside work?

I tend to go shopping at the weekends and if I can grab a couple of weeks I’ll take a holiday.

If you are a small business or sole trader and would like to feature in In Focus, email infocus@redactive.co.uk

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CASE STUDY

BY DAVID ADAMS

Perfect pitch Bristol firm Push The Button has played its part in bringing The Royal Academy of Music into the 21st century, undertaking all the electrical work in a project that saw the creation of two new venues

T

he Royal Academy of Music has trained generations of talented musicians since its foundation in 1822 – former students include Sir Simon Rattle, Michael Nyman, Annie Lennox and Sir Elton John.

Since 1911 it has been based on Marylebone Road in central London, in an elegant, six-storey building with a grand façade. That façade now also conceals a new building that has won the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) 2018 award for London Building of the Year.

The award is for two new performance venues: the 300-seat Susie Sainsbury Theatre and the 100-seat Angela Burgess Recital Hall. Both are stunning technical and aesthetic achievements, built within the space constraints of the existing Grade II-listed building. The academy’s 350 students continued their studies alongside builders and contractors during the works.

Push the Button, a Bristolbased specialist contractor to the entertainment industry, played a vital role in the creation of these new performance spaces, completing all the electrical work, including lighting and audio-visual equipment.

The company was founded in 2011 by Nick Ewins, who brought together a team of specialists with many decades of experience between them in the installation of electrical equipment in entertainment

venues. The company has grown significantly since, and delivers projects ranging from refits of school hall stage lighting to multi-millionpound works in major theatres.

Clients include the Really Useful, Nederlander and Ambassadors theatre groups and a number of other major venues across the UK, including the National Theatre in London, the Birmingham Hippodrome and the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton.

Having won the tender for the Royal Academy project in 2015, Push The Button completed the work between January and December 2017, joining a construction project led by Ian Ritchie Architects and main contractor Geoffrey Osborne.

600: THE NUMBER OF CRYSTALS EMBEDDED IN THE ‘EXPLODED’ CHANDELIER IN THE NEW THEATRE

IN WITH THE NEW The performance spaces were created by removing the academy’s previous 1970s auditorium. The new theatre has 40 per cent more seating than the old, thanks to a new balcony.

The recital hall is directly above the theatre, yet completely isolated from

‘They wanted a contractor that could do all the electrical work so there weren’t too many people tripping over one another’

it acoustically. New routes through the building into both performance spaces bind the old parts of the academy to the new and let more light into its interior, including through some windows on the façade that have been reopened after being bricked up for decades.

The theatre’s design makes extensive use of cherry wood panelling, which has been shaped to assist the acoustics. A striking lighting design includes an ‘exploded chandelier’: an arrangement of fibre optics and more than 600 crystals embedded in and suspended from the auditorium ceiling, created by lighting designer Ulrike Brandi and installed by Push The Button. The recital hall is a more austere space, lined in a pale, lime-washed oak under a tapering roof and an oculus that floods the hall with daylight.

For Andy Phillips, Push The Button’s design manager and the project manager for its work at the Royal Academy, several factors made this project unique. One was that contractors were working alongside musicians who were continuing with their studies. Another was that Push The Button was responsible for electrical work in both of the new spaces, rather than alongside a second electrical contractor working in the auditorium, as is more usually the case in theatre work.

The third factor – and the reason behind the second – was the challenging physical constraints of the site. “They wanted a contractor that could do all the electrical work so there weren’t too many people tripping over one another in a small space,” says Phillips. Push The Button had around six employees on site throughout 2017, sometimes supported by specialist engineers.

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‘The facilities and equipment installed are similar to those one might find in a West End theatre’ Push the Button’s striking lighting design includes an ‘exploded chandelier’ suspended from the auditorium ceiling

IMAGES: ADAM SCOTT

The recital hall includes an oculus to make use of daylight

“Negotiations over working spaces were critical, because of the lack of space,” says Phillips. “You’d have nowhere to go if you weren’t programmed in to be in the right place at the right time.”

The other logistical problem was the challenge of delivering equipment to a building on one of London’s busiest streets, sometimes using access routes owned by the Royal Parks, and using a ‘just in time’ model because there was so little storage space on site.

LEAVING A LEGACY The facilities and equipment installed are similar to those one might find in a West End theatre,

40%: THE AMOUNT BY WHICH THE SEATING IN THE NEW THEATRE HAS INCREASED

but on a much smaller scale – “in the same space as a school hall”, as Phillips puts it.

Push The Button was responsible for installing lighting, sound, video, houselights and power for other systems in the new theatre. A new dimmer room now houses one ETC Sensor rack kept from the old theatre, which has been joined by new racks. Various other pieces of ‘classic’ stage lighting kit from the old theatre have also been retained, alongside new ETC Source Four Lustr2 and Martin’s Mac Encore lighting fixtures, chosen in part because they operate so quietly that they will not compromise the theatre’s acoustics.

The recital hall is a flexible performance, rehearsal and/or recording space, and the theatre also offers flexibility to suit different performance requirements. Opus Audio loudspeakers are hidden in gauze panels beside the stage that can be opened if this suits the performance, while the audio mixer and lighting console are housed in a new control room. The mixer can also be moved into an area of the stalls with removable seating.

Push The Button installed communication systems, a surtitle system and an assisted listening system, and the recital hall also has its own control room to manage ETC and GDS lighting equipment and Opus Audio speakers.

The new spaces were officially handed over to the academy in January 2018. Four months later, in May 2018, they won RIBA London Building of the Year (as a joint winner alongside the Victoria & Albert Museum Exhibition Road Quarter) and Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Tourism and Leisure Project of the Year.

This provided the team with an enjoyable bonus – as Phillips says, “It’s great to be invited to so many awards dinners!” In the longer term, the team can also take satisfaction from having created two unique performance spaces that will help encourage and enhance the development of hundreds of musicians for many years.

David Adams is a freelance business journalist

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T HE YE A R A H E A D

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The 18th Edition has got 2019 off to a flying start but the year ahead looks set to be an interesting and challenging one for the electrical contracting sector

BY ROB SHEPHERD

LAST YEAR WAS DOMINATED

by the 18th Edition – BS 7671:2018 Requirements for Electrical Installations – which was issued in July 2018 and came into full effect on 1 January. With a number of significant changes that reflect modern needs and concerns, it is now up to electrical contractors to put these into practice.

Fire safety is a central theme of the 18th Edition, and few of us will forget the scenes when fire broke out at the 24-storey Grenfell Tower in London in June 2017, resulting in the deaths of 72 people. A government review in the wake of this tragedy, led by Dame Judith Hackitt, made clear that competence – defined as a combination of knowledge, skills and experience – underpins safety for all. It also found that the current regulatory system is not fit for purpose and has created a situation where poor language confuses guidance with regulation, leading to an overlapping regulatory enforcement framework.

“As a result of the Hackitt Report, there are likely to be changes to the Building Regulations, but it is too

early to suggest what they will be,” says Paul Collins, technical services manager at Certsure. “However, along with new information about protection against electric shock, fire, voltage disturbances and electromagnetic disturbances, the 18th Edition has a new section on protection against thermal effects, which recommends the installation of arc fault detection devices (AFDDs) to mitigate the risk of fire by automatically tripping a circuit when dangerous electric arcs are detected.”

RENTAL CONCERN The 2016-17 English Housing Survey reported that 4.7 million households, or 20 per cent, are part of the private rented sector (PRS). The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector Working Group found that PRS tenants face a higher risk of incidents from electrical faults in their homes compared to tenants in social housing.

In 2014, for example, 59 per cent of PRS homes had all five recommended electrical safety features installed, considerably less than 72 per cent of local authority homes and 77 per

cent of housing association homes.

Furthermore, Electrical Safety First claims that more than 18,000 house fires in England each year are caused by electricity, and believes PRS properties are most at risk.

James Brokenshire, Secretary of State for Housing, initiated a comprehensive review of guidelines covering fire safety matters within and around buildings, and now all PRS homes must have electrical installations checked every five years by a registered electrician.

The completion of an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) will outline whether it is satisfactory for continued use and if any remedial works are required.

“We anticipate that this will involve the introduction of a new competent persons scheme in order to ensure that an electrical installation is safe for continued use and to reduce the risk of death, injury and damage to property,” states Cheryl Cox, public affairs manager at Certsure. “Given that real estate consultancy Knight Frank believes that the private rented sector is expected to grow a further 24 per cent by 2021, this will be a

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T HE YE A R A H E A D

massive undertaking. We therefore hope that government guidance will be provided as soon as possible.”

The year ahead is also likely to see changes to BS 5839-6, which grades fire detection systems for the domestic sector from Grade F up to Grade A. The greater the fire risk and the more demanding the application, the more comprehensive the system needs to be. It also defines three different categories of systems – LD1 to LD3 – that relate to the level of protection afforded by the system.

“BS 5839-6 provides information relating to the design and installation of fire alarm systems. Although the exact details of the changes have yet to be published, landlords will need to ensure the most appropriate system is installed, as legal liability with regard to duty of care would be a serious issue should a fire occur in an inadequately protected property,” explains Certsure’s Collins.

“Contractors also need to pay close

attention, as any changes will come in with immediate effect.”

24%: THE AMOUNT

BY WHICH THE PRIVATE RENTED SECTOR IS EXPECTED TO GROW BY 2021

SOMETHING IN THE AIR Keeping people safe in their homes isn’t just about protection from fire – according to a survey from BEAMA, 65 per cent of homes in the UK suffer from poor indoor air quality (IAQ) as a result of inadequate ventilation. The Royal College of Physicians claims this comes at an annual cost of over 204,000 healthy life years – 45 per cent of those lost to cardiovascular diseases, 23 per cent to asthma and allergies, and 15 per cent to lung cancer.

The All Party Parliamentary Group for Healthy Homes and Buildings’ white paper, Building our Future: Laying the Foundations for Healthy Homes and Buildings, makes recommendations to the t government on how it can improve housing health standards to benefit occupant oc to be and wellbeing. “This needs n addressed in 2019 and a beyond,” Smith, marketing says Jenny Smith Vent-Axia. “The manager at Ven white paper ccalls for a that national strategy str holistic approach takes a hol to buildin building renovation and reco recommends improved standards improve and regu regulations, which will improve installer imp best practice.” pra THE B WORD Britain will w leave the European Union (EU) Europea March 2019, and on 29 Ma uncertainty about the uncertain repercussions hangs in repercussio

24-26 Future_NEW V2.indd 26

the air for all industries, including electrical contracting. It is therefore prudent to be prepared.

Paul Reeve, director of business and communications at the Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA), suggests contractors should talk to their suppliers and ask what they are doing. “Find out what they can usefully say to you about ensuring ongoing supplies of equipment and materials in 2019,” he says.

“Give serious thought to any job-critical components you will need for projects, and think hard about new commercial contracts you are being asked to sign, in case they aim to tie you to timelines and added costs that you cannot control.”

BEAMA undertook a survey under the European Union Relationship and Industrial Strategy (EURIS) banner – an advisory body of 13 trade organisations representing industrial product suppliers covered by the single market – to ascertain Brexit’s impact. It spoke to organisations from the electrical industry and other sectors, including renewables, plastics, lighting and automation.

“One-third of respondents were thinking about changing or have

‘As a result of the Hackitt Report, there are likely to be changes to the Building Regulations’

17/01/2019 14:20

already changed suppliers due to Brexit, while 15 per cent had already lost export business and a third have seen a fall in investment,” says Howard Porter, BEAMA CEO. “Of respondents, 83 per cent supported continued regulatory alignment with the EU. The risk is that if we diverge, the UK could become a dumping ground for a lower standard of products. Divergence from the system we currently comply with in the EU will cause administrative burden and cost for the manufacturing sector.”

Peter Hunt, CEO at the Lighting Industry Association (LIA), believes uncertainty around Brexit is already having an impact on market confidence, with major projects being stalled. “Furthermore, the new EU Product Database for Energy Labelling (EPREL) will present a challenge to lighting suppliers,” he says. “Until we know the outcome of the Brexit negotiations, we can’t be certain what will apply to goods supplied to the UK market only.”

Others believe it is important not to undermine confidence; for Jon Theis, director at TheisCraft,

negativity is self-defeating. “I find it frustrating that parts of the industry continue to talk down growth of construction within the commercial sector,” he says.

JOINING FORCES For those tasked with ensuring that safe and reliable electrical installations are carried out, 2019 promises to be a pivotal year.

Ian Hunter, group commercial director at Scolmore Group, hopes there will be action to stop the sale of electrical installation products to the general public. “Anyone can purchase these items and while there is legislation that requires them to be installed and tested by a qualified electrician, this is unenforceable,” he says.

