
Electrical News Weekly
Electrical News Weekly
Electricity Meter Tampering On The Rise: Have You Seen This?
‘Don’t mess with your meter’ - that’s the trade’s message to homeowners this week as they resort to desperate – and deadly – measures to save money…
Crown House starts wiring up Everton’s new stadium – from 100 miles away…
And an apprentice electrician’s life is narrowly saved…by his hard hat.
Welcome to Electrical News Weekly in association with Scame, whether you're listening in the van, on-site, or down at the wholesale counter.
============================
00:00 Electrical News Weekly
00:36 Meter tampering is at an all-time high
02:06 Contractor wiring Evertons stadium from 100 miles away
02:45 Apprentice suffers devastating head injury
03:40 Company launches glow-in-the-dark labels
04:15 How do you design a better screwdriver?
04:50 CTEK wins EV charger manufacturer of the year award
05:24 Build Back Better Awards are now open for entries
05:47 Thanks to our premium partners
06:30 Coming up on eFIXX this week
==============================
Enter the Build Back Better Awards 👉 https://www.buildbackbetterawards.com/
Report meter tampering 👉 https://www.stayenergysafe.co.uk/report-energy-crime/
Check out our CTEK Chargestrom review 👉 https://youtu.be/7HHKyMzkF70
===============================
We create fresh electrical content every day. What we produce is influenced by the thousands of subscribers who send us messages, leave comments and share our videos. We are always looking for new ways to collaborate and celebrate best practices. If you would like to get involved with the channel or need to get in touch because you've won something during this live stream, contact us via the website
👉 https://www.efixx.co.uk/get-involved
====================================
Subscribe to the eFIXX Electrical Industry News Podcast
👉 https://electricalnewsweekly.efixx.co.uk
Available on most major podcast platforms
Send in a press release for the next edition of ENW
👉 https://www.efixx.co.uk/electrical-news-weekly-press-release
=================================
#electricalnews #efixx #electricalindustry
- Coming up on this week's news, don't mess with your meter. That's the trade's message to homeowners this week as they resort to desperate and deadly measures to save money. Crown House starts wiring up Everton's new stadium from a hundred miles away, and an apprentice electrician's life is narrowly saved by his hard hat. Welcome to Electrical News Weekly in association with Scame. 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, as always, if you think you've spotted the two words I've been challenged to slip into this week's show, comment with them below for the chance to win a prize. Meter tampering is believed to be at an all-time high in the UK as desperate householders search for ways to cut their spiraling energy bills. Residents are installing powerful magnets, breaking the meter seal, opening the base and even trying to interfere with the incoming service cable in an attempt to bypass the meter. The boom is being fueled by irresponsible social media posts promoting the idea as an innocent energy-saving hack. SELECT, the trade association for electrical contracting in Scotland, is calling on its members and all electricians to report meter tampering immediately to the relevant energy company. It says bypassing services are increasingly offered by unscrupulous individuals who have limited knowledge of what they're doing. Crimestoppers has launched an awareness campaign after the first fatality was recorded. An elderly mother died in a fire in Glasgow caused by a bypassed electricity meter. It turned out her son had arranged to have the work done to save money. A poor connection led to a spark, followed by a blaze, which his mother was too frail to escape. She died of smoke inhalation before fire officers reached the scene. The son admitted the offense and was charged with causing his own mother's death. A subsequent investigation revealed that families in five of the eight flats of the block had all bypassed their meters in the same way. The fire service said that this endangered not just their own lives and property, but those of their neighbors. You can report meter tampering to Crimestoppers on 0800-023-2777. I've also popped the link to their dedicated Stay Energy Safe website in the show notes. In other news, electrical contracting giant, Crown House, is starting this week on the mammoth job of wiring up Everton's new 500 million pound stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock in Liverpool. The twist? They're doing it a hundred miles away in the West Midlands. The electricians don't have arms of spaghetti like Mr. Tickle. Rather, the company is conducting as much of the electrical work as it can in a special factory in Oldbury. In a modern way of construction, much of the cabling, the panels, and the switch gear will arrive pre-manufactured and factory-tested before being plugged together on site. Crown House has been tasked to complete the job in time for the club to move in for the 2024 to 2025 season. No pressure, guys. No matter how much the offsite cabling trend continues, there will always be a need for electricians to work on building sites and the need for vigilance under such conditions was underscored this week after court proceedings were initiated in the case of an apprentice electrician who suffered a devastating head injury. 