Coming up on this week's news. Experts have moved to clarify the use of RCDs  following widespread confusion over type B MCBs and type B RCDs. An electrician is  fined £4,000 after he named and shamed his customer on Facebook over an unpaid  bill. And new electrical testing rules come into force in the UK. Welcome to Electrical News Weekly. 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 I've been challenged to slip into  this week's show, comment with them below for the chance to win a prize. Experts from top organisations have moved to clarify the use of RCDs following confusion in  the trade over type B MCBs and type B RCDs. BEAMA unveiled the RCD Handbook, which it  produced in association with leading brands including ABB, Schneider, Hager, and Legrand. Meanwhile, the Heat Pump Association launched its guide,  developed with NAPIT and the NICEIC. The heat pump guide says using the wrong RCD can lead  to tripping or a failure to operate. It follows an eFIXX survey last year,  where we found that many installations shared on a popular Facebook group used type A RCDs. The Heat Pump Association says type A devices can cause problems. Powering up and down the inverter  can exceed the transient switch-on limit for type A RCDs, resulting in nuisance tripping. There’s another issue. Heat pumps use inverter-driven motors to regulate output.  The power electronics that control motor speed can produce significant DC leakage current,  which may impair the electronic circuitry inside the RCD. This is known as the blinding effect,  and it can result in the RCD failing to trip during a fault. Additionally, many heat pumps include water circulation pumps that contribute further DC  leakage current. Some installers believe that type A RCBOs, which combine RCD and MCB functions,  offer sufficient protection. And while RCBOs are a popular option for residential installations,  there is no such thing as a single-module RCBO with type B earth leakage protection. This presents a challenge for installers trying to integrate heat pumps into existing systems.  Type B devices are much more expensive than type A, but the Heat Pump Association says  that if there’s no clear manufacturer guidance or uncertainty about circuit characteristics,  a type B RCD should be used. That’s because it offers the widest range of protection. The BEAMA booklet also warns not to confuse a type B RCD, which trips on earth leakage, with  a type B MCB, which trips on overcurrent. This is especially important when specifying RCBOs. It also advises that when using more than one RCD in the same  circuit, the upstream RCD should be time-delayed to prevent nuisance tripping and ensure the device  closest to the fault trips first. And the upstream device must be compatible with the downstream one.  For example, you should not fit a type A upstream of an F or B. An F must not go upstream of a B. Links to both guides are in the show notes. If all this RCD chat has left you scratching your head like a chimpanzee with nits,  don’t worry. We’ve made an explainer video that clears up the confusion between type  B RCDs and MCBs. The link to that is in the show notes too. In other news, a Jersey-based electrician has been fined £4,000 after he named and shamed  his customer on Facebook. John Peacock, trading as Star Delta Electrical Services,  posted the names and photos of his client and their partner,  accusing them of not paying a bill for electrical work on their home. The post was shared more than 800 times and received over 200 comments,  resulting in the couple receiving abuse. They were called “scum” and “rats”,  and their employer and home address were exposed. Even after being notified that the Jersey Data Protection Authority was investigating,  Peacock continued to post. This included superimposing his client’s  head onto the bodies of rats and animated memes. The authority said it was a targeted and deliberate attack and that there was no  lawful basis for sharing the information. The investigation also revealed that Star  Delta was not registered with the authority and had not paid its data registration fee. As a result, the authority issued a formal reprimand and fined Star Delta  £4,000. It stated that Peacock should have pursued the debt through the petty debts court instead. New testing rules have come into force in Northern Ireland. Private landlords  must now have electrical safety checks carried out by a qualified person every five years.  These checks must include socket outlets, consumer units, and circuits. After  the inspection, the landlord receives a report, and if remedial work is required,  it must be completed within 28 days. This brings Northern Ireland in line with the rest of the UK. Still on safety, and in news scarier than a hammerhead shark in open water, experts have  warned that some solar panel installations may be vulnerable to remote cyberattacks. Tech firm  Forescout says PV systems from brands like Sunrow, Growatt, and SMA have critical security flaws. The most affected components are solar monitors that let users track performance  in real time. Other issues were found in cloud backends and sometimes the  inverters themselves. Even if attackers controlled just two percent of inverters,  they could potentially trigger blackouts, according to Forescout. They say inverters  should be treated as critical infrastructure and protected with strict cybersecurity protocols. In product news, a German company has developed a special kit that lets homeowners power their homes  with an electric vehicle—as long as they also have solar panels. The kit uses the PV grid inverter  to feed power from the vehicle back into the home. The power unit rectifies and converts the  vehicle’s current to mimic a PV array and feeds it into the grid as either single- or three-phase AC. If the inverter has emergency power capability, it can bridge long outages. If the inverter has  a spare DC input, the unit just plugs in. If all DC inputs are taken, a connect unit is added to  link the solar string and power unit together. It uses MC4 connectors and can deliver up to  3,000 watts of power. The controller can be programmed so that when the EV battery drops  below a set level, it continues powering the house until storage is replenished. RF Solutions has launched a simple kit for remote control of garage doors and  electric gates. The Hornet Pro includes a key fob and  relay receiver. It runs on 868 MHz FM with a 150-metre line-of-sight range.