“The impact is reduced work for qualified electricians and this

knocks on into margins, salary and profit, as well as the ability to attract and train apprentices.

The industry needs to put pressure on relevant bodies so that they increase and strengthen legislation to protect and support the need for better and safer installations. A high-quality product installed incorrectly is a dangerous product.”

The year ahead looks set to be one of immense change, and events outside of the sector will surely play a massive part in shaping how well it performs during the next 12 months. For contractors, the trick is to stay up to speed on new developments and legislation, and consider how they would react were economic circumstances to change.

As the old saying goes: forewarned is forearmed.

Rob Shepherd is a freelance business journalist who specialises in the building services industry

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SUSTA I N AB L E B U S I NE SS

S

ustainability might once have been dismissed as a business buzzword, bandied about in an attempt to make companies more palatable to environmentally-aware customers, but these days it’s a very real responsibility. In addition to penalties for excessive emissions and improper waste disposal, businesses face a looming shortage of raw materials and rocketing energy costs.

The electrical industry – in its broadest sense – is far from immune.

Indeed, it is culpable, both in terms of excessive consumption and waste production. Figures from charity WRAP (the Waste and Resources Action Programme) reveal 1.53 million tonnes of waste electronic and electric equipment (WEEE) was generated in the UK in 2015, while the total lifecycle impacts of electrical products purchased each year are equivalent to 196 million tonnes CO2(e) (carbon dioxide equivalent) in greenhouse gas emissions.

The Environment Agency has identified WEEE as the UK’s fastest growing waste stream, and the government is cracking down on how it is dealt with. “There are legal requirements on all businesses in the UK to have a duty of care, which extends to all waste types – in particular plastics and packaging, but also electrical waste,” says Shaun Donaghey, group operations director at Electrical Waste. “It places the onus on the holder of the waste, including electrical contractors, to make sure they dispose of it in a legally and environmentally compliant way.”

In 2013 the WEEE Regulations were introduced, making producers and distributors responsible for financing the collection, treatment and recovery of electric and electronic waste.

Distributors must offer consumers a take-back system, where they can dispose of electrical items free of charge, while householders and

Electrical contractors are at the forefront of the drive to improve environmental practices, with opportunities to reduce waste and recycle where possible. Doing so can also improve your reputation and even lead to additional business

BY PENELOPE RANCE

Sustainable thinking businesses have a responsibility to properly dispose of electrical waste.

Electrical contractors are not exempt from these regulations. If they sell electronic and electric equipment directly to household end-users, they have an obligation to join the distributor take-back scheme. And it’s not enough to offload waste to a third party and plead ignorance of their disposal methods. “The holder of the waste has a duty to understand where it’s going and how it’s being treated, ensuring they’re not giving it to an illegal site or someone who might just fly-tip to avoid the cost of proper disposal,” says Donaghey.

For companies in breach of the regulations, the Environment Agency offers guidance in the first instance, to ensure a positive outcome. But punitive measures exist, including

fines and even imprisonment for severe environmental breaches.

There’s no shortage of options for waste disposal – electrical wholesaler CEF, for example, has collection points in 390 branches across the UK. “Any contractor can bring waste in batches, and deposit it in an environmentally compliant way,” says Donaghey.

“There are charges, but only the bare minimum to cover the safe disposal and treatment of that waste type.”

Faced with reticence among contractors who don’t want to pay for disposal, he says: “They need to think about passing those charges on to the businesses or householders that they’re working for. Part of their job is to look after the waste, and there will be a cost associated with correct disposal.” Given the hazardous materials and components built into

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a lot of electrical items, from ozonedepleting gases to mercury, cadmium, lithium and arsenic, it’s vital to engage the experts.

A NEW LEASE OF LIFE Sustainability is not just about waste disposal – making conscious choices when sourcing equipment is also key for electrical contractors wanting to improve their environmental credentials. This is becoming easier as suppliers recognise the advantages of recycling. One such supplier is Marshall-Tufflex, which reports that, in 2017, its PVC-U cable management products were manufactured using 80 per cent recycled material.

“At the moment we stop the weight equivalent of 300 double-decker buses of PVC-U going to landfill each year,” says CEO Paul Hetherington. “If

more cable management producers joined us we could double or treble that amount, which would make a terrific impact on the environmental performance of our sector.”

Many NICEIC contractors are making a conscious effort to be more sustainable. “I follow the mantra ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’,” says Amanda Pugh of Amanda Electrics, based in Princes Risborough. “I reduce where I can if it is cost-effective and what the client wants. I reuse all good quality, functioning equipment, after testing and checking to ensure it complies with current regulations. And I recycle everything I can – even taking cable reels apart so I can separate the metal centres and the card top and bottoms at the tip.”

David Cole, founder of Neath firm Live-Link Electrical, is also a recycling

‘We stop the equivalent in weight of 300 double-decker buses of PVC-U going to landfill each year’

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SUSTA I N AB L E B U S I NE SS

BUSINESS BENEFITS The value in building a more sustainable business is both communal and commercial. “It benefits society, and electrical contractors as a business, to make sure they are working in the right way,” insists Donaghey. “With the growth of populations and demand, we’re going to run out of resources.

Below, top: David Cole’s upcycled cable drum table. Bottom: A 1940s light fitting salvaged by Eleanor Bell for skinflint – originally installed in the landing taxiway at an RAF base in northwest Wales

1.53M: THE AMOUNT OF TONNES OF WASTE ELECTRONIC AND ELECTRIC EQUIPMENT THAT WAS GENERATED IN THE UK IN 2015

‘It’s predicted that we’ll run out of copper ore around 2050, based on current construction models’

It’s predicted that we’ll run out of copper ore around 2050, based on current construction models.”

The consumption model needs to change, and electrical contractors are on the frontline in making that happen. “Environmental issues are crucial,” says Pugh. “Global warming is the most pressing issue, but using up finite resources such as copper and plastic, plastic pollution and lack of landfill sites are also very important.”

There are financial benefits to being conscientious – such as morale-boosting bonuses for the Live-Link contractors.

“Employees benefit from scrap metal – when it’s taken to the local recycling centre, we get paid for it,” says Cole. “This ranges from cable to ovens and old air-conditioning units, all of which we recycle. The money is saved up and we all have a day out.”

When it comes to reuse, might clients be offended that they’re not getting new? Pugh doesn’t think so.

“I always make it clear if one of the options is to utilise reused materials and I never charge for them,” he says. “It reduces costs for them when I am able to offer ‘pre-loved’ options as part of my quotes.” Reuse can also increase efficiency. “It has helped to avoid delays on jobs. For example, I was fitting a number of recessed spotlights in a client’s home and the arms on two of them broke. Rather than having to order new one, I was able to replace the broken arms with some from compatible pre-used lights.”

Bell agrees that clients respond

positively to upcycling. “I think people are starting to get tired of this throwaway culture and realise the impact it has in terms of landfill and plastic pollution. People are very aware of these issues and they expect it to be at the forefront of contractors’ decisionmaking.”

ENERGY SAVING Electrical contractors can promote and propagate sustainability in a host of other ways. Encouraging clients to use LEDs and other energy-saving equipment, for example, shrinks their carbon footprints – and cuts waste, as products last longer. Contractors in city centres can consider the use of electric vehicles.

Then there’s designing and installing greener systems in new housing and construction projects.

NICEIC’s report 2021 Vision: The Future of the Electrical Contracting Industry identified opportunities for the sector in increased use of renewables and development of local renewable grids, as well as the push for homes and commercial buildings to be zero-carbon. As a result, electrical work will be required on nearly every property in the UK, and savvy electrical contractors will make sure they are up to speed on sustainable systems.

Promoting a business as sustainable can win clients, too. “When contractors engage and are seen as environmentally sound, they have an upsell opportunity,” says Donaghey.

“There’s a lot of tender work in the industry, and there’s an increasing weighting towards environmental management issues.”

Penelope Rance is a freelance business journalist

IMAGES: ISTOCK, SKINFLINT

advocate. “All our waste material is recycled, from cardboard to plastic.

This is split on site and removed by us, held in our stores, and taken to the local recycling centre when a pile builds up.”

Cole has also got imaginative and made furniture from electrical waste. “I had a cable drum from a commercial project, so I decided to sand it down and turn it into a table. My wife thought I was nuts at first, but now she loves it. I’ve also turned a large Champagne bottle into a light for a wine bar!”

NICEIC-accredited designer Eleanor Bell refurbishes vintage lamps, and turns disused items into light fittings. “I upcycled a piece of old conduit into a wall light, and I’ve also turned a railway sleeper into a light over a dining room table.”

There’s no reason to throw out usable items, she says. “The lights I rewired for skinflint were good-quality fittings made in the 1940s and 1950s. If you put new lighting elements in, you’ve got a light which will last for a long time.

It’s about making things to last.”

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CONTRACTOR PROFILE

MAKING HER MARK

BY NICK MARTINDALE

As a female managing director in the electrical industry, Alicia Reid is something of a rarity. But, four years after taking over the business, she’s slowly putting her stamp on Tomlinson Longstaff

IMAGES: ©JOHN MILLARD/UNP

A

licia Reid, managing director of West Auckland-based Tomlinson Longstaff, didn’t plan for a career in the electrical industry. She initially went to university and did a degree in forensic psychology and criminal justice “because that was the thing to do at the time”, and then set about looking for work in the area where she’d grown up.

“My dad had a business and I worked for him for about four months, but I wasn’t sure about it, and then my step-dad said I could work for him and see what he does,” she recalls. “I did a year in the office, but in that first six months I’d decided I would stay.”

Alicia’s step-dad is Tony Kirkup, who by 2007 was the sole owner of the County Durham business; he’d initially bought his way into the company in 1995 when Doug Tomlinson, who had started the business in 1975, retired. Tony worked alongside the firm’s co-founder Dave Longstaff

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until the latter’s retirement in 2004, and then ran it on his own.

Alicia realised that if she was to be taken seriously in the business, particularly as a woman in a heavily male-dominated industry, then she needed to get qualified. “I realised I would need to know what I was talking about,” she recalls.

“I enrolled in New College Durham and started a four-year apprenticeship, doing one day a week at college – mainly with 16-year-old boys. I was on the tools during that time as well.”

Having completed her apprenticeship, she started working her way up through the business, becoming contracts manager in 2011 and buying into the business herself in 2013. By this point, the plan was for a gradual handover, but when Tony suffered a mini-stroke he scaled back his involvement, and Alicia found herself in sole charge in 2014.

AT THE HELM Alicia’s approach to running the business has been to continue the methods that have served it well in the past. “I very much followed my step-dad’s way of doing things for the first couple of years, because it was all quite new to me,” she says. “But I’ve always had an easy-going approach with the engineers; my view is that we all come to work for the same reason, so we might as well enjoy what we do.”

Today, the business employs 18 people including Alicia, with 13 engineers and five in the office, and annual turnover has remained around the £1.2 million mark for the past 15 years or so. The focus is firmly on the commercial and industrial sector; regular clients include kitchen manufacturer PWS, based in Newton Aycliffe; Darlington engine manufacturer Cummins; plastic producer Ineos, also in Newton Aycliffe; as well as local schools, businesses and charities.

“We recently did the lighting at Rockcliffe Hall Hotel in Darlington, when we were sub-contracted by the main electrical contractor, but then on the golf clubhouse attached to the hotel we did the full installation – so the wiring and the lighting,” she says. “We’re also involved with PWS in building a new factory, which was a huge contract, and that’s just continuing because they keep adding more bits on to it.” The business covers the whole of the north-east and Yorkshire, with much of the work in Newcastle or Sunderland, but tries to avoid working too far outside of that area.

DOING IT HER WAY However, Alicia is starting to introduce a number of departures from the traditional way of doing things. “I’ve made a lot of electronic changes, so emailing quotes instead of printing and posting them,” she says. “My step-dad used to have a diary

on the desk to show where he was going, but now everyone has a shared diary on their computer, and messages are digital rather than being on Post-it notes.”

The business is currently in the process of rolling out project management software in order to improve customer service; this will include giving engineers the ability to remotely complete job-sheets that can then be seen in real-time in the office. “Once it goes live it will really change the way we do things,” she says. “I don’t want to be the company that says they’re going to ring and doesn’t. It will help us manage our clients too, so if a quote has been sent then we can chase it up or remind them that testing is due.”

She’s also introduced a bi-annual health and safety day, where the whole office gets together to ensure everyone is up to speed on requirements.

