- Coming up on this week's news, a special amendment to the wiring regs is being fast tracked after reports that RCDs are being incorrectly connected to solar and battery systems. Installers are warned that a new UK cyber law is set to ban a raft of smart home kit. And are you ready for the footballing event of the year? And we're not talking about the Euros; this is even bigger. Welcome to our 100th episode of Electrical News Weekly in association with Solar Trade Sales, your easy one-stop shop for all things solar. 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. A special amendment to the wiring regs is being fast tracked after reports that RCDs are being incorrectly connected to power sources, such as solar and battery systems. The IET and the British Standards Institute are set to unveil the proposed change to BS 7671 later this week. It aims to clear up the confusion over connections for unidirectional and bidirectional RCDs and circuit breakers. Manufacturers of electrical equipment report that unidirectional RCDs and MCBs are often incorrectly connected to battery, solar, EV to home, and other micro generator installations. Specifically, they say that it's unacceptable to connect power supplies to the load or out terminals of unidirectional devices. That's because when it trips, it permanently energises the integrated circuit and the solenoid, which can then burn out. This effectively turns the RCD into an MCB. The problem is overcome by using a bidirectional RCD instead. This disconnects the integrated circuit and solenoid in a trip situation. It's hoped that the wording of the amendment will clarify the issue. The two organisations are now asking electricians to give their views on the change. You can read the amendment and submit your comments from the 8th of May to the 5th of June 2024. I've put the link for your feedback in the show notes. Circuit protection expert Kieran Jenkins explained a problem with unidirectional RCDs in an eFIXX livestream back in March. It's well worth a watch as it's probably the clearest explainer you'll ever see on the topic. Another fast tracked regulation impacting the trade has just come into effect. Electricians are being warned that a UK cyber law is set to ban a raft of smart home kit. The sweeping legislation has been rapidly introduced as concern mounts that connected household equipment could be controlled and coordinated by hackers from hostile states. The rules will see the installation of noncompliant heat pumps, solar inverters, and smart switches become an immediate criminal offence. The Product Security Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill took immediate effect on the 29th of April. And if a piece of equipment is not compliant with its measures, you can't instal it. EV chargers and smart metres are, however, not yet covered by the law. Default passwords, such as admin or ones that are easily guessable are banned. Manufacturers must also explain clearly to customers how they can report security vulnerabilities. They must provide a single point of contact and acknowledge any reports. The rules will also introduce best before dates for so-called intelligent technology. Makers of smart kit must explain clearly how long any product will continue to receive security updates. This minimum support period expressed as a period of time with an end date must be clearly published. I've posted a link to the legislation in the show notes. In other news, the opening of a huge new music venue in Manchester is delayed again due to electrical problems. The 365 million pound Co-op Live arena next to Manchester City's Etihad stadium was due to make its full capacity debut with comedian Peter Kay last month but this has been delayed until the 23rd of May. It can accommodate over 23,000 music lovers. eFIXX understands that there are issues with the emergency services communication system, fire safety equipment, and some security systems. In its initial statement on the delay case shows Co-op Live said that the postponement was critical to ensure it had a consistent total power supply to the fully electric venue. Electrical contractors are working around the clock with more focus than a tap dancing centipede to get the issues resolved. A source close to the project told Construction News Magazine that SES Engineering services was not responsible for the delay. Now, of course, the Euro 2024 finals kick off next month, but to get yourself warmed up for that, there's an even bigger football event taking place on the 17th of May at Oakwell Stadium, the home of Barnsley F.C. You've heard of Soccer Aid. Well, this is Soccer Trade. Electricians and plumbers of social media are going head to head in a match to raise money for the mental health charity Mind, and you'll see some familiar faces. Our very own Gary Hayers is managing the electrical team and apparently is going to morph into Alan Pardew between now and then. And I'm going to be commentating. I think our AI image generator is currently going through the difficult teenage years of its developmental journey and took the instruction to put me in a sheepskin coat a little too literally. Anyway, I'll also be alongside the man, the myth, the legend that is Pointy Plumber. Now, I've had a look at the team sheets and to be honest, the plumbers look like they've got a pretty solid team. So if you want to come and cheer the sparkies along to give them a bit of a home ground advantage, then tickets are now available. There's a link to purchase in the show notes. Kickoff is at 1 PM but it's an all-day event starting at 11 AM with exhibitions from your favourite trade brands, games, freebies, and fun, and following the match, the fun continues with a special prize giving, live music and you can buy yourself and your own pitch heroes a drinky, grab some food and do some networking. And that goes on into the evening. So even if you miss the football match, you can still come down and enjoy some of the atmosphere as well. It's going to be a lot of fun. And it's only six quid a ticket for the day, which also gets you entry into a prize draw that you get to choose out of all the exhibitors. So you'll definitely get something that you want out of that if you win. Tickets are going fast. It's for a great cause and it's going to be a great day. So please, please, buy a ticket and join us for the day. And if you really can't manage it in person, then the plan is to stream it live on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook. You'll find more information in the show notes. Another great promo out this week is a chance to visit Dublin. The Irish capital is known for its warm welcome, literary