How Electricians Can Get Paid Money they’re Owed

- Coming up on this week's news, a shock survey this week lays bare the full extent of the late payment scandal in the trade. We look into a monster pothole, which cost an electrical contractor over £700, and we take a tour inside the mysterious house of a thousand sockets. Welcome to "Electrical Newsweekly" In association with Solar Trade Sales, your easy one-stop shop for all things solar. Whether you're listening in the van, on-site, or down at the wholesale counter, I'm Joe Robinson, and I've been through the best of the electrical industry news to save you the trouble. And this week's challenge word competition is supported by the good people at Compleo, the complete solution for EV charge point installers. If you think you've spotted the two words that I've been challenged to slip into this week's show, comment with them below for the chance to win a prize. A shock survey this week lays bare the full extent of the late payment scandal in the electrical contracting business. In fact, the trade is second only to the retail sector as that most affected by unpaid invoices in 2023, according to a major study by Capital on Tap. Electricians have an average of around £1,500 locked up in unpaid invoices. Those least likely to cough up are finance providers and builders. In fact, over half of all invoices to builders are paid late, say the researchers. Capital on Tap Managing Director, Alex Miles recommends setting out your expectations clearly on the invoice such as 30 days credit. Also, make it easy for people to pay you by offering a range of payment options if you can. Remember, it's not rude to chase your invoices and sometimes an email prompt or phone call will unlock the gem. Research also shows that a handwritten and signed post-it note stuck to the front of a chasing letter almost doubles a response. By applying these tips, no doubt you'll be able to build a helipad between the pool and the tennis court of your country pile. I've left the link to more tips in the show notes. If, however, your customer is withholding payment because of a complaint about the work, then a newly launched service may be able to help. Specialist company, Cure Group offers dispute resolution assistance to the trades. It's an off-the-shelf route for electricians and renewable energy installers to resolve disagreements with customers. It uses the same tried and tested methods previously only available to larger companies. The dedicated agents independently mediate when other routes have failed to find common ground. The idea is to avoid conflict and of course, pricey solicitors fees. Prices for the support package start at £60 per month. Again, the link is in the show notes. In other news, a coroner has ruled that an electrician's death was due to his exposure to asbestos during a 32-year career with Royal Mail. David Mills of Quedgeley in Gloucestershire was diagnosed with asbestos-related lung cancer in 2020. He spent 32 years on the tools and reported regularly coming into contact with the fibrous material in post office ceilings and infused boxes. A coroner has now ruled that the cause of death of the 71-year-old was industrial disease. Mills took civil action against his former employers, explaining that the asbestos was disturbed while work was being completed and would form a white powder. He also stated that he often worked in confined spaces with no ventilation and without a face mask as he was never informed of the dangers. His claim for compensation has now been settled. It's believed that 30% of UK electricians are exposed to asbestos every week. Asbestos is a grey fiber-like material once used for insulation. It comes in sheets which are sometimes flat and sometimes corrugated as well as many, many other forms. But it's always dangerous if you inhale its particles when you're drilling or chasing in. Exposure over a long period can lead to a cancer called mesothelioma. The key symptoms include a persistent cough, shortness of breath, wheezing, and a pain in the chest or shoulder as well as tiredness and swollen or clubbed fingertips. If you experience any of these, consult your GP straight away. For more detailed information on asbestos, check out the free training package we created with the Luceco Group on Health and Safety. One whole module of the package is on asbestos and how to keep yourself safe from it. And speaking of free training packages, we've launched a brand new one to help you with your CPD, this time, in association with Lewden Palazzoli on the subjective circuit protection. In it, we bust a few myths and possibly give you a few frights about circuit protection. So click the link in the show notes to check that out. It really is very interesting, even if I do say so myself. While we're on the subject of Lewden, they're celebrating the expertise and contributions of women in the electrical industry by hosting a Female Installer Day on Friday, the 8th of March at Lewden HQ in Braintree, Essex. They're inviting female electricians and apprentices from across the UK to connect, learn, and inspire. The event includes interactive sessions, product showcases, and discussions on industry advancement as well as lunch, refreshments, and an evening dinner. It promises to be an educational and inspirational day, and spaces are limited. So get your name down if you'd like to attend. There's a link to register in the show notes, but hurry, as the last day to register for the event is Thursday the 29th of February, 2024. A huge pothole in a street in Edinburgh has cost an electrical contractor over £700 in new tyres and lost wages. James from Selkirk in the Scottish borders was driving through the Scottish capital when he was forced to pull his car over after he heard a loud bang. He says he was driving at the speed limit of 20 miles an hour. There were huge puddles everywhere, one of which hid the monster pothole. After the blowout, he nursed the vehicle to the nearest service station where he had to get a new tyre for £68. But by the time it was sorted, he'd lost the wiring job and a day's wages. He says he's looking at £700 gone because of this pothole. The hole has now been filled in and James has filed a claim against Edinburgh council over the incident. Councillor Scott Arthur told he fixed that the council has a robust risk-based approach to road maintenance. He says that all claims received are investigated fully and independently of the council, but they're unable to comment on ongoing claims. Have you had a similar incident to James? Share your experience in the comments below if you have. In eFIXX news now, we'd like to remind you about