This is something she feels has become necessary

‘I’ve always held my own and never ducked out of doing anything just because I’m a woman’ Company Tomlinson Longstaff Established 1975 Major projects Lighting for Rockcliffe Hall Hotel, Darlington; building a new factory for PWS

1975

since her step-dad changed the way the business operated so that engineers go straight to site rather than coming into the office in the morning first.

“We do that to keep the communication lines open,” she says.

Another step has been to make contracts manager Jeremy Forster, who joined the business at the same time as Alicia, a director. “I wanted to reward him in the right way for the work that he’s doing in order to get the commitment from him,” she explains. “Rather than just increasing his salary or giving him a bonus, it was about making the commitment of being a director and taking on those responsibilities.”

BUCKING THE TREND Alicia’s role today is largely focused on managing the business, but she also takes on responsibility for around 30 per cent of the contracts, with Jeremy handling the remainder. She’s often out on-site, pricing up jobs and keeping track of progress, but is no longer on the tools. “The longer you’re not doing it for, the less likely you are to want to do it,” she says. “You just get out of the habit; I’d be a bit slow now. It’s just not where my focus is.”

Being a female electrician is unusual, she says, although she felt this more while on the tools than in her current role. “I’ve always held my own and

The year the business was founded

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CONTRACTOR PROFILE

(L-R) Approved electricians Michael Stothard and Ross McDonough, managing director Alicia Reid, apprentice electrician Dan Cummings and electrical supervisor Kevin Dunn

never ducked out of doing anything just because I’m a woman,” she says. “I’ve just got on with it.

“Physically you might not be quite as strong, but other than that there’s not a lot holding you back.

But I just get on with people and have always been myself, and since becoming a manager I think the lads just respect the work I put in.” She’d be open to taking on a female electrician or apprentice – there are currently four male apprentices working for the firm – but has never had a woman apply.

UNDER CONTROL The plan for the future is for more of the same, but there are ideas to grow the business, too. One idea is to do more work for end-clients, rather than through main contractors or builders, which would allow the business to develop longer-term relationships. “We want to start doing all their services, whether that’s PAT testing, fixed-wire testing or installation work,” she says. “We want to be clients’ go-to for anything.” The business has close relationships with a number of sub-

(L-R) Contracts manager Jeremy Forster, managing director Alicia Reid, accounts manager Jill O’Hare and office manager Sharon Jackson

£1.2M: THE COMPANY’S ANNUAL TURNOVER

contractors specialising in areas such as CCTV or fire alarms, she adds, which means it can also offer these services to clients.

High-end domestic could also be a potential growth area. “We do take on some domestic work, but it tends to be for people we know,” she says. “We worked on a £2 million house that was having a ground floor refurbishment last year, but that was through a builder, rather than the client.

But that could be an area for us going forward, as well as rental houses through estate agents.”

Another focus for 2019 is the installation of both domestic and commercial electric vehicle charging points, she adds.

The business has been at its current premises for more than 30 years, and has the potential to expand it further without the need to move, meaning it could accommodate growth as and when required. And while Tony is no longer involved with the business on a daily basis, he’s always there to call on for advice when needed, says Alicia.

You get the impression, however, that such chats are few and far between, and that the business is in safe hands. “We’re not really risktakers, we’re just steady, but that’s why we have been going for so long,” Alicia adds. “I’m just trying to move us forward and make sure we’re doing the best we can.”

Nick Martindale is editor of Connections

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technical

Your industry-leading reference guide to technical information 38

Ask the experts Answers to some of the more frequently asked questions put to our Technical Helpline

40

Low voltage electrical supplies for equipment on construction sites Considering the requirements and recommendations when using low voltage electrical supplies for equipment on construction sites

44

Reduced low voltage systems A summary of the requirements for the use of reduced low voltage supplies to equipment on construction sites

48

Definitions – and their misuse An in-depth explanation of a number of BS 7671 terms that consistently appear in enquiries to NICEIC and ELECSA

52

The interval to the next periodic inspection Clarifying the change in the requirements for recommending the interval to the next periodic inspection of an electrical installation, as set out in BS 7671: 2018

54

Benefits of LED lighting Why it pays to switch to LED forms of lighting, plus an examination of some of the key terms associated with these products

58

Apprentice Corner An introduction to earth fault current and earth fault loop impedance, including a look at how the requirements of BS 7671 apply in this area

THE NICEIC AND ELECSA PUBLISHING TEAM Tim Benstead principal technical author Jonathan Elliott senior technical author Terry Bratley technical author Derek Cooney technical author Craig Waslin technical author Chris Long technical engineer Alex Whitworth technical illustrator

HELPLINE John O’Neill technical engineering manager Sam Donaghy technical helpline engineer Stuart McHugh technical helpline engineer Duncan McFarlane technical helpline engineer Norman Bradshaw technical helpline engineer Mark Cooper technical helpline engineer Richard Atkins technical standards engineer Mark Barnes-Rider technical helpline engineer Craig Kemp technical helpline engineer Craig Cunningham technical helpline engineer

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T E C HN I CAL

Ask the experts

QU E ST I ON

Does a circuit supplying electric vehicle charging equipment require RCD protection?

ANSWE R

We continue with our series of answers to some of the more frequently asked questions put to our Technical Helpline

Not necessarily. There is nothing special about the circuit up to the charging point. It is just another ‘distribution circuit’ falling within the scope of the general requirements of BS 7671, which may require an RCD for other purposes.

QU E ST I ON

Q UE STIO N

Both Regulations 708.415.1 and 721.415.1 of BS 7671 require the provision of additional protection by RCD of rated residual operating current (I∆n) not exceeding 30 mA for all socket-outlets on a caravan park (to be protected individually) and where protection by automatic disconnection of supply is used within a caravan respectively.

How does this arrangement of RCDs of the same rating connected in series comply with Regulation 536.4.1.4, which states that for selectivity to be achieved: • the upstream RCD shall be of selective type (type S or time-delayed type with appropriate time delay settings), and • the ratio of the rated residual operating current of the upstream RCD to that of the downstream RCD shall be at least 3:1?

The 18th edition recommends that Arc Fault Detection Devices (AFDD) are provided as a means of providing additional protection against fire caused by arc faults in AC final circuits in various locations. Am I required to install AFDDs in all locations where there is sleeping accommodation?

Q

It is the role of the designer of the electrical installation, after due consideration of the risk presented, to determine whether or not to make use of AFDDs. Regulation 421.1.7 recommends their use to provide additional protection against fire caused by arc faults in AC final circuits.

Informative examples are included in Regulation 421.1.7 for those places where AFDDs might be sensibly used, including sleeping accommodation.

One definition of sleeping accommodation is given in the document published by the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) publication Fire safety risk assessment: sleeping accommodation.

A

A N SW E R

The requirements of Regulation 536.4.1.4 apply only where selectivity is required. In the case of a caravan connected to a pitch supply, it is not important whether the RCD forming part of the fixed installation of the caravan park or within the caravan operates, as only the single caravan will be disconnected in either case.

Do you have a technical query? Call our helpline on 0333 015 6628

Does a plastic water service entering a property, which then converts to metal within the property, require equipotential bonding to the metallic pipework?

ANSWE R

No, unless as a result of the route taken by the pipework the pipework becomes an extraneous-conductive-part.

QU E ST I ON

Does an electric vehicle fed from EV charging equipment require RCD protection?

ANSWE R

Where the protective measure Automatic Disconnection of Supply (ADS) is employed, an electric vehicle charging point must be provided with additional protection by RCD in accordance with Regulation group 722.531.2.

That is: • In general, a type A RCD, or • Where the charging point incorporates a socket-outlet or a vehicle connector complying with the BS EN 62196 series and the charging equipment itself does not provide protective measures against DC fault current one of the following should be provided: a Type B RCD, or a Type A RCD and appropriate additional equipment to provide disconnection of the

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Area Engineer / Steve Hayes supply in the event of a DC fault current in excess of 6 mA.

When did you first become an area engineer for NICEIC? I joined NICEIC in February 2017.

In all cases: • the residual operating current rating (I∆n) should be less than or equal to 30 mA, and • the RCD shall disconnect all live conductors, and • RCDs shall comply with BS EN 61008-1, BS EN 61009-1, BS EN 60947-2 or BS EN 62423.

In many cases, such RCD protection will be an integral part of the car charging point as shown in Fig 1.

Where the protective measure Electrical separation is employed, additional protection by RCD is not required.

Fig 1. Domestic car charging point with integral RCBO

How has the job changed in that time?

As a new kid, I’ve not noticed many changes, but times are certainly changing for the industry.

Steve Hayes South East London and Kent NICEIC and ELECSA employ 80 field team staff to assess contractors’ work and provide up-to-date technical advice. To many of you they will be the face of NICEIC and ELECSA that you see regularly. Here we turn the tables and put them in the spotlight

IEC/EN 61009-1

What are some of the biggest changes within the industry that you have come across in that time?

The biggest change is the introduction of the 18th edition of the Wiring Regs. There also seems to be more emphasis on price and short completion dates, which increases the pressure on our contractors.

What’s the strangest thing you have come across on an assessment during your time with NICEIC? I carried out an assessment and the applicant QS did not have a vehicle on that day. Uber to and from his site location was a new experience for me.

What’s the strangest request you have had?

I was asked by one contractor if I would like to have dinner with his family at the end of his assessment.

What interesting jobs have some of your contractors been involved with?

I have been to the Tower of London to look at some moat lighting, the new museum in Westminster Cathedral and a couple of interesting Crossrail projects. I also carried out an assessment at the Royal Engineers Museum in Chatham.

What are your interests outside of work?

I enjoy freshwater fishing, walking in the countryside and bird-spotting – anything outdoors.

What superpower would you have?

To be able to teleport – I hate long-haul travel.

Q UE STIO N

Can luminaires such as fluorescent or LED fittings be fixed to the top and bottom of a typical wall-mounted kitchen unit?

If you had a day off tomorrow, what would you do?

I’d head off to do some fishing. Peace and quiet, fishing and wildlife – the perfect combination.

A N SW E R

Generally, yes. Such units are considered to be a rigid fixture and are not normally disturbed in service. However, it should be ensured that all the applicable requirements of BS 7671, including Section 559 (Luminaires and Lighting Installations) are met, and the fittings are suitable for mounting on normally flammable surfaces.

Favourite book, film and TV programme?

My favourite book is Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus, and my favourite films are Forrest Gump and Saving Private Ryan. TV-wise, I like documentaries, wildlife and factual programmes.

What’s the best bit of advice you would give to electrical contractors?

Be yourself, be calm, be honest and ask if you are not sure.

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T E C HN I CAL

Low voltage electrical supplies for equipment on construction sites O B JE C TIVE

When low voltage equipment is used on construction sites, precautions must be taken to reduce the risk to an acceptable level.

A range of supplies are permitted for socketoutlets and equipment on construction sites.

This article summarises the requirements and recommendations for the use of low voltage supplies in such locations. This article follows on from articles in the previous issue of Connections that looked at the environmental factors on construction sites and the use of low voltage to supply electrical equipment on-site.

You may find it helpful to refer those articles when reading this one. An article describing the requirements for reduced low voltage (RLV) supplies appears elsewhere in this edition and may also be of interest.

Introduction Notes 1 and 2 of Regulation 704.410.3.10 of BS 7671 express a strong preference for the use of reduced low voltage (RLV) for the supply to portable hand lamps for general use, portable hand tools and local lighting up to 2 kW, and SELV systems for portable hand-lamps for use in confined or damp locations.

However, it will still be necessary to provide low voltage supplies for higher current demand loads, such as: • site buildings (offices, drying rooms, canteens and the like) • the RLV transformers distributed around site • large items of current-using equipment, such as cranes, lifts and hoists • fixed floodlighting.

Protection against shock The following basic protection measures may not be used on a construction site: • obstacles • placing out of reach (704.410.3.5).

1 BS 7375: 2010 Distribution of electricity on construction and demolition sites – Code of practice 2 BS EN 50525-2-21: 2011 Electric cables – Low voltage energy cables of rated voltages up to and including 450/750 V (U0/U) Part 2-21: Cables for general applications – Flexible cables with cross-linked elastomeric insulation 3 BS 5467: 2016 Electric cables. Thermosetting insulated, armoured cables of rated voltages of 600/1000 V and 1900/3300 V for fixed installations. Specification

Additionally, the use of the protective measures of non-conducting location, earth-free local equipotential bonding or electrical separation for the supply of more than one item of current-using equipment is not permitted on construction sites (704.410.3.6). This is because these measures may be employed only where an installation or part of an installation is under the control of skilled persons, or of instructed persons acting under the supervision of skilled persons (410.3.5 and 410.3.6). This is not the case on a construction site, where electrical equipment will be used by unskilled persons (ordinary persons, as defined in Part 2 of BS 7671).