history, and of course, creamy pints of the black stuff, Dublin-based lighting manufacturer and friend of the channel ROBUS is offering to take 10 eFIXX viewers over in June, so it should be a good party, especially as you'll be joined by our very own Gary Hayers and Rick "Tool Time" Gaunt. To enter, you simply watch some special videos on lighting and answer the multiple choice questions. The link, as ever, is in the show notes. We've also teamed up with Signify for a cracking promotion, even if I say so myself. eFIXX viewers can get a stonking 100 pounds off lighting equipment on the company's brilliant new LumXpert app by using the promo code eFIXX 100. The app has been specially created for electrical installers and it brings together all the necessary tools for day-to-day tasks, such as quotes, lighting calcs, ordering and tracking. You can find Philips and the EcoLink lighting products by type or application and order from your usual wholesaler. You can compare prices, check stock levels, and track your order. And you can also create exportable lighting calculations to share with your customers. I've popped the link to the app, as well as a reminder of the eFIXX code in the show notes. Terms and conditions apply. And now to last week's question of the week. To round off our month of cables in containment, we dived headfirst into our free training package on under floorwiring systems with Marshall Tufflex and asked what is a more accurate name for a clean earthing system? The correct answer was, of course, low noise earth. And after the previous week's, quite frankly, dismal effort, we saw a huge resurgence of your clever asides with 79% of people getting that one right on YouTube and 73% correct over on LinkedIn. So well done to all of you who got that right. But for a deeper understanding, click the link in the show notes to check out that free training package. In product news, Collingwood has unveiled a downlight with a built-in PIR. The company says that the H2 Sense saves on both the additional cost and wiring time needed for a separate sensor. It also saves the client energy by switching itself off when it's not necessary. You can use a screwdriver on the bevel to adjust the time delay, sensitivity, and light level sensor for spaces with daylight. You can also set the colour temperature to either 2,700 Kelvin, 3,000 Kelvin, or a cool 4,000 Kelvin. Its high ingress protection rating of IP65 means you can use it in bathrooms. Gordon's had a play around with the H2 Sense and the link to his video is in the show notes. Quickwire has introduced two new junction boxes with higher current ratings. The additions are two and four-way splitters for use with 2.5 mill cable and both are rated at 24 amps. The company says that the products will help speed up common jobs like breaking into ring finals, adding spurs, or repairing damaged cable runs. We've created a plethora of content on these, so check those out, including an as yet unreleased Q&A video where I answer all your burning questions about connectors. Get a sneak peek of that in the show notes. RF Solutions has unveiled a DIN-mounted version of its wireless receiver relay the Ferret. The new version, which can switch loads of up to five amps or one kilowatt can now sit alongside all the other devices in a consume unit or industrial enclosure, increasing its usefulness by a hundredfold. You compare it with a range of different remote controls, some of which can operate the switch from over a kilometre away. ABB has unveiled a range of plastic flexible conduit made from discarded fishing nets. The PMA EcoGuard is manufactured from 50% recycled polyamide using recovered fishing nets. It's believed that around one million tonnes of abandoned, lost and discarded fishing gear litter the world's oceans every year. And finally, to this week's eFIXX survey. We asked you if you'd ever considered an electric van for your business and the results are in. Just 9% of you said you were actively planning to buy one. 6% said they already had one. 23% of you said you're waiting until EVs have a much longer range. But a whopping 63% of you said you were going to stick with your old oil burner. And if you'd like a very balanced view of this issue, check out last week's livestream with EV podcaster Martyn Lee and electrician Lee Morris, who's embraced the electric van lifestyle, plus EV expert Nick Raimo. It was an excellent show, really funny and entertaining and very much worth a catch up. You know where the link is to all the content by now. And our usual 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. Now we're in May and the springier months, we're looking at outdoor power and lighting, prosumer installations and vans and storage. So please do send us pictures of your instals or let us know if you've come across any new kit that's making your job easier. 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 the return of Lewden Palazzoli. Now, if you want to get smart but don't know where to start, relax. Whether you need whole home entertainment, commercial grade infrastructure, or anything in between, Snap One offers countless solutions for connected homes and businesses. Are you looking for easy-to-install modular lighting solutions and emergency lighting products designed by specialists in the industry? They're ready and waiting to light up your life, it's Kosnic. And with over 35 years of manufacturing and supplying components to the electrical industry, from connectors to terminal blocks through glands and enclosures, you could say they're making all the right connections, it's Hylex APL. 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. And if you want a lesson on how to reinvent a commodity product into a stylish but discreet feature, then look no further than D-Line trunking. If you want to get your cables organised and tidied away in any situation, they've got a solution. 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. We'll take all the correct guesses and select one at random to be a winner of an eFIXX goodie bag prize. Answers submitted after about lunchtime on the Thursday after release will not be entered into the draw. Now let's reveal the winners of last week's challenge word competition. The words were emu and Cadillac. And for once I put them both in the same sentence to try and make your life a little bit easier. We put all of your names into an electronic hat and the first one to be plucked out as a winner was robertsmall1715. So well done to you. Make sure you click the Get Involved link in the show notes to claim your prize. 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 torque-calibrated arm.