the 30 Under 30 Awards, supported by the good people at Luceco. This prestigious annual event is now in its third year, and we're currently taking entries. But time is running out as we close for submissions on the 29th of February, which is much closer than you think. So don't delay. If you know someone under the age of 30 who's showing an exceptional attitude to the electrical industry, then get the name entered. We've simplified and streamlined the entry process to make nominating as easy as possible. And if you missed a live stream from a couple of weeks ago when we were joined by Kate Thorpe and Tom Jennings of Ratio EV, then click the link in the show notes to catch up. There was a major upset between the two on the electrician's challenge wall. Leading Gary to incredible heights of wordplay when, as he put it, Kate torpedoed, Tom juggernaut Jennings to get a very respectable place on the results table. It was a classic show and definitely worth a watch. Oh, and they also brought him one of their very smart-looking and cutting-edge EV charging posts. In product news, a lighting company is offering electricians money if they return the company's used light fittings after a refit. UK retail lighting specialist Shop Light says, it's offering up to £12 for each luminaire sent back to the company's factory in Peterborough. Shop Light is one of a growing number of firms introducing so-called take back schemes for lights. Their offer applies to all the brands bioplastic products. Through the initiative, every returned product earns a credit. This credit can be put toward the purchase of a new bioplastic product, encouraging a more sustainable approach to retail lighting. Current credit values are£12 per NORT Spotlight,£6 for the NORT GS version as well as the Colt Bio luminaire. The terms and conditions are in the show notes. And finally, a detached house with a multitude of sockets on every wall has gone viral among electricians. The five-bedroom property looks like the ideal family home from the outside, but inside, it is inexplicably packed with hundreds of double plug sockets. Every wall in the £1 million home features banks of sockets within a few inches of each other. People who spotted pictures of the property on social media are struggling to figure out what the owners could possibly have been using them for. One suggested that it was used as an electrician's training centre, while another was wondering if the previous owners had been running the CIA from the front room. If you've got a suggestion what it was for, then pop it into the comments below. And a reminder that we're in the market for your stories, your projects, and your recommendations as we'd like to share them with the wider eFIXX community. In February, we're focusing on residential solar and battery instals. Have you installed a planned room to rival Gary's over in our sister channel, eFIXX Energy, or are you a bit of a solar sceptic? Send us some pictures of your best instals, tell us about your experiences, or let us know if you've come across any new kit that's making your job easier, and you could be featured on the next episode of the news. And just before we get to your favourite bit of the show, where I reveal last week's challenge words and winners, we want to thank our premium partners. We couldn't make the news without you. First up, they're the people who've created the Swiss Army knife of solar inverters, along with all-weather batteries, very much the boy scouts of the solar industry, it's Sunsynk. And testing, testing, one, two, testing, if you've got something you need to measure or a piece of test equipment to calibrate, from multimeters to power quality analyzers, then it can only be Test Instrument Solutions. And are you a bit of a control freak? Motor control that is. If so, with huge stocks and excellent service, check out Crompton Controls. As they said to me in a recent conversation, if we don't have it, then we can build it. Now, who doesn't love a freebie? With their incredibly simple and totally free EV charger management platform, they're helping installers win jobs and save their customers thousands a year, it's Tap Electric. Now, if this next sponsor appears to be shoehorned in and it looks like I forgot to include them in the original script, it's simply because that's exactly what happened. So with their high quality and reliable EV charging equipment and industry-leading customer care, you could say they're leading the EV-lution, it's Hydra EVC. Back to the rest of the sponsors now. Up next, for all your circuit protection needs, they're like having an Italian star striker in your Premiership team, it's Lewden Palazzoli. The best thing to come out of Yorkshire since stainless steel, the home of EV Ultra and other groundbreaking and quality products, it's Doncaster Cables. With an incredible range of equipment from EV charge points through industrial sockets and switches, to kit for explosive areas, plus they supplied gear for a Campari factory, so they'll always have a place in my heart, it's Scame. Big thanks to you all, we really appreciate your ongoing support for the news. If you think you know the words that I've smuggled into this week, show them, pop your guesses into the comments, and we'll dig out a goodie bag prize to the first to get the right answers. Now, let's reveal the winners of last week's challenge word competition supported by Compleo, the complete solution for EV charge point installers. Last week's words were cock-a-hoop and grizzly. And as far as I can see, not one single person guessed grizzly. It was in the bit where I talked about Stuart Pearce for reference, if you wanna go back and check. However, because I'm a lovely man, I decided to pop everyone who got the other word into a digital hat and drew out a winner from there. And the winner is mark_just_mark who enters most weeks and has proven to be a bit of a serial winner. So well done to you again, Mark. Remember to click the get involved link in the show notes to claim your prize. And if you'd like to be a serial winner like Mark, get your guesses in. The only way to guarantee you won't win is not to enter. And to give you a massive clue is a reward for listening to the end, both words were in the same sentence this week. Might be worth going back and checking again. Thanks for listening to this episode of "Electrical News Weekly" in association with Solar Trade Sales, your easy one-stop shop for all things solar. Make sure you subscribe to receive the next update. Thanks for listening. And until next time, have a great week. Stay safe out there. And remember, there's no such thing as a taught calibrated arm.