20-year-old Liam Hamilton was wiring up new houses in Bury St Edmunds when a heavy load hit him on the head. It had fallen several stories from a forklift truck. He was wearing a hard hat at the time, which unquestionably saved his life, but he still suffered horrific injuries, including a fractured skull. Hamilton was rushed to hospital where surgeons carried out emergency brain surgery. They also put him in an induced coma for four days. Hamilton, who is originally from Hertfordshire, now suffers from ongoing cognitive, strength and balance problems and fears for the future of his electrical career. He has now asked his solicitors to issue court proceedings in relation to the incident. A separate Health and Safety Executive probe is ongoing. In product news this week, identifying cables has been taken to a whole new level by HellermannTytan. The company has just launched glow-in-the-dark labels, so you can see what's what even in low light conditions. It says they've been specially developed for electricians who work in the panel building, automotive, rail and telecom sectors, or places where it's, you know, dark. The Tiptags, as they're known, glow green when exposed to ultraviolet light. They're made in the UK using a halogen-free process. They are resistant to abrasions, UV, acids and fuels, and you simply fix them with a couple of cable ties. How do you design a better screwdriver? That was the challenge that Panasonic engineers set themselves two years ago and they've now unveiled the result. It's an electric insulated screwdriver for electricians. It's a super-lightweight red and yellow model designed for one-handed operation. You can easily switch between forward or reverse mode, as well as toggle between rundown driving and manual tightening. The EYED11SA uses a lithium-ion battery pack, which you charge with a USB-C cable. Fully charged, it has enough juice for 600 standard screws. Not entirely sure what a standard screw is, but there's enough juice in there for 600 of them. CTEK has won the electric vehicle charge point Manufacturer of the Year Award at the UK's E-Mobility Awards 2023. CTEK won the coveted trophy for its CHARGESTORM CONNECTED 2 EV kit, which is designed to be compact, smart, and reliable. The CTEK team was presented with the award by the broadcaster, Quentin Wilson, at the British Motor Museum in Warwickshire, and we're sure the win was greeted with much hullabaloo. Many congratulations to them. We did a deep dive into the CHARGESTORM CONNECTED 2 last year, including a test install. You can see how we got on via a link to the video, which I've popped into our show notes. Speaking of product awards, the prestigious Build Back Better Awards have now opened for entries. The initiative celebrates innovation and environmental leadership in the built environment. Categories include solar, EV, heating and ventilation retrofit, and smart home products. The early bird entry prices close this Friday, the 10th of February, and the final deadline is Friday the 10th of March. I've put a link in the show notes. Now just before we get to your favorite 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, with the best blend of Italian and British since Lewis Capaldi, and providing all your circuit protection needs, It's Lewden Palazzoli. And they're strong, tough, Northern and conductive. Nope, we're not talking about Rick and Joe, it's Doncaster Cables with their innovative and top quality cabling. Thank you very much to our premium partners. Now if you think you know the words I've smuggled into this week's show, pop your guess into the comments and we'll dig out a goodie bag prize to the first to get the right answers. Last week's words were kerfuffle and lullaby, which apparently were quite well hidden amongst some other red herrings, as it took a while for it to be guessed. First past the post was David Griffin, so well done to you, sir. Click the link in the description to claim your prize. Releasing on our YouTube channel this week, we've got a Q&A on a consumer unit relocation kit, which may well put the cat amongst the pigeons. Do you have ugly old smoke alarms in your property? Well, we've got a solution from Cavius with one feature we suspect may blow your mind. And, of course, it's a live stream week, and joining in the fun and games we've got Brendan Beaver from Metrel. He really is a top bloke, so we can be sure that'll be a good laugh, and we're looking forward to seeing how his Top Trumps card comes out. Thanks for listening to this episode of Electrical News Weekly in association with Scame. 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 tort calibrated arm.