Where the protective measure automatic disconnection of supply is used, an RCD of rated residual current not exceeding 30 mA must be installed to provide additional protection for every circuit supplying: • a socket-outlet having a rated current not exceeding 32 A, or • hand-held electrical equipment of rated current not exceeding 32 A (704.410.3.10).

Any low voltage circuit supplying one or more socket-outlets having a rated current exceeding 32 A must be provided with an RCD of rated residual current not exceeding 500 mA to give automatic disconnection within the following times, as appropriate to the type of earthing

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system of which the electrical installation forms a part (704.411.3.2.1): • 5 seconds – TN system (411.3.2.3) • 1 second – TT system (411.3.2.4).

Fig 1 Examples of plugs to BS EN 60309 2

110 V

Generally, where it is not feasible to achieve a required disconnection time in the event of a fault to a protective conductor or to Earth for a final circuit covered by Regulation 411.3.2 using an overcurrent device, or the use of an RCD is not appropriate, the methods described in Section 419 may be applied (411.3.2.5). However, to do so is not permitted for circuits supplying one or more socket-outlets with a rated current exceeding 32 A on a construction site (704.411.3.2.1).

A protective multiple earth (PME) earthing facility should not be used to provide the means of earthing for a construction or demolition site installation unless all extraneous-conductiveparts are reliably connected to the main earthing terminal (704.411.3.1). However, Clause 6.5.4.1 of BS 73751 advises that a PME earthing facility cannot normally be used as it is not practicable to ensure that all extraneous-conductive-parts, either existing or added during construction, will be adequately bonded at all times.

230 V

400 V

2 pole & earth Violet 110 V

230 V

3 pole & earth

110 V

230 V

3 pole & Earth

4 pole & earth

400 V

24 V DC

Violet

24 V

Yellow

110 V

50 - 60 Hz 50 - 60 Hz

Blue

230 V

50 - 60 Hz

Red

400 V

50 - 60 Hz

Black

500 V

50 - 60 Hz

Green

50 - 500V

100 - 300 Hz

Earth pin

cross sectional area of not less than that of the largest associated circuit (meaning live) conductor.

Plugs and socket-outlets Wiring systems Flexible cable complying with H07RN-F (BS EN 50525-2-212) type or equivalent heavy duty flexible cable should be used for low voltage applications (704.522.8.11).

Clause 6.7.2 of BS 7375 recommends that all fixed cables and wiring of the general installation operating at a voltage to earth exceeding 63.5 V: • incorporate an earthed armour or metal sheath or both, suitable for use as a protective conductor, which should be continuous and effectively earthed, and • non-flexible armoured cables should conform to BS 54673 or BS 67244.

Additionally, this clause recommends that in the case of flexible or trailing cables, any earthed armour and/or metal sheath should be in addition to the earth core in the cable and should not be used as the protective conductor.

Clause 6.7.3 of BS 7375 recommends that any flexible cables used should: • conform to BS 67085 • be suitable for correct anchoring and termination in the accessories or other equipment • have a minimum conductor cross-sectional area of 1.5 mm2 • have a current rating not less than that of the associated protective device.

Clause 6.7.1 of that standard specifies that the protective conductor in any cable should have a

4 BS 6724: 2016 Electric cables. Thermosetting insulated, armoured cables of rated voltages of 600/1 000 V and 1 900/3 300 V for fixed installations, having low emission of smoke and corrosive gases when affected by fire.

Specification 5 BS 6708: 1998 Flexible cables for use at mines and quarries 6 BS EN 603092:1999+A2:2012 Plugs, socket-outlets and couplers for industrial purposes. Dimensional interchangeability requirements for pin and contact-tube accessories 7 BS EN 603091:1999+A2:2012 Plugs, socket-outlets and couplers for industrial purposes.

General requirements

All plugs and socket-outlets, and indeed cable couplers and cable connectors, of current rating exceeding 16 A should meet the requirements of BS EN 60909-26 (704.511.1). Unless specified otherwise in that standard, the requirements of BS EN 60309-17 are also applicable.

Accessories to BS EN 60309-2 are noninterchangeable with respect to their current and voltage ratings.

For current rating, this is achieved by differences in physical dimensions; the higher the current rating, the larger the accessory.

Non-interchangeability for voltage rating is achieved by the relationship between the earth pins/socket tubes and the keyway(s) to physically prevent incorrect insertion of items of the same current rating but different voltage rating. The position of the earthing contact or keyway is typically identified by reference to a 12-hour clock-face analogy, as described in Clause 7.1 of BS EN 60309-2.

For example, an accessory designed for a voltage of 400 V should have its keyway situated in the 9 o’clock (9 h) position. If its current rating was 16 A it would be identified by one of the following designations on the product: 16 A – 9 h ⁄ 400 V~ or 16 – 9 h ⁄ 400~ or 9h 16 – 400~

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T E C HN I CAL

Table 1 Colour coding for operating voltage applicable to accessories to BS EN 60309-1 20 to 25

Violet

40 to 50

White

100 to 130

Yellow

200 to 250

Blue

380 to 480

Red

500 to 1 000

Fig 2 Example of a construction site electrical installation (Note: the blue lines are shown to represent cables connecting equipment, their colour does not denote any particular voltage) Incoming supply

Site incoming assembly Accommodation

Standby generator Main distribution assembly

Black

Clause 7.7 of BS EN 60309-1 states that the operating voltage of accessories may be indicated by colour. In the case of low voltage, the colours seen in Table 1 are applicable.

This colour-coding system is often also applied to the outer sheath of flexible cables, although there is no requirement for this.

400 V 110 V

Tower flood lighting

400 V Transformer assembly

110 V

110 V

Socket-outlet assemblies

Socket-outlet assemblies

Assemblies for construction sites (ACS) Any assembly for the distribution of electricity on a construction or demolition site should meet the requirements of BS EN 61439-48 (704.511.1).

A device should be provided to isolate the supply to the installation of the construction site (704.537.2). Clause 7.1.2 of BS 7375 recommends that this, and other devices to provide isolation within the installation, are of multi-pole type, which break all circuit (live) conductors (including the neutral conductor) simultaneously. A note to this clause explains that this is because equipment for construction sites may be re-used on various sites during its operational life, and in some cases the site installation will form part of a TT system.

While Regulation 704.537.2 also requires the means of isolation for the installation to be securable in the OFF position, Clause 7.1.2 states that any means of isolation other than a plug and socket-outlet or cable coupler should be provided with a facility for securing it in the OFF position while the load circuit is being worked on.

The design of the site electrical installation needs to ensure, among other things, that distribution equipment such as ACSs are supplied with appropriate sized conductors and located at relevant points of utilisation before site work commences and as the work progresses, to minimise values of earth fault loop impedance and permit connection of moveable and/or portable equipment without excessive length of trailing cables.

An example of a construction site electrical installation is shown in Fig 2.

Consideration should be given to the length of cable runs within the site supply system.

Excessively long runs might result in earth fault loop impedance values in excess of those

110 V tools Tower crane

110 V Lighting

permitted by Section 411 in order to cause operation of the overcurrent protective device(s) in the ACS. Where excessive values of earth fault loop impedance are obtained an appropriate RCD may be used to satisfy the fault protection requirements of BS 7671 (411.4.204 for TN system and 411.5.3 for TT system).

Conclusion It will be necessary to provide a low voltage electrical supply for some equipment on a construction site. Where this is the case, it is essential that these supplies are able to withstand the ambient conditions presented by such an environment to ensure that the installation may be used safely.

It is therefore important that all relevant requirements relating to the installation of such supplies on a construction site are met.

This will require reference to a number of British Standards, in particular BS 7671, BS 7375 and BS EN 61439-4.

Further guidance may also be found in HSG150 Health and Safety in Construction, downloadable as a free copy from www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/hsg150.htm.

8 BS EN 61439-4: 2013 Lowvoltage switchgear and controlgear assemblies.

Particular requirements for assemblies for construction sites (ACS)

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Reduced low voltage systems from electricity while providing an adequate supply voltage for the majority of site equipment to function properly. It is for this reason that Note 1 of Regulation 704.410.3.10 expresses a strong preference for the use of RLV for the supply to portable hand lamps for general use, portable hand tools and local lighting up to 2 kW. RLV is a form of supply in which the nominal circuit voltage does not exceed 110 V AC between lines. In the case of three-phase circuits, voltage should not exceed 63.5 V between a line and earthed neutral and, for single-phase circuits, 55 V between a line and earthed midpoint (411.8.1.2). It is this reduced voltage level which provides the primary protection against electric shock in the RLV system. Indeed, historically, a disconnection time was not specified.

O B JE C TIVE

BS 7671 permits the use of a range of supplies to equipment on construction sites. This article summarises the requirements for the use of reduced low voltage supplies in such locations.

This article follows on from articles in the previous issue of Connections, which looked at the environmental factors on construction sites and the use of low voltage to supply electrical equipment on-site. You may find it helpful to refer those articles when reading this one. An article describing the requirements for the use of low voltage supplies on construction sites appears elsewhere in this edition and may also be of interest.

Permitted sources of supply The supply to an RLV circuit should be derived from one of the following sources: • A double-wound isolating transformer meeting the requirements of BS EN 61558-1 and BS EN 61558-2-23 • A motor-generator in which the windings provide a degree of isolation equivalent to that provided by the windings of an isolating transformer • Some other source independent of other supplies, such as an engine-driven generator (411.8.4.1).

Introduction Section 704 of BS 7671 permits the use of a range of electrical supplies on construction sites. This article concentrates on the requirements for reduced low voltage (RLV). When considering the use of RLV, it is important to comply with both the requirements of Section 411.8 of BS 7671 and those of BS 4363: 1998 (2013) – Specification for distribution assemblies for reduced low voltage electricity supplies for construction and building sites.

Where, for functional reasons, the use of extra-low voltage is impracticable and there is no requirement for the use of SELV or PELV, an RLV system may be used (411.8.1.1). This system has been used on construction and demolition sites (and indeed some industrial and commercial premises) in the United Kingdom for more than 50 years. It has been highly effective, reducing the risk of death and severity of injury

The secondary windings of a transformer or generator providing the supply to an RLV system must be connected to Earth. As can be seen in Fig 1, for three-phase supplies, the connection is made at the neutral (star) point and for singlephase supplies the connection is made at the midpoint (411.8.4.2).

Basic protection Basic protection must be provided by either basic insulation suitable for the maximum 44 WINTER 2018-19

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Fig 1 Single-phase and three-phase RLV supplies

Secondary windings only shown for clarity Earthed at star-point

63.5 V

Earthed at mid-point

U = 110 V 55 V U = 110 V

U = 110 V U = 110 V

system nominal voltage or by the use of barriers or enclosures (411.8.2).

Fault protection All exposed-conductive-parts of the RLV system must be connected to Earth.

For automatic disconnection of supply (fault to earth), each line conductor should be protected by either an overcurrent protective device or an RCD. Clause 5.5 of BS 4363 requires any circuitbreakers used on output circuits to disconnect all circuit conductors simultaneously.

BS 7671 calls for a maximum disconnection time of five seconds for an RLV system (411.8.3).

The maximum value of earth fault loop impedance to achieve this disconnection time can be found by the application of one of the following formulae, derived from the expression given in Regulation 411.4.4: For fuses or circuit-breakers: U0 × Cmin Zsmax ≤ Ia Where: U0 Ia Cmin

is the nominal AC rms voltage to Earth (55 V for 1Ø RLV or 63.5 V for 3Ø RLV (see 411.8.3)) is the current in amperes (A) causing the automatic operation of the disconnecting device within 5s is the minimum voltage factor to take account of voltage variations depending on time and place, changing of transformer taps and other considerations (typically taken as 0.95)

Alternatively, Table 41.6 of BS 7671 provides maximum earth fault loop impedance values

for the commonly available ratings of circuitbreakers to BS EN 60898, for the overcurrent element of RCBOs to BS EN 61009-1 and for general purpose fuses to BS 88-2 fuse systems E and G. It should be noted at this point that BS 4363 recommends for a single-phase transformer assembly (TA/1) that: • any single-phase output circuits of rating up to 32 A supplying socket-outlets, and • any circuits in excess of 32 A, whether supplying or circuits directly or via socketoutlets, must be protected by double-pole circuitbreakers (Clause 7.1).