a low voltage system with four changeover relays,  a mains-powered model with two relays,  and a direct mains switch output. It’s also suitable for controlling machinery or lighting. Now to our featured product section, and this week we’re focusing on cable management. First  up is the Strut-Lok from Zip-Clip. It supports heavy cable loads and tray systems, with M8  and M10 options offering safe working loads of 45 and 90 kg respectively. Each comes with a pre-cut  wire rope and the Zip-Clip locking device. Drop lengths range from one to ten metres. CSS Supports has responded to the new Building Safety Act by helping contractors maintain the  “golden thread” of installation data. They now provide load calculations,  stress analysis, and full traceability for all their products, including strut, brackets,  tray, and conduit. All load testing is done in-house and verified by Manchester University. For flexible conduit, we’re big fans of Adaptaflex. The range includes a  wide selection of metallic and non-metallic conduit, tools,  and accessories. A recent addition is the compact, high-performance straight fitting  with fixed or swivel male threads, ideal for braided conduit in data and rail work. Unitrunk is transforming tray installs with UniBolt,  part of the UniClip range. It features a universal head, serrated flange,  and custom thread that speeds up installation by up to 80 percent—no washers or nuts required. We also have to mention Marshall-Tufflex. They’ve just taken delivery of a state-of-the-art conduit  machine at their Hastings factory, boosting production by a third. It now produces 30 metres  per minute of 20 mm and 25 mm conduit. They’re also trialling versions using recycled content. Last week’s question came from their free training package on dado trunking: what IP rating must  trunking meet to comply with Regulation 521.10.1? The answer is IP4X or IPXXD.  Just 40 percent of YouTubers got that right, but 76 percent on LinkedIn nailed  it. The training link is in the show notes, and we’re working on a CPD for GRP containment too. Wago has opened a new UK HQ in the West Midlands. The carbon-neutral plant meets BREEAM “Excellent”  standards and used 600 of its own 221 connectors and 24,000 metres of UK-made Winsta cabling  during construction. Gordon and Gary popped down to the opening and got stuck in at the  champagne bar before checking out the demo area and production zones. We feel a video coming on. That’s our roundup of products we think deserve attention. Next week,  we’re looking at commercial lighting. As always, we’re after your stories, projects, and product tips. Over the coming weeks we’ll  be covering commercial lighting, tools and test gear, and wholesalers and distributors. And just before we reveal last week's challenge words and winners,  let’s thank our premium partners. Sunsynk, the solar industry’s boy scouts, with their Swiss Army knife  of inverters and all-weather batteries. Whitecliffe, with top-quality circuit  protection and innovative isolators with built-in surge protection. Ledvance, empowering customers with intelligent solar and lighting solutions. CPN Cudis, with the award-winning Lumo consumer unit and excellent support. Don’t forget to use code EIX30 for 30 percent off lighting from  Philips and Ecolink via the LumXpert app. And Doncaster Cables—the best thing out of Yorkshire since stainless steel. Click the links in the show notes to learn more about our partners. If you think you’ve spotted the two challenge words, drop them in the comments. We’ll  randomly select a winner for an eFIXX goodie bag. Entries close at lunchtime Thursday. Last week’s words were hodgepodge and gobsmacked. And when I spun the wheel  I thought, “Please not Mark again.” Of course, it was Mark. Just Mark. Again.  For the eighth time. I don’t even know what to send you anymore. Maybe my firstborn. Well done again, Mark. Claim your prize through the link. Thanks for listening to this episode of Electrical News Weekly. Subscribe  for the next update. And remember—there’s no such thing as a torque-calibrated arm.