- Coming up on this week's news, there are even more amendments to the wiring regs in the pipeline experts warn this week. A window cleaner loses an arm in a horrific electric shock and the results are in, Sparkers v. Plumbers at Soccer Trade, who took home the trophy? Welcome to 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, 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 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. There are even more changes to the wiring regs coming down the track and electricians need to be prepared to stay up to date experts warn this week. The alert follows the unveiling earlier this month of the third amendment to the 18th edition of the regulations in six years. That revision governs the use of unidirectional and bidirectional RCDs for power sources, such as solar panels and home batteries. But electrical boffin Martin Sampson, technical manager at test and inspection body Bureau Veritas this week cautioned the trade to stay alert for even more alterations. He says that the recent revisions are simply the start. Sampson points out that the integration of renewable technologies and electric vehicles into homes means that for the first time there are now parallel supplies in a single installation. As the demand and scope for renewable energy sources continues to grow and develop, so too will the regulations that sit alongside them. Sampson says he doesn't expect there to be any slowdown in regulatory change. That's because the technology will continue to evolve as we move to net zero, and we'll have to learn how to accommodate them safely in our lives. The consultation of the latest proposed amendment on RCDs is continuing this week. If you want to pop in your monocle and scrutinise the document to give your opinion, I'll pop the link in the show notes. You have until Wednesday, the 5th of June to have your say. Another rule change hitting the trade this week should provide a major boost to heat pumps. From this week, cavity wall and loft insulation are no longer required for homeowners using the boiler upgrade scheme grant. It could save them up to 2,500 pounds and crucially, it could break the log jam in heat pump instals. The boiler upgrade scheme allows homeowners and small business owners in England and Wales to receive grants of up to 7,500 pounds towards the cost of a boiler replacement. The dropping of the requirements is expected to be widely welcomed in the electrical trade. Another rule change, this time on home batteries, has shaken up the big brands in that space. British Standards ruled last month that electricians shouldn't put battery systems in lofts. Instead, the guidance in the public specification known as PAS 63100 recommends that batteries are located outside the property for safety reasons. This could be an adjacent garage if the fire compartmentalization and ventilation rules are followed or it could be a specially built shelter or housing. The changes sent manufacturers of home battery systems scrambling to make their products suitable for use outdoors. A big problem for them is the fact that lithium batteries typically go on strike when the mercury falls below minus 10 degrees Celsius. Sunsynk though appears to have stolen the march on rivals as its range, which uses lithium ion phosphate batteries is capable of charging down at minus 10 degrees Celsius and discharging down at minus 20 degrees Celsius. It's now first out to the blocks with a hard-hitting marketing campaign to promote its advantage. We will, of course, keep you posted of tech developments with battery systems as the changes come to market so watch this space. And if you're struggling to keep up with our ever-changing, fast-paced industry, check out our free training packages to help you with your CPD. We released a brand new one last week with support from the good people at Crompton Controls, which unsurprisingly is all about motor controls. Whether you're studying this module at college or you're a more experienced worker looking to brush up your knowledge a bit, this is the one for you. It's completely free. You can take it at any time and you can even stop for a bit and come back to it later. All of this and it's fully accredited by CPD UK. As you might expect, there's a link in the show notes. In other news, a health and safety executive probe has been launched after a window cleaner lost his left forearm after surviving a 33,000 volt electric shock. Jason Knight from Westbury in Wiltshire was also told that he might not walk again. Knight said he thought he was going to die when the current arced from an overhead cable to his cleaning pole. He was in a customer's back garden at the time and the force of the shock sent him flying two metres across the lawn, leaving scorched boot prints in the grass. The 34-year-old told the BBC that it was only when he looked down at his feet and saw that his boots were no longer on that he realised he had such serious injuries. The intense shock narrowly missed his heart and he was flown to Southmead Hospital where doctors performed no fewer than 17 operations to save his life. A preliminary report says that the power cables meet the required safety standards and are recorded as having been inspected in 2023. Meanwhile, in the courts, a recycling firm has been fined 200,000 pounds after an electrical explosion in Lincolnshire in 2021. In the incident, a worker was badly injured while trying to move high tension electrical cables. The man was blown to the floor and suffered burns to his face and body, as well as broken ribs and a broken arm. He was attempting to move heavy duty electrical cables with a metal crowbar on a mobile platform when the bar came into contact with the live conductor. The accident happened at Copper Hill industrial estate, Barkston Heath in July 2021. The health and safety executive said its