- Coming up on this week's news, electricians revealed the social media sites that work in attracting new customers, caught on camera, the woman who tried to set fire to her neighbor's electrical box, and health and safety chiefs bring a prosecution over the death of an electrician who was crushed by a collapsing crane. Welcome to Electrical News Weekly in association with The Electric Heating company, whether you're listening in the van, onsite 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 that I've been challenged to slip into this week's show, comment with them below for the chance to win a prize. The nation's electricians have revealed the social media sites that actually bring in new business. It follows a major survey of how tradespeople win customers conducted by Direct Line insurance. The results show that four platforms stand head and shoulder over the rest in attracting extra work. Facebook is top, followed by Instagram, YouTube, naturally, and perhaps surprisingly, TikTok. Almost 60% of tradespeople who use social media say that Facebook is the most effective outlet in generating leads. 39% cite Instagram. A third favour YouTube, while 31% find that TikTok works for them. Others use Twitter or X as Elon wants us to call it this week, as well as LinkedIn, Nextdoor and Pinterest. However, there can be a downside to having a high profile on social media. Nearly a quarter of respondents say they have received unjustified complaints or reviews online. These complaints are damaging to the bottom line. 70% of tradespeople whose company received negative feedback say it had an effect on the company's ability to find business. Might as well go and be a human scarecrow for a living when that happens. In other news, health and safety chiefs are bringing a prosecution over the death of an electrician who was crushed by a falling crane. David Webb, who was working on the Tower Crane at the time, died six weeks after the collapse at a building site in Crewe in June 2017. Two construction workers, Rhys Barker and David Newall, were also killed. Last week, Norfolk-based Falcon Tower Crane Services appeared in Chester Crown Court, accused of health and safety breaches. The health and safety executives say that the charges follow a long and complex investigation. A statement released by Falcon Tower Crane Services at the time said that the company would cooperate fully with all authorities to understand fully the causes of the accident. The case continues. Also in the courts this week is an inquest into the deaths of two people in an electrical fire in a house in Peterborough. It's believed that the blaze could have been caused by extension cables that would daisy chain together. Urszula Stankiewicz, a qualified electrician died along with Adrian Bochentyn when the home went up in flames in June this year. Both were pulled from the burning building by fire crews and rushed to Peterborough City Hospital, but died shortly after arriving. Coroner Simon Milburn said the cause was likely to be the overheating of a set of three extension cables running from a bedroom to the conservatory. Another possibility is that leaking water from the conservatory roof reacted with an electrical appliance. One friend said that although there were wires coming out of the walls, especially where light switches had been, they were not concerned because of Stankiewicz's knowledge and qualifications. Mr. Milburn recorded verdicts of accidental death and sent his condolences to the friends and family of the pair. In other news, a plea has gone out this week from house builders to the electrical trade. Please help us instal heat pumps. The National Federation of Builders says there's only a handful of companies currently putting them in. The UK needs 27,000 installers by 2028 but currently, there's fewer than 3,000 in the country. Despite Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's recent U-turns on net zero targets, the goal to fit all new homes with heat pumps by 2025 still stands. I'll put some links to heat pump training courses in the show notes. There could be some serious moolah could be made off the back of that if you're willing to screw your courage to the sticking point. Heat pumps are not the only technology rollout that's going slower than expected. The sluggish installation of EV chargers has brought a new and violent phenomenon to our motorway service stations: charge rage. It appears that the burgeoning number of electric vehicle drivers are fighting over a small pool of plugin points. The situation has got so bad that marshals have been brought in to police the queues. The boss of Britain's top motorway service firm says the long waits are making drivers very angry and stressed. Moto chief Ken Mcmeikan warns that motorway service stations are facing growing public disorder. This is due to a lack of grid connections, which prevent him from installing enough car chargers to meet the surge in demand. In product news, the winners of the lighting category of the Build Back Better Awards have been announced in London. BELL Lighting took a green award for its Firestay Geo Downlight. The housing stays in the ceiling while the LED modules can be easily swapped out at the end of their life. These are then sent back to the factory. Acrospire took green for its Aeromax standalone solar-powered luminaire. The light harnesses solar power during the day and stores it for use during nighttime hours. One charge can provide continuous illumination for up to 15 days without additional charge from the sun. The Building Crafts College in East London took both green and gold honours for using luminaires that were rescued from going in a skip. And the London Borough of Haringey also took green and gold for its street lighting control system for Schreder. It allows engineers to control the lights in real time. For instance, if there's a crowd leaving a football game from Tottenham Hotspur's ground, they can instantly turn the lights up to full brightness. In all, there were 18 winners at Build Back Better Awards this year. No doubt all of them feeling smugger than a Siamese cat that got the cream. Also taking an award this month, this time, an electrical wholesaler award for best new product is ROBUS for its TRIUMPH SLIM Downlight. The fire-rated luminaire delivers uniform shadow-free light and allows you to change colour temperature from 3,000 Kelvin to 4,000 Kelvin by using a concealed switch under the satisfying twist and lock IP 65 bezel. It has a recess depth of just 41 mills, so it'll fit wherever the lights can't. And you can also cover it with insulation. It's suitable for eye joists and metal web joists and it's been tested against 30, 60 and 90-minute fire-rated ceilings. Gary and Gordon will be doing a full video review of this product later in the year. So keep your eyes peeled for that. And in the meantime, there's a link in the show notes if you'd like to find out more. Before we go, some dates for your diary. We'll be at the Solar & Storage Live UK show, which runs from Tuesday, the 17th of October to Thursday, the 19th of October at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham. We're teaming up with the smart solar storage people Sunsynk. So come and say hello and check out some of the cool new kit on show there. In November, we're down south at Sandown Park in Surrey for the Elex Show. It's happening on Thursday, the 2nd of November and Friday, the 3rd of November. Brands on show include Knipex, MEGA, Schneider and Hager. And finally, a woman has been jailed after trying to set fire to an electrical box on the side of a man's house. Tracey Smith from Hull was caught on camera using a lighter to try and ignite the cabinet which sits next to a gas metre. A witness said that she started pulling the cables out of the box and ignored pleas to stop. By the time the police arrived 20 minutes later, the wind had blown the fire out but the box was badly damaged. Smith of Grasby Road admitted a charge of arson and was jailed for three months at Hull Crown Court. Now, 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. Up next for all your circuit protection needs, they're like having an Italian star striker in your Premiership team, it's Lewden Palazzoli. And for the ultimate experience in wireless sound and home cinema with their most powerful portable speaker yet, it's the home of the Roam, Sonos. The best thing to come out of Yorkshire since stainless steel, it's Doncaster Cables, the home of EV-Ultra and other groundbreaking and quality cables. And to fix all that gear together and to surfaces, you need fasteners that would win a gold medal, it's Olympic Fixings. Celebrating their 100th anniversary of literally creating connections in the electrical industry this year, rising from the flames like some kind of mythological avian, it's Phoenix Contact. And finally, celebrating their 60th anniversary this year 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'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 mojito and butterscotch and in an ENW first, we've actually got the same winner two weeks on the bounce with EXFEectrician swooping in as the first to get both right again. Very well done to you. Make sure you click the link in the description to claim your prize. And we wait with bated breath to see if you get the triumvirate this week. Thanks for listening to this episode of Electrical News Weekly in association with The Electric Heating Company. 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 torque-calibrated arm.