Similarly, in a three-phase transformer assembly (TA/3), any three-phase circuit of rating up to 32 A supplying socket-outlets should be protected by triple-pole circuit-breakers (Clause 7.3). This precludes the use of fuses at the origin of circuits in such site assemblies.

Clause 7 also states that any socket-outlets in excess of 32 A rating must be mechanically or electrically interlocked to prevent the on-load removal of the plug.

Where fault protection is provided by an RCD, the following condition must be met: I∆n × Zs ≤ 50 V Where: I∆n is the rated residual operating current of the RCD providing fault protection.

It should be noted that where an RCD is relied upon for fault protection, for example where the earth fault loop impedance value is high, an appropriate overcurrent protective device must still be provided in each line conductor in accordance with Chapter 43 (411.4.5; 411.5.2).

Particular requirements where the installation forms part of a TT system

1 BS 7375: 2010 Distribution of electricity on construction and demolition sites – Code of practice 2 Engineering Recommendation G12 Issue 4 – Requirements for the Application of Protective Multiple Earthing to Low Voltage Networks

BS 7671 permits the use of an enclosure of Class I construction to house an RCD at the origin of an installation forming part of a TT system subject to the use of live conductors having double or reinforced insulation on the supply side of the incoming device (531.3.5.3.2.201).

Similarly, Clause 6.5.4.1 of BS 73751 states that a metallic enclosure may be used if insulating glands, gland plates or other measures, providing the equivalence of Class II insulation between the incoming supply conductors and equipment metalwork, are taken to reduce the possibility of earth faults. However, this clause also states that, wherever practicable, an insulating enclosure should be used to avoid the

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risk of earth faults between incoming cables and metalwork on the supply side of the principal protective device(s).

It is important to comply with any specific requirements that may have been imposed by a Distribution Network Operator (DNO) as conditional to the provision of a supply.

For example, Clause 6.2.2.2 of Engineering Recommendation G12, issue 42 does not permit any exposed-conductive-parts before, or enclosing, an RCD. As a result, an RCD at the origin would have to be housed in an enclosure of Class II or equivalent all-insulated construction.

Apprentice Corner answers 1.

From Fig 3A5 in Appendix 3, the disconnection time is about 6 s.

2. Correct option is (c) The total calculated value of impedance is: Zs = Ze + (R1 + R2) = 0.22 + 0.66 = 0.88 Ω.

When compared to Table 41.3, the total impedance should not exceed: 0.68 x 0.8 = 0.54 Ω. The 0.8 correction factor is found in Appendix 3 BS 7671. Therefore the circuit impedance is too high to meet the disconnection time of 0.4 s.

Circuits Every plug, socket-outlet, luminaire supporting coupler, device for connecting a luminaire and cable coupler used in RLV systems should have a protective conductor contact that is not dimensionally compatible with those used for any other system in use on the particular construction or demolition site (411.8.5).

All plugs and socket-outlets – and indeed cable couplers and cable connectors – of current rating exceeding 16 A should meet the requirements of BS EN 60309-23 (704.511.8.11).

Unless otherwise specified in that standard, the requirements of BS EN 60309-14 are also applicable.

Accessories to BS EN 60309-2 are noninterchangeable with respect to their current and voltage ratings.

A more complete explanation of the noninterchangeability arrangements is given in the article on low voltage supplies on construction sites which appears elsewhere in this issue of Connections.

Clause 7.7 of BS EN 60309-1 states that the operating voltage of accessories may be indicated by colour. In the case of accessories suitable for operation at 100-130 V, the identifying colour yellow should be used.

While there is no requirement for such, this colour-coding system is often also applied to the outer sheath of flexible cables.

3. Correct option is (b) When determining earth fault current, it is always the voltage to earth (U0 that is used, even if the circuit is connected to a threephase supply.

U0 = UL = 400 ≈ 230 V √3 √3 Therefore: Ipf = U0 = 230= 460 A Zs 0.5 The equation given in 411.4.4 cannot be used in this instance as there is insufficient detail given in the question. Therefore, this current is a prospective fault current (Ipf) and not a current causing disconnection of the protective device within the required time (Ia).

4. Correct option is (c) From Fig 3A2(a) in Appendix 3, the disconnection time is about 0.5 s

5. Correct option is (d) See page 40 of BS 7671, which gives a list of the symbols used in the standard.

Conclusion The reduced low voltage (RLV) system has been used in the United Kingdom for more than 50 years. RLV provides both a safe system for use in the tough environment typical of a construction site while providing a supply that is sufficient for the majority of site electrical equipment to function properly.

When an RLV system is employed it is important that all relevant requirements relating to the installation of such systems are met. This will require reference to a number of British Standards, in particular BS 7671 and BS 4363.

Correct option is (d) The total calculated value of impedance is: Zs = Ze + (R1 + R2) = 0.22 + 0.66 = 0.88 Ω.

This will give a prospective fault current of: Ipf = U0 = 230 = 261 A. Zs 0.88

6. Correct option is (a) 3 BS EN 603092:1999+A2:2012 Plugs, socket-outlets and couplers for industrial purposes. Dimensional interchangeability requirements for pin and contact-tube accessories 4 BS EN 603091:1999+A2:2012 Plugs, socket-outlets and couplers for industrial purposes.

General requirements

For a reduced low voltage system, Regulation 411.8.3 permits two methods to be used to determine the maximum value of earth fault loop impedance.

Method 1: Use Table 41.6, maximum value of impedance is given as 0.33 Ω Method 2: By calculation using the equation given in 411.4.4; Zs × Ia ≤ U0 × Cmin From the table in Fig 3A4 of Appendix 3, la is 160 A U ×C 55 × 0.95 Maximum Zs= 0 I min = 160 =0.33 Ω a

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Definitions – and their misuse who is responsible for all aspects of the design, such as the selection of protective devices, cables and equipment may, for example, select technology or equipment that is not yet covered by a British or Harmonised Standard. However, in taking the deliberate decision not to comply fully with BS 7671, the designer is responsible for confirming that the departure: • results in no lesser degree of safety than that obtained by full compliance with BS 7671, and • is recorded on the appropriate electrical certificate (Regulations 120.3, 133.1.3 and 133.5 refer).

O B JE C TIVE

Certain terms have a specific meaning when used within the context of the Wiring Regulations and in some circumstances, because their exact meaning is not fully understood, the requirements of BS 7671 are not fully satisfied. The purpose of this article is to remind contractors not to overlook the Definitions provided in Part 2 of BS 7671.

Departures and certification Introduction In some circumstances, ambiguity regarding the meaning of a particular term when used in the context of BS 7671 can result in a requirement not being fully satisfied, or, conversely, it can lead to work such as protective bonding being carried out unnecessarily. Therefore, to support the user, the specific meaning of a range of terms used within BS 7671 is provided in Chapter 2 of BS 7671, ‘Definitions’; that is, when a definition is given in BS 7671 it has that meaning and no other. This article discusses some of the terms that consistently occur in enquiries to NICEIC and ELECSA.

Departure A definition for ‘departure’ was not included previously in BS 7671, but is included in Part 2 of the 18th edition, and those responsible for the design, installation and certification of electrical installations should ensure that where a departure is used, it is appropriate.

The requirements contained in BS 7671 are not intended to restrict or obstruct the design of an electrical installation, and so, where required, it is acceptable for the designer, in agreement with other parties, to use a ‘departure’ (Regulation 120.3). The designer1,

1 Where there is no designated ‘designer’ for the electrical installation, as is commonly the case for domestic rewires and similar works, it is the electrical contractor undertaking the installation work who will inevitably assume the role of the designer.

For certification purposes it is important to distinguish between a departure and a ‘non-compliance’. For example, where the designer specifies a cable that is not covered by a product standard listed in BS 7671, such as ‘SY’ cable, and the use of the cable provides the same level of safety as that required by BS 7671, then it is permitted to record the use of the cable as a departure on the electrical certificate. However, it would not be acceptable to do so if the installation of the ‘SY’ cable resulted in a reduced level of safety. This would be the case, for example, if the ‘SY’ cable were to be installed in the ground, without any additional mechanical protection being provided – particularly as the metallic braid of an ‘SY’ cable is not suitable for use as a protective conductor (Regulation 522.8.10 refers).

Sometimes, as a result of design changes made during installation work, a ‘noncompliance’ might be incorrectly recorded as a ‘departure’. In Fig 1, for example, the original design may have specified a recessed downlighter that is not suitable to be covered by thermal insulation but, as a result of a change made during the installation, it may end up being installed in a position where it is covered by thermal insulation. However, this is a ‘noncompliance’, not a ‘departure’. As required

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competence is required. Indeed, the term ‘electrically’ is implicit to this definition, and so is not included where the definition is used within BS 7671.

For example, BS 7671 requires that inspection and testing of electrical installations is undertaken by skilled persons competent in such work (Regulations 641.6 and 651.5 refer).

NICEIC and ELECSA consider that, to undertake the inspection and testing of an electrical installation, persons should, as a minimum: • have sufficient knowledge and experience of electrical installation matters to avoid danger to themselves and to others, and • be familiar with, and understand, the requirements of BS 7671, including those relating to inspection, testing, certification and reporting, and • have a sound knowledge of the particular type of installation to be inspected and tested, and • have sufficient information about the function and construction of the installation to allow them to proceed in safety.

Fig 1 Luminaire not suitable for covering with thermally insulating material – Table 55.3 of BS 7671

Consider as an example where Regulation 411.3.3 requires additional protection to be provided by an RCD with a rated residual operating current (I∆n) not exceeding 30 mA, for socket-outlets rated at 32 A or less. Although an exception to this requirement is permitted for an installation other than a dwelling, it must be based on a documented risk assessment.

The purpose of the assessment is to determine whether omitting an RCD will result in reducing the safety of the installation. For these reasons, BS 7671 requires an appropriately skilled person to be involved in making such a decision (Appendix 2, item 11, of BS 7671 refers). Where an exception to Regulation 411.3.3 is used, it should be identified on the certificate, as shown in Fig 2, and the risk assessment (or a copy of it) must be appended to the certificate.

by Regulation 644.1.1, this omission must be corrected before the electrical certificate is issued, such as by fitting a luminaire that is suitable or implementing additional measures to prevent the risk of fire (Regulation 421.1.2 refers).

So that departures are used appropriately, NICEIC and ELECSA certificates require that, in addition to recording the presence of departures, full details of each departure and the designer’s intent is provided on an additional numbered page and appended to the certificate.

Skilled person (electrically) Extraneous-conductive-part

As stated in the definition, Regulation 16 of the EWR 1989 requires persons to be competent to prevent danger or injury. For these reasons, the term ‘skilled person’ is used in BS 7671 to identify that an appropriate level of electrical

An extraneous-conductive-part is a conductive part that does not form part of the electrical installation, but is liable to introduce a potential – generally Earth potential. Due to the risk

Fig 2 Luminaire not suitable for covering with thermally insulating material – Table 55.3 of BS 7671

PART 4 : DECLARATION FOR THE ELECTRICAL INSTALLATION WORK (this option may be used where the design, construction, inspection & testing have been the responsibility of one person) DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION, INSPECTION & TESTING (The extent of liability of the signatories is limited to the work detailed in PART 2) I, being the person responsible for the design, construction, inspection and testing of the electrical installation, particulars of which are described in PART 2, having exercised reasonable skill and care when carrying out the design and additionally where this certificate applies to an addition or alteration, having confirmed that the safety of the existing installation is not impaired, hereby CERTIFY that the design, construction, inspection and testing for which I have been responsible is to the best of my knowledge and belief in accordance with BS 7671: 2018, amended to (Regulations 120.3, 133.1.3 and 133.5). (date) except for the departures, if any, detailed on attached page(s) (N/A ) • Permitted exception applied (411.3.3): Yes/NA

Risk assessment attached: (

✓)

Page No(s) (

10

• Where selectivity is required, details of the verification appended (536.4): ( N/A ) Page No(s) ( N/A )

)

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of dangerous potentials existing within an installation, Regulation 411.3.1.2 requires that all extraneous-conductive-parts within each installation, such as structural steelwork and metallic services, are connected to the MET using protective bonding conductors complying with Chapter 54 of BS 7671. However, as it is now commonplace for installation services to be formed of non-conductive material, care needs to be exercised to avoid installing protective bonding conductors unnecessarily.

It should be noted that an item that is conductive may not necessarily introduce a potential. In order to present a risk of electric shock, the conductive part must be at Earth potential (that is, in contact with the general mass of the Earth) and, crucially, must also be accessible.