investigation found that the injured worker had not received any training with regards to undertaking electrical work. It also told the court that the task had not been properly planned or risk assessed. Additionally, the electrical cables were not isolated before work began. Crucially, it said that the safety devices on the electrical supply had been set inappropriately, prioritising continuity of supply over the safety of the electrical circuit. New Earth Solutions (West) Limited of Caythorpe, Grantham, Lincolnshire pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act at Lincoln Magistrates' Court. The company was also ordered to pay 12,000 pounds in costs. In product news, Kosnic Lighting has unveiled a super quick way to convert luminaires into emergency versions. If you've ever done this before, now you'll know what a faff it is. The company has launched two kits. One is called Neka and you can use it to change any downlight from any brand into emergency versions. The only requirement is that the light has a flange to accommodate the indicator LED and emergency light. Another is called Niah and it similarly converts panel lights from any brand. The clever and patented system is based around a simple self-adhesive pad with two LEDs mounted on it. One is a green charging indicator and the other is a one-watt white LED, which acts as the emergency light and gives off 100 lumens. These two LEDs sit on a lip, which stands proud of the flange. The self-adhesive design means no additional drill points are needed for installation so it doesn't invalidate the fire rating or warranty of the product and is therefore compliant. In terms of ingress protection, Neka is IP 65 when installed with a recessed mounted downlight. And when we say quick conversions, we mean quick. Check out Gary's pair of one-minute videos to see Neka and Niah in action. The launch is also great for wholesalers who no longer have to stock lots of emergency versions. Two kits can do the lot. I've popped the links in the show notes. And speaking of Gary, he was out in full force last Friday to manage the electrical team at the first Soccer Trade event where it has to be said the electricians absolutely smashed the plumbers. It wasn't quite shooting fish in a barrel, bit more like Whac-A-Mole, but whatever your preferred metaphor, the Super Sparks won by 11 goals to nil, if you can believe it. And the commentary ran from the enthusiastically unintelligible.- [Announcer 1] That's another great shot. It's a goal again. Oh my goodness.- [Announcer 2] That's two, tore the defence apart.- To the laid back dismissive towards the end of the game.- [Announcer 3] Once I get started on something, like I can't let it go and like, I'm not gonna lie to you. That's 10 mil by the way.- Anyway, no matter the result, we all had a lot of fun, especially watching Gary dancing on the touchline and a lot of money was raised for Mind, the mental health charity. And it's not too late either to get caught up with the match on YouTube or to donate on the JustGiving page. You'll find links to both in the show notes. Now, if you've been wondering what Joe 3PO has been up to recently, I can reveal that he was sent on a mission to find out how installers could offer their EV charger customers an additional revenue stream. And by revenue stream, what we really mean is a serious side hustle, renting out their chargers whilst they're away. Interest in putting your plugin point to work has soared in recent months and Joe 3PO is back with the good news that it's free to do. In a special video report, he reviews the Tap Electric platform, which allows you to manage all the payments and see reports as to how well it's earning. I've left a link to that short video in the show notes. And before we go, I'd like to congratulate the five excited eFIXX winners who made the cut for our trip to Dublin in last week's livestream. They're set to jet off with Gary and Rick to the Irish capital hometown of lighting firm ROBUS. There they'll visit ROBUS's Lighting Visitor Centre and hit the town to experience some of its legendary hospitality. The company will also give them a sneak peek at some great lighting kits in the works. The good news is that there are another five places up for grabs so you too can join them if you move fast. 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. And finally, 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 the month of May, we're focused on outdoor power and lighting, vans and storage, and prosumer installations. So send us pictures of your vans or 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 on your premiership team, it's 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 Hylec-APL. The best thing to come out of Yorkshire since stainless steel, the home of EV-Ultra and other groundbreaking and quality product, 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 I've smuggled into this week's show, pop your guess into the comments. We'll take all of those correct guesses and select one at random to be the 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 casino and flicker. We put all your names into an electronic hat and the first one to be pulled out was regular commenter Mircea007. Well done to you. Make sure you click the Get Involved link in the show notes to claim your prize. And just before we go, on a very personal note and absolutely abusing my position as presenter and editor of the show, I just want you to wish my darling wife Claire a very happy anniversary for this Wednesday, the 22nd of May. We've been married for 20 years. You've given me two beautiful daughters and I love you more now than when we said "I do" all those years ago. Thank you for putting up with me for this long, my love. You've made me a better man. And to everyone else watching, 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.