- Coming up on this week's news, Octopus says it wants you to instal its heat pumps, EV chargers and solar panels as the company unveils its partner programme. The new UK government is set to be held to its many promises to the electrical sector. And a court slaps a 30,000 pound fine on a firm after a father of four is electrocuted. 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, 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 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. Octopus Energy has unveiled its nationwide partnership programme for installers. The company wants electricians to sign up to help it instal heat pumps, solar panels, EV chargers and batteries. Company boss, Greg Jackson, says it wants to bring cleantech to as many homes as possible, but it can't do this on its own. The programme is designed to build a network of trusted and verified tradespeople authorised to instal Octopus products, such as its bestselling Cosy 6 heat pump. It's starting with heat pumps but will expand to other kit during 2024. Electrical contractors who sign up will benefit from sales inquiries and referrals from the energy giant. If you refer your customers to Octopus Energy tariffs, you'll receive a referral fee of 75 pounds while your customer will get a 50 pound energy credit. You keep your own identity and branding and you use your own quotation, payment and job management system. Octopus says it'll start off by referring customers who have heat pump requirements that it can't deliver on. This could be because a customer is out of its service area or the expected heat loss is too high for the company's heat pump range, or the instal is just too complex. For solar and battery jobs, it says it will refer customers who are out of service area or ones who want a battery system only. Clients with roofs considered ineligible for Octopus' solar team will also be referred to partners. Octopus will check for credentials such as MCF and OZEV and consumer codes such as the HIAS and the RECC to make sure you meet their quality standards. Launching the programme at the Installer Show in Birmingham, Jackson revealed that Octopus has teamed up with heat pump network Heat Geek as its primary partner. Under the deal, all Heat Geek installers will get access to the enhanced referral benefit and will receive leads from Octopus. Over 2,000 tradespeople have already used Heat Geek's training platform to learn about heat pump installation. The launch of the programme comes as Octopus drops the price of the UK's cheapest smart heat pump tariff even further, adding a third off-peak window to the tariff. All three windows are priced roughly 50% below the price cap. Octopus estimates that an average heat pump customer on the Cosy Octopus tariff can save 315 pounds a year on heating costs compared to one with a gas boiler on a standard variable tariff. It's not yet clear if trusted partners will be allowed to change the service fuse when installing a heat pump or EV charger. In March, National Grid Electricity Distribution agreed to let Octopus do this in a bid to clear the mounting backlog of requests for income upgrades. The electrical trade had concerns at the time that the special arrangement gave the firm an unfair advantage in the booming market for renewable technologies. More controversially, last October, Octopus changed its terms and conditions so the owners of photovoltaic panels could sell their electricity to the grid even if the installer wasn't MCS certified. The idea behind it was to boost the amount of green energy Octopus could get from householders so that it has to buy less from the wholesale market. Octopus counters that there are many skilled contractors out there without MCS certification who can competently handle renewable technology installations. All in all, it's as green as popping mulch on your flowerbeds. I've popped the link to the Trusted Partners programme in the show notes. Still on renewables, there's been good news for specialist training provider GTEC this week. The company is getting hefty backing from the United Living Group. The investment will allow the company to expand its software of courses, which currently includes education on the installation of heat pumps, EV chargers, battery storage, and solar panels. United Living has also taken a majority stake in Heatly, which is headed up by GTEC boss and renaissance man Griff Thomas. Heatly is a digital design tool for heat pump systems. It was created to simplify and improve the accuracy of many of the complex processes involved in specifying a heat pump. It takes care of things like heat loss calculations and room surveying. In other news, the incoming UK government has been put on notice that it must honour the promises that it made to the trade during the election campaign. The Labour party promised to rewire Britain with a green energy revolution. It pledged to create 650,000 new jobs for electricians, plumbers, engineers, and technicians in its first term. It said it would also kickstart a skills revolution with a new generation of technical excellence colleges across the UK, offering more apprenticeships and training tailored to local jobs. The party also put the issue of grid connections at the top of its agenda. New chancellor Rachel Reeves says she wants to unblock 200 billion pounds worth of projects that are stalled because they can't get hooked up. Finally, the trade will be keeping a close eye on the Warm Homes Plan. Under the scheme, the government says it will partner with local councils to provide grants and low interest loans to help householders to get solar panels, batteries, and low carbon heating. If it works, it could be a big boost for the trade. In the courts this week, a company in Berkshire has been fined 30,000 pounds after a father of four was electrocuted. Lorry driver Levi Alleyne lost his life while delivering crushed concrete at construction site in Reading in 2020. Alleyne was killed after the crane arm of his lorry came into contact with an overhead power line. The 41-year-old later passed away from his injuries. A probe by Health and Safety Executive investigators found that BBM Contracts Limited, the principal contractor, ordered the delivery and chose the area where the crushed concrete would be delivered. However, the area was located below an 11 kv overhead power line. The company was aware of the presence of the overhead lines, but did not consider whether there was an alternative way of working which avoided them, nor did it put in place demarcations or warnings. However, an alternative delivery route was subsequently used following the incident. BBM Contracts Limited of Aldbourne Avenue, Earley, Reading pleaded guilty to breaching Construction, Design and Management Regulations 2015. It was fined 30,000 pounds at Reading Magistrates' Court, HSE principal inspector Georgina Symons said that the tragic incident, which led to the death of a father of four could have been prevented if the contractor had correctly identified and managed the risks involved. As regular eFIXXers will know, electrocution prevention is something we're passionate about here on the channel and have supported since the beginning. The key is, of course, safe isolation, which is why we're delighted to support Super Rod in its annual safety campaign survey. This survey is designed to gain feedback about current practise in the UK electrical installation industry. So if you're an electrician, electrical apprentice or maintenance technician, please take a minute to complete the survey. It's important to find out what's really going on in the workplace so we can address what needs to change to help improve safety and protect lives. Your responses, as always, are completely confidential. Everyone who completes the survey will also be in with a chance to win a bundle of goodies. These include a Klein Tools Tradesman Pro tool bag kit, a range of VDE-insulated tools and a Super Rod Mega Set worth over 500 pounds trade. The survey and competition closes on Saturday the 31st of August. Last year, we had an incredible response with over 4,000 respondents, and this time, we're aiming to surpass that number. To achieve this, we need your participation, so thank you in advance for your support. And of course, if you want a bit of a refresher on all things safe isolation, then check out the free training package we made on the subject with the good folks at TIS. I've put the link to the survey and the CPD in the show notes. Lastly, 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 July, we're shifting our focus to data and networking and fire and security, plus all the new innovations that are coming into the industry. 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 brand that pride themselves on keeping people close to what's important. With the world's most recognisable doorbell chime, it's Ring. Up next, for all your circuit protection needs, they're like having an Italian star striker in your Premiership team, it's Lewden Palazoli. And do you want a no fuss lighting solution that's packed with value? Then try the Ecolink range from Signify, combining value for money with top-end Signify quality. Now a business that will literally bend over backwards to give you the first-class service on the trade-only supply of signal reception and distribution, custom instal home automation and security products, for all residential and commercial projects, it's Alltrade. If you want to pump up the jam and join the home heating revolution, then it's got to be heat pumps from Daikin. 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. The best thing to come out of Yorkshire since stainless steel, the home of EV-Ultra and other groundbreaking and quality products, its 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's show, pop your guess into the comments. We'll take all the 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 winner of last week's challenge word competition. The words were encomium and setaceous, which mean praise and bristly respectively if you're interested. And the first person to get both right was mikeedwards7173. Well done to you, Mike. Make sure you click the 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.