A conductive part, such as a metal duct or pipe, that is covered with, or enclosed by, insulating material, or an item that is out of reach and not in contact with any exposed-conductivepart or extraneous-conductive-part, is not liable to introduce a potential. Likewise, a metallic pipe having an insulating section at point of entry into a building is not deemed an extraneousconductive-part (Regulation 411.3.1.2 refers).

For a new installation, any doubt regarding protective bonding should be referred to the installation designer for consideration and confirmation as to the requirement for main, and where applicable, supplementary bonding.

In the case of periodic inspection, the inspector should make an assessment based on all the relevant circumstances. One method of verifying whether a conductive part requires bonding is to carry out insulation resistance testing at 500 V DC between the MET and the metallic part, or pipework, as shown in Fig 3.

Where the measured value of insulation resistance between the item and the MET is such that it would prevent any dangerous level of current flow between the part and Earth, the item may be considered to be an isolated metallic part, rather than an extraneousconductive-part. Based on the 30 mA (RCD) current value (the level of current that BS 7671 deems a shock risk), and a body resistance of 1 000 Ω for a 230 V (50 Hz) supply, the metallic part would not require connecting to the MET where the measured value of insulation resistance ‘IR’ is greater than:

Fig 3 Insulation resistance test between a metallic part and the MET

Metallic pipe

1 MΩ 500 V

MΩ TEST

OFF

Ω AUTO NULL

Ω

MET With direct connection to Earth conductor

Wander lead

The value of 1 000 Ω for the body resistance (Rbody) is chosen from PD IEC/TS 60479-1 (based on hand-to-hand contact in dry conditions).

Note: In some circumstances it may be appropriate to use a lower current value than 30 mA, typically 10 mA, for the calculation. This may be appropriate where, for example, circuits are not protected by 30 mA RCDs. Where based on the assumed risk assessment, for example, the inspector chooses 10 mA as an assumed value, the minimum IR would be 22 kΩ (below).

Minimum IR =

U0 230 –R = – 1 000 = 22 kΩ I∆n body 0.01

Conclusion The purpose of the definitions provided in Part 2 of BS 7671 is to support those referencing BS 7671 by providing a clarification of the specific meaning of certain terms when used within the context of the Wiring Regulations.

For these reasons, it is important that the definitions provided are not overlooked when doubt exists to the technical intent of a particular regulation.

U0 230 Minimum IR = I – Rbody = 0.01 – 1 000 = 6.67 kΩ ∆n

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The interval to the next periodic inspection ‘The Report shall indicate a recommended interval until the next inspection, supported by an explanation for the recommendation’ As a result, those responsible for compiling NICEIC Electrical Installation Condition Reports (EICRs) will notice that reports updated to the 18th edition of BS 7671 include an additional item for this purpose.

Where required by the person ordering the work, a detailed explanation for recommending a particular interval can be provided on an additional page and attached to the Report, but this is not generally necessary. In most cases, a brief statement giving the main reason for the recommendation is sufficient. Therefore, as shown in Fig 1, NICEIC EICRs updated to the 18th edition of BS 7671 include an item entitled ‘Give reason for recommendation’.

In addition to the frequency and quality of maintenance that the installation is likely to receive, Regulation 652.1 requires the interval between periodic inspection and testing to be determined, taking into consideration factors such as: • the type of installation and the equipment installed, • comparison of test results with the previous records, • the manner which the installation is used and operated, • the external influences to which the installation is likely to be exposed, and • change of use.

O B JE C TIVE

The purpose of this article is to make contractors aware of a subtle but nevertheless significant change introduced to the requirements of BS 7671:2018 for recommending the interval to the next inspection of an electrical installation.

Introduction Electrical installations should be inspected and tested at appropriate intervals throughout their lifetime to identify damage, deterioration, defects or dangerous conditions that might affect safety (Regulation 651.4). It is the installation designer’s responsibility for making the recommendation to the first periodic inspection, taking into account the frequency and quality of the maintenance the installation is likely to receive (Regulation 341.1). However, for subsequent periodic inspections, it is a matter of engineering judgement to be exercised by the inspector, who in making that recommendation should not be unduly influenced by the person ordering the work or their representatives.

In view of this, it should be noted that the previous requirement to record an appropriate interval on the Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) is now contained in Regulation 653.4 of BS 7671: 2018 and is amended as follows:

The age of the installation and the availability of electrical records are other factors that

Fig 1 Next inspection

PART 5 : NEXT INSPECTION I/We (as indicated on page 1) recommend that subject to the necessary remedial work being taken, this installation should be further inspected and tested after an interval of not more than

years/months* (delete as appropriate)

Give reason for recommendation:

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Fig 2 Example of completing ‘Part 5 Next Inspection’

5

I/We (as indicated on page 1) recommend that subject to the necessary remedial work being taken, this installation should be further inspected and tested after an interval of not more than

years/months* (delete as appropriate)

As required by HMO legislation the installation must be inspected within the interval stated

Fig 3 NICEIC ‘Domestic Visual Condition Report’

DVN18 NCR (No Carbon Required)

DOMESTIC VISUAL CONDITION REPORT Small installations up to 100 A single phase supply This report is not valid if the serial number has been defaced or altered

DVN18

DOMESTIC VISUAL CONDITION REPORT Small installations up to 100 A single phase supply PART 1 : DETAILS OF THE CONTRACTOR, CLIENT AND THE INSTALLATION DETAILS OF THE CONTRACTOR Registration No:

Branch No:

DETAILS OF THE CLIENT

DETAILS OF THE INSTALLATION

Contractor Reference Number (CRN):

Occupier:

Name:

Address:

Trading Title: Address:

Address:

Postcode:

Tel No:

Postcode:

Tel No:

Postcode:

Original (to the person ordering the work)

contribute when determining the interval to the next inspection, but only the main reason for recommending the interval needs to be recorded on the Report. For some installations, such as construction sites and certain other special installations and locations, Part 7 of BS 7671 specifies a maximum interval, while for other installations the interval should be determined based on the inspection and testing results obtained, and taking into consideration factors such as those listed previously.

Depending on the type of installation, particular legislative or licensing requirements may require periodic inspection to be undertaken within a specified interval. For example, legislation covering a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) requires such premises to be inspected and tested at an interval not exceeding five years1. Therefore, it would not be acceptable to record an inspection date which exceeds this interval.

Where an interval less than the maximum specified in legislative or licensing requirements is stated, the reason for recommending the reduced interval should be recorded. This may be the case, for example, where the insulation resistance values obtained show a marked deterioration, or where the installation has suffered damage as a result of flooding, fire, rodent attack and the like.

A five-yearly frequency is also recommended for a domestic rental property. The Landlord and Tenant Act (England & Wales) 1985 places a duty of care on landlords to maintain their rental properties; however, the act does not specify a maximum interval in which the property should undergo inspection and testing. In Scotland, however, it is a legal requirement for periodic inspection to be undertaken on rental properties within a five-year period.

Note: The interval to the next inspection is conditional upon all items that have been given a code C1 or code C2 being addressed, and any item coded (FI) should be investigated without delay.

It should be noted that a formal inspection and test may not always be required2. For example, where a change of tenancy occurs within a short period after a premises has been inspected and tested, it would not be necessary to undertake formal inspection and testing again. However, a visual inspection of the

Tel No:

PART 2 : SUMMARY OF THE CONDITION OF THE INSTALLATION General condition of the installation:

Estimated age of electrical installation: (

These reports are for use only by Approved Contractors and Conforming Bodies registered with NICEIC.

) years

Evidence of additions or alterations: (

)

PART 3 : NEXT INSPECTION I/We (as indicated in PART 1) recommend that a visual inspection / formal periodic inspection and test* is carried out after an after an interval of not more than

years/months*/**

Give reason for recommendation:

PART 4 : DECLARATION I being the person responsible for the visual-only inspection of the electrical installation (as indicated by my signature belo w), particulars of which are described in PART 1, having exercised reasonable skill and care when carrying out the inspection, hereby declare that the information in this report, including the observations and any attached pages, provides an accurate assessment of the condition of the electrical installation taking into account the limitations of a visual-only inspection Name (capitals):

NICEIC forms are accountable documents. Unused reports should be kept secure by the Qualified Supervisor.

Signature:

Results reviewed by Qualified Supervisor for the Approved Contractor Name (capitals):

Date:

Signature:

Date:

PART 5 : CONSUMER UNIT Label for RCD protection: (

)

Main switch type:

(BS (EN)

) RCD operating current, IΔn :

(

) mA

Label for mixed wiring:

(

)

Circuit-breakers:

(BS (EN)

) Schedule of Circuit Details:

(

)

Label for next inspection: (

)

Main switch / Switch-fuse / Circuit-breaker / RCD

RCD:

(BS (EN)

)

Labelling

Absence of labelling (please state):

DVN18/1

Give reason for recommendation:

*Delete as appropriate ** The proposed date for the next inspection should take into consideration the frequency and quality of maintenance that the installation can reasonably be expected to receive during its intended life, and the period should be agreed between relevant parties.

Published by Certsure LLP Certsure LLP operates the NICEIC & ELECSA brands Warwick House, Houghton Hall Park, Houghton Regis, Dunstable, LU5 5ZX

@ Copyright Certsure LLP (July 2018)

Please see ‘Notes for Recipient’

Page 1 of

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EAN: 5055483700331

Guidance on the completion of Certificates and Reports may be found in current NICEIC publications, details of which are available on www.niceicdirect.com

electrical installation should be conducted prior to any new tenants moving into the premises so that any damage that may have been caused to accessories and fixed equipment is identified and addressed.

For the purpose of monitoring the electrical safety of a rental property, it is beneficial to supplement formal inspection and testing with regular (annual) visual inspections. For such purposes, the NICEIC ‘Domestic Visual Condition Report’ is made available.

Conclusion 1 The Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (England) Regulations 2006 and the Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (Wales) Regulations 2006. (Similar requirements apply in Scotland and in Northern Ireland).

2 Periodic inspection is not required for an installation that is continuously monitored and maintained by skilled maintenance teams (Regulation 652.2).

Regulation 653.4 of BS 7671: 2018 requires that the interval to the next periodic inspection is supported by an explanation. As outlined in this article, for most purposes it is sufficient to provide a brief statement giving the main reason for the interval recommended.

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T E C HN I CAL

Benefits of LED lighting typically required with discharge lamps such as compact fluorescents.

O B JE C TIVE

The aim of this article is to describe some of the benefits of switching from incandescent, halogen and compact fluorescent forms of lighting to LED forms of lighting, and to explain the terms used in lighting design using LED products.

Some of the main factors that should be considered when using LED products, as with other lighting products, include beam angle, colour rendering and colour temperature.

Beam angle The shape of a lamp has an impact on the light distribution; a lamp with a wider angle emits its light over a larger area than a lamp with a narrow beam. For example, a suspended pendant housing a conventional tungsten filament lamp can achieve a 360° light distribution, whereas a recessed down-lighter or surface-mounted spotlight generally provides a narrower beam angle (Fig 1).

There is no right or wrong beam angle, but the decision on which lamp to choose should be made with the application in mind. A narrow angle (20°) will often be used where there is a desire to illuminate a narrow area, such as a wall-mounted display, whereas a wide beam angle (120°) might be used for applications such as floodlighting. However, consideration should also be given to glare.

For non-LED luminaires that generate a significant amount of heat, the beam angle is an important consideration. For such luminaires, the lighting system is designed not only for

Introduction All buildings should be as energy efficient as possible. With regard to the lighting provision, Approved Documents L1 and L2 for England and Wales, and Section 6.5 of both the domestic and non-domestic Technical Handbooks in Scotland, provide practical guidance on ways of complying with the energy efficiency requirements of the Building Regulations, which encompass internal and external lighting.

Because of the energy efficiency properties of LEDs, lighting schemes based on their use are becoming the popular choice when replacing or modernising an existing lighting arrangement consisting of incandescent, halogen or compact fluorescent lamps.

Although their initial cost is relatively high when compared to other forms of lamp, some typical benefits of installing LED luminaires are: • They require significantly less energy for a comparable light level to that of incandescent and halogen lamps, providing a saving on running costs.

• LED luminaires are available in a number of different colours and shades, which can define style, setting and ambiance.

• Many LED lamps now have the ability to be dimmed.

• LED lamps have a long service life, with up to 50 000 hours being typical.

• LED lamps reach full brilliance immediately at switch-on, requiring no warm-up time as is

Fig 1 Beam angles

15˚

24˚

36˚

60˚

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optimising the required spread of light but also for determining the potential risk of fire to local adjacent materials (refer Regulation 421.1).

Fig 2 Example of the Kelvin scale for colour temperature

Colour rendering index (CRI) Colour rendering describes how a light source makes the colour of an object appear to human eyes, and how well subtle variations in colour shades are revealed. The colour rendering index (CRI) is a scale from 0 to 100 per cent, indicating how accurate a given light source renders colour compared to a reference light source (typically natural light).

The higher the CRI, the better the colour rendering ability. Light sources with a CRI of 85 to 90 are considered to have good colour rendering, while light sources with a CRI of 90 or higher are excellent at colour rendering and should be used for tasks requiring the most accurate colour discrimination.

It is not unusual to find that LEDs have CRI values of up to 98, indicating that LED lights are able to produce light that approximates halogen or incandescent lighting and natural daylight.

The amount of colour replicated by a given light source is related to colour temperature.

1 000

2 000

3 000

4 000

5 000

6 000

7 000

8 000

9 000

10 000 K

Fig 3 Indication of the appearance of the colour temperature of a lamp

2 700 K - 3 200 K

4 ooo K - 4 500 K

5 ooo K - 6 500 K

appearance and application from a range of manufacturers’ data.

LED light sources can be built with different colour temperatures and outputs depending on their use. This is an important point when mixing LED light sources with existing lighting to create the correct ambiance.

Lighting for general use in dwellings typically ranges from ‘warm white’ to ‘cool white’ (2 000 K - 4 500 K). ‘Warm white’ is generally desired in lounges and bedrooms, as the colour gives a ‘cosy feeling’ and tends to be more flattering to skin tones. ‘Cool white’ is preferred for visual tasks or tasks requiring concentration, such as those which might be carried out in kitchens or in garages.

It must be borne in mind, when considering LED lighting, that it is necessary to let go of the misconception that wattage equals brightness.

For incandescent lamps, wattage and brightness

Colour temperature Colour temperature relates to the way colour changes with increasing temperature, and is represented by the unit Kelvin (K). An example of the scale is given in Fig 2, while Fig 3 shows how it would appear in a typical setting.

It is important to understand that the term ‘colour temperature’ indicates the hue (tint) of a light source, and might be misleading. For example, manufacturers describe light sources with an orange or yellow hue as ‘very warm white’ and those with a blue hue as ‘cool white’ even though blue (cool) has a higher colour temperature than red (warm) (see Fig 2).

Table 1 provides examples of the terms used and the relationship between colour temperature, colour description, colour

Table 1 Examples of the relationship between colour temperature, colour description, colour appearance and application Colour temperature region (K)

Colour description

Colour appearance

Typical applications

Typical lamp types

2 000 - 3 000

Warm white

Yellow hue Blues appear darker

Bedrooms Residential (lounge)

5 W LED with reflector

3 100 - 4 500

Cool white

Neutral, enhances most colours equally

Kitchens Garages Bathrooms

6 W GU10 LED

4 600 - 6 500

Daylight

Similar to sunlight Light blue hue

Display areas Garages Security lighting

6 W LED Standard 6 W Golfball LED

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T E C HN I CAL

Table 2 Comparisons of typical lumens and watts for common lamp types Brightness

220 - 375 lm

400 - 500 lm

700 - 900 lm

900 - 1 125 lm

1 300 - 1 500 lm

Incandescent*

25 W

40 W

60 W

75 W

100 W

Halogen*

18 W

28 W

42 W

53 W

70 W

CFL

6W

9W

12 W

15 W

20 W

LED

2-4 W

4-6 W

7-10 W

9-13 W

13-16 W

*September 2018 saw the final stage of an EU directive, banning the import or manufacture of incandescent and halogen lamps, take effect. This directive was introduced by the European Commission in 2009 to restrict the sale of ‘high-energy’ lamps in favour of alternative energy-saving technologies, such as LED and CFL.

had a direct correlation, but this is not true for LED products – and since LEDs consume much less power (watts), it’s impossible to compare the brightness of an incandescent and an LED lamp purely by looking at the wattage.

A more useful approach is to compare the lumen output of different lamp types. Lumen (abbreviation lm) is the unit of measure for brightness, and gives an indication of how much light a particular lighting product emits (see Table 2).

Table 2 indicates how much energy is wasted as heat when comparing, for example, an incandescent lamp with an LED that provides the same level of brightness.

LED strip lighting

units and the like. They consume very little power, but this does not mean the LED strip1, as shown in Fig 4, does not get hot. It is therefore important to follow manufacturer’s instructions regarding mounting, and to avoid any potential hot-spots, which can lead to a significant reduction in the life span of the complete strip.

The volt-ampere (VA) rating of the LED driver/transformer used to power the LED strip is dependent upon the length of strip installed.

As the strip is cut to length the current loading will change, and so manufacturers’ recommendation must be followed. It is generally possible to supply multiple strips from a single driver/transformer unit, providing the total power rating is not exceeded and the voltage rating of each strip is the same.

LEDs can be as small as 2 mm, which makes them ideal for concealed fitting behind kitchen

Summary

1 LED strips, sometimes known as tapes, are made up of a hard or flexible base layer – a printed circuit board, or PCB – that’s backed with selfadhesive tape and studded with a row of light-emitting diodes producing about 1 440 lm/m.

Although their prices are falling rapidly, LED luminaires are initially expensive to buy when compared to traditional light sources. However, many LED luminaires have an operating lifespan of up to 50 000 hours, which is eight to 10 times longer than halogen lamps and twice as long as compact fluorescent lamps.

LEDs use considerably less energy than other forms of luminaires in operation, and therefore, over time, their running costs are beneficial.

While LEDs are offered in a variety of base colours, such as red, green, blue and amber, they can also be blended together to produce an almost endless range of colour options, without including specific filters for each. It is this flexibility that makes them ideal for interactive signage, signalling, advertising hoardings and decorative illumination of buildings.

However, LEDs can exhibit stroboscopic and flickering effects that are similar in manner to discharge lights, so care must be taken when installing these types of lamps near rotating machinery and advice should be sought from the manufacturer. This may be the subject of a future article.

Fig 4 Typical heat sink and strip of LEDs

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T E C HN I CAL

ii) fault protection as provided by: a) protective earthing (411.3.1.1), and b) protective equipotential bonding (411.3.1.2), and c) automatic disconnection of supply (411.3.2)

Apprentice Corner

The focus of this article will be on indent ii)c).

Automatic disconnection of supply Where a fault between a line conductor and an exposed-conductive-part or extraneousconductive-part or similar exists, the protective device must automatically interrupt the supply within the required disconnection time as given in Table 41.1 of BS 7671 (411.3.2.1 and 411.3.2.2).

In order for the required disconnection time to be met, it is necessary for sufficient fault current to flow to operate the circuit protective device, for example a fuse or circuit-breaker.

The restriction on the magnitude of prospective fault current (Ipf) is determined by the impedance of the earth fault loop path, indicated in red in Fig 1 for an installation forming part of a TN-C-S system.

The impedance2 of this path or ‘loop’ should not exceed the maximum ohmic value permitted

by Section 411 of BS 7671 for the particular overcurrent protective device.

An earth fault current which is sufficiently large to cause disconnection of the protective device in the required time is called Ia. This current (Ia), may be found from the device time/current characteristics supplied by manufacturers or in Appendix 3 of BS 7671. To avoid any graph reading

Automatic disconnection of supply The focus of the apprentice corner in this issue of Connections is to give an introduction into earth fault current and earth fault loop impedance, and how the requirements of BS 7671 apply. This will enable readers to verify that the required disconnection times of Table 41.1 are met and that the circuit satisfies the requirements for automatic disconnection of supply.

Introduction Chapter 41 of BS 7671 specifies essential requirements regarding protection against electric shock as applied to electrical installations. The most commonly used protective measure is automatic disconnection of supply (ADS).

The purpose of ADS is to limit, during a fault, the magnitude and duration of the voltage between simultaneously accessible exposedconductive-parts of a circuit and other exposedconductive or extraneous-conductive-parts so as to prevent danger.

In general, this means that the protective device should automatically disconnect the supply within the required disconnection time so that, in the event of a fault between a live part and an exposed-conductive-part or a protective conductor, a prospective touch voltage1 exceeding 50 V AC does not persist for a period of time likely to cause a risk of harmful physiological effects to a person or livestock that has inadvertently come into contact with simultaneously accessible conductive-parts.

Regulation 419.1 gives requirements where the provision for automatic disconnection of supply is not feasible, including supplementary bonding.

The complete protective measure of ADS requires: i) basic protection as provided by insulation of live parts and/or by barriers or enclosures (411.2), and

Fig 1 The earth fault current path for a typical TN-C-S system Supply Source of energy

Installation (single-phase) Residual current device

L1

Exposed-conductive-parts

L

FAULT

L2

Fault

L3 PEN

Load LOAD N Link

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E

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Denotes path of earth fault current Denotes circuit protective device (overcurrent)

Circuit protective conductor Main earthing terminal Earthing conductor Distributor’s earthing terminal

Note: Where required by BS 7671, a residual current device must also be installed

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errors, which are so typical when interpreting non-linear scales, a table placed in the top right corner shows values of operating current (Ia) for each relevant disconnection time against a range of protective devices.

Example 1

Fig 2 Radial circuit protected by a 16A BS 88-2 fuse

16 A BS 88-2 fuse

As shown in Fig 3A3 (b) of Appendix 3 for a 16 A BS 88-2 fuse, system E or G, a minimum current of 90 A is required to operate the device in 0.4 s.

Where an overcurrent protective device is used to provide fault protection, Regulation 411.4.4 requires that the characteristics of the device and the circuit impedance fulfil the following requirement:

Scenario Your company has been asked to verify a recent periodic inspection carried out on a large detached house built in the 1970s with PME supply, and confirm the results on the Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR). The client was informed by the inspectors that there is a problem with the downstairs ring final circuit and that it requires further investigation. The installation contains an updated consumer unit, installed after the initial build.

The details on the EICR show the earthing system to be TN-C-S and the external loop impedance gave a reading of 0.22 Ω. The downstairs ring final circuit is protected by a 32 A type C circuit-breaker conforming to BS EN 60898 and serves the kitchen, dining room, lounge, hallway and integral garage. The circuit is wired in 2.5/1.0 mm2 PVC-insulated and sheathed twin and earth cable. The continuity test (R1 + R2) for the ring final circuit shows a reading of 0.66 Ω.

Readings for the other circuits are such that compliance with Regulation 411.3.2.1 and Table 41.1 will be met.

Zs × Ia ≤ U0 × Cmin Where: Zs is the impedance in ohms (Ω) of the complete fault loop, as shown by the red arrowed line in Fig 1.

Ia is the current causing the automatic operation of the disconnecting device within the time specified in Table 41.1. Where an RCD is used, this current is the residual operating current providing disconnection in the time specified in Regulation 411.3.2.2, or Regulation 411.3.2.3.

U0 is the nominal AC rms or ripple-free DC line voltage to Earth in volts (V), it is usually 230 V Cmin is a voltage factor to take account of voltage variations in the supply, and is typically given a value of 0.95.

Where a non-time delayed RCD is used to provide fault protection in a TN system, the disconnection time requirements of Chapter 41 are met if the Zs of the final circuit protected by the RCD meets the requirements of Table 41.5 of BS 7671 (411.4.204).

Where an RCD is used to provide fault protection for circuit(s) connected to a TT system, Regulation 411.5.3 requires the following conditions to be fulfilled: • The appropriate disconnection times of Regulation 411.3.2.2 or 411.3.2.4, and • RA × I∆n ≤ 50 V Where: RA is the sum of the resistances of the earth electrode and the protective conductor connecting it to the exposed-conductiveparts (in ohms). Where RA is not known it may be replaced by Zs. (See also Note 2 to Table 41.5) I∆n is the rated residual operating current of the RCD. The requirements of Regulation 411.5.3 are met if the Zs of the final circuit protected by the RCD meets the requirements of Table 41.5 of BS 7671.

Load

Contractor’s considerations and recommendations to the occupier

1 While not defined in BS 7671, ‘touch voltage’ can be considered to be the difference in potential between two accessible points. A touch voltage in excess of 50 V is possible under earth fault conditions.

Compliance with the requirements of Chapter 41 of BS 7671 should result in minimal risk of electric shock.

2 Details on how testing for impedance is carried out can be found in the Certsure publication: Inspection, Testing and Certification.

1. Re-do the continuity test on the ring final circuit to verify the results shown on the EICR. 2. Determine whether disconnection times can be met for a type C device.

3. Could the circuit-breaker be changed to a type B device, as this would permit a higher value of Zs? 4. If a type C circuit-breaker is required due to specialist connected loads such as lifedependent medical equipment, recommend fitting a 32 A type C RCBO. 5. Is the high reading for (R1 + R2) solely due to the reduced csa of the circuit protective conductor and length of run, or are there other issues requiring further investigation?

6. Consider Regulation 419.3 and install supplementary bonding.

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T E C HN I CAL

Multiple-choice questions

3. The fault current due to an earth fault of negligible impedance in a 400 V, threephase four-wire circuit having an earth loop impedance of 0.5 is: a) 800 A b) 460 A c) 121 A d) 437 A

Questions 1 and 2 are based on the information given in the scenario.

1. What will be the approximate disconnection time if an earth fault of negligible impedance developed on the ring final circuit? a) 0.4 s b) 1 s c) 5 s d) 6 s

4. A 15 A protective device to BS 3036 when carrying a fault current of 80 A has an operating time of: a) 0.4 s b) 0.1 s c) 0.5 s d) 5 s

2. Does the ring final circuit comply with the requirements for automatic disconnection of supply? a) Yes. The measured value of Ze will give a disconnection time within 0.4 s b) Yes. The calculated value of Zs is more than the value given in Table 41.3 c) No. The calculated value of Zs is too high for a disconnection time of 0.4 s d) No. The calculated value of (R1 + R2) is less than the value given in Table 41.3

POCKET GUIDES

5. The symbol used to denote the current causing automatic operation of the disconnecting device within the time specified is: a) l2 b) ln c) lpf d) la 6. The maximum earth fault loop impedance for a 110 V (55 V to earth) circuit protected by a 32 A type B circuit-breaker to BS EN 60898 is: a) 0.33 Ω b) 0.88 Ω c) 1.37 Ω d) 1.85 Ω

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17/01/2019 14:26

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16/01/2019 16:21

THE POWER TO PROTECT YOUR BUSINESS AND GIVE YOU PEACE OF MIND 10% DISCOUNT FOR NICEIC AND ELECSA ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS As a contractor you need the necessary skills, experience and the right tools to do a good job – that includes having the appropriate insurance in place. We provide comprehensive, flexible and affordable contractor’s protection that’s tailored for you.

With a long track record of excellence, built on our commitment to provide quality customer service and ongoing support, we make buying the right cover easy.

CONTACT US ON 0333 015 6629 NICEIC-AND-ELECSA-INSURANCE.COM

FIVE STAR REVIEWS Here are just some of the reviews from our customers • ‘Saved me loads of money, what else can I say?’

• ‘5 star service, highly recommended’ • ‘Quick, professional and cheap!!! Now I am secured – liability, indemnity, legal cost, employer insurance – fully insured. I can sleep well.’

PROTECT YOUR VEHICLE, PROTECT YOUR BUSINESS NEW-AND-IMPROVED COMMERCIAL VEHICLE INSURANCE We realise that your vehicle is your livelihood.

With our panel of six leading providers competing to provide commercial vehicle cover to NICEIC and ELECSA contractors, we offer competitive rates and a new and improved tailored insurance package.

Each policy offers a number of cover options that will be tailored to your needs and to take the hassle out of insurance, we will even do the comparisons for you.

CONTACT US ON 0333 015 6629 NICEIC-AND-ELECSA-INSURANCE.COM NICEIC and ELECSA Insurance Services, NICEIC Insurance Services, ELECSA Insurance Services, are trading names of Jelf Insurance Brokers Ltd, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Not all products and services offered are regulated by the FCA. Registered in England and Wales number 0837227. Registered Office: Hillside Court, Bowling Hill, Chipping Sodbury, BS37 6JX

the power behind your business

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16/01/2019 16:22

P ROD UC T FO C U S

Luceco Lighting expert Luceco has unveiled its new range of inspection torches and work lights. The new products ts have been tested to offer lighting solutions for a variety of jobs, with high lumen variation, USB charging capability and multi-shadow prevention. The range consists of a rechargeable Clamp Work Light with 360º rotation, a Magnetic Work Light with a strong magnetic base, and 2 Inspection Lights. Coming in 1.5W, 3W, 5W and 10W versions, all torches feature clever technology to prevent multi-shadowing. The 3W, 5W and 10W models also have the capability to charge other devices such as phones and tablets, meaning users should never be caught without battery power as long as they have the inspection torch to hand. www.luceco.com / 01952 238 100 / uk_sales@luceco.com

Danlers Danlers has partnered with Wirepas to offer a new range of lighting controls featuring mesh-based wireless connectivity. Wirepas Mesh (WM) is a decentralised wireless communication protocol enabling industrial IoT networking – minimising and optimising energy usage while providing real-time data analytics. All Danlers WM sensors with daylight control communicate wirelessly using the Wirepas Mesh technology to form a mesh network built on standard Bluetooth chips. Photocell settings, time-out, override settings and so on are fully configurable, while each device has integral intelligence, enabling localised decision-making while cooperating with the network. www.danlers.co.uk / 01249 443377 / wirepas@danlers.co.uk

Wiska Wiska turns 100 this year and will be highlighting its Centenary range, which reflects the company’s innovative products. The Centenary range includes: SPRINT – a fully integrated cable gland system requiring less stock COMBI – generally accepted as the best junction box range available VentGLAND – solves condensation issues whilst combining cable entry CLIXX/TKS – two-component IP67 entry gland with strain relief. Suitable for flat and standard cables QUIXX – two-component self-sealing entry system. www.wiska.co.uk / 01208 816062

Schneider Electric The latest addition to the Acti9 range of low voltage (LV) distribution boards, Schneider Electric’s Isobar P helps customers install more quickly while incorporating more protection and connectivity during installation. Isobar P is a range of distribution boards, RCBOs and pan assemblies that provide electrical power to commercial and industrial equipment – giving protection in the event of system faults. Acti9 Isobar P is the first LV distribution board to have a plug-on RCBO capability. RCBO neutral and functional earth connections are usually wired into the neutral and earth terminals inside the distribution board.

With Acti9 Isobar P, installers can simply plug their RCBO directly into the board, reducing installation time by half. www.schneider-electric.co.uk

63 WINTER SUMMER 2018-19 2017

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17/01/2019 14:27

THE POWER TO DIVERSIFY YOUR BUSINESS WITH EMERGENCY LIGHTING TRAINING START THE NEW YEAR LEARNING NEW SKILLS Our courses will provide you with the necessary skills to design and maintain emergency lighting systems and will cover: - FUNDAMENTALS - DESIGN - MAINTENANCE

BOOK NOW AT SHOP.NICEIC.COM/TRAINING OR CALL 0333 015 6626

the power behind your business

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O F F T HE TO O L S

Peak performance How did the business come about?

I had a really good friend who was a mapper and would re-map the car, but he passed away four years ago and that made me think I could do it myself. That’s how I started Mr Chips Tuning last year. We re-map cars so they can get better fuel economy or performance. I’ve done about five so far, so it’s more of a hobby at the moment, but I’d like to build it up.

Do you have your own premises?

It’s all mobile mapping, but I do have use of a garage if a car needs more work. I do a free diagnostics check as well to make sure there are no fault codes, because if there are I can’t map it – it could have repercussions. Other than that I can map any car, and I can do trucks and vans too.

Could it grow into a bigger project?

Co

Working on his own car has led Dan Hughes, founder of Reef Electricall Installations in Sussex, to start his own vehicle tuning operation How did you get into performance cars?

I’ve had a Subaru Impreza for 15 years and done a lot to it. Originally we were thinking about having a child and I wanted a quick family car. I’d had it for two years but then I needed to change the turbo and I met a guy who could help. We started chatting and went to a few meets, and it went from there.

What have you done to it?

I’ve taken out the old engine so it’s now got a 2.1 stroker engine. It’s got a stronger crank in there and a GT30 billet turbo, which is rotated so it’s not in a standard position.

I’ve also done lots of little bits to try and bring the spool of the turbo up, including

At the moment around 95 per cent of my time is on the electrical business. I’ll give it tim a few fe years, but I have a lad who works for me on the electrical business so it might be that he does that and I’ll do the mapping. tha It’s quite lucrative, but it’s a case of starting all over again so I’m just trying to get my name out there. na

What W h are your plans for your own o w car?

a new manifold, up-pipe and down-pipe to my specification. I also have a Toucan, which is a digital touchscreen display, so I can change the seven maps I have in there.

It also has anti-lag, launch control and flatfoot shifting.

It’s fully track-worthy but I’ve never been on-track because I’ve been a bit scared of writing it off! I’m doing a track day this year but I mainly use it as a day-to-day car.

It’s got to the point now where I don’t need to do much to it. The bodywork could use a bit of attention but other than that there’s not much I can do, unless I go for a bigger turbo and a bit more power!

Has your electrical knowledge helped?

Yes and no. Car electronics are completely different but I do most of the wiring and I’m making up my own loom for the car too, so it’s all bespoke. It also means I’m a lot neater than most car electricians!

Do you have any other hobbies?

‘I’ve done about five so far, so it’s more of a hobby at the moment, but I’d like to build it up’

I do a bit of DJ-ing and have since I was 14.

I used to do gigs but I’m just a bedroom DJ these days. I used to have a pirate radio station too, but it got shut down!

What do you get up to in your spare time? Email offthetools@redactive.co.uk

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CURRENT AFFAIRS

#SPARKSLIFE We’ve been asking you to send in pictures of the jobs you are working on via social media – and you haven’t disappointed. Keep sending them in via Twitter @officialNICEIC or @officialELECSA, or via Instagram using the hashtag #sparkslife.

This issue’s prize for the best shot, a £25 voucher, goes to Flow Electrics

Mersey paradise Liverpool has been named as the best city in the UK for electricians to live and work, with Newcastle and Glasgow in second and third place respectively.

Research carried out by Sanctuary Bathrooms looked at a range of factors to assess the merits of the UK’s cities,

including the cost of living, average wage and the percentage of workforce in trades.

London came fourth in the list, followed

by Birmingham, Leeds, Nottingham and Cardiff. Manchester and Bristol also made it into the top 10. Leeds has the highest concentration of tradespeople, making up 10.3 per cent of the population.

Who says it’s grim up north?

A quacking shot from MNC Electrical, Blandford

Adapt and overcome.

A frosty start to the morning for Flow Electrics, Burgess Hill

DRUGS CIRCUIT

ALL IN A DAY’S WORK Dealing with customers’ quirks is all part of the job for electricians, but it seems there are some traits that grate more than others.

According to the website HaMuch.com, pet hates include customers assuming contractors will be interested in football, calling them ‘mate’ and even trying to adopt local accents in an attempt to fit in.

Other behaviours picked out as irritants include assuming all tradespeople take tea with three sugars and eat bacon sandwiches, making out that they know more about the job than they do and even standing over people as they work. Which, of course, isn’t at all annoying…

Poking about in properties means there’s always a chance of coming across something out of the ordinary, but one electrician, who is choosing to remain anonymous, got a shock when he discovered a circuit feeding a cannabis factory.

The discovery led Leicestershire Police to find a ‘substantial number’ of cannabis plants and a quantity of class A drugs.

It’s not the only unusual find; in January 2018 builders in Devon came across a 100-year-old time capsule containing a shoe, a toy cannon and cooking tools.

What unusual finds have you come across on the job? Let us know at currentaffairs@ redactive.co.uk

It’s a mucky job at times from Eco Home Electrics, Durham

A chilling find by Elly White of Kelly Electrics, London

Tell us about any hidden talents or charity initiatives. Email currentaffairs@redactive.co.uk

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WINTER 2018-19

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17/01/2019 15:36

Some things don’t age, they just get

better

The New AVO800 AVO830 and AVO835 The new AVO800 series multimeter is as reliable and accurate as the historical AVO units, but now comes with a new range of features to meet today’s standards of electrical testing.

Designed to exceed CAT III and CAT IV safety requirements, you can test three-phase systems and motors efficiently… and with peace of mind.

New, with a bit of the old… helping you to Power on.

For more information, visit uk.megger.com/AVO800 or email UKsales@megger.com

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16/01/2019 16:25

HOW MANY HOLES CAN YOU DRILL? ALL OF THEM. ProCORE18V. A new dimension of power for all Bosch Professional 18 V power tools: The ProCORE18V 8.0 Ah battery provides up to 1600 W corded power. www.bosch-professional.com

It's in your hands. Bosch Professional.

The ProCORE18V series COMPACT 4.0 Ah

p68_CON.Win19.indd 68

PERFORMANCE 8.0 Ah

ENDURANCE 12.0 Ah

16/01/2019 16:28