the authors of the wiring regs clarify the use of steel wire  armoured cables with solar installs, record copper prices drive a wave of cable thefts across the UK,  and sales of the Powerwall battery pack slump in a backlash over the Tesla brand. 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 that I've been  challenged to slip into this week's show, comment with them below for the chance to win a prize. The authors of the wiring regs have stepped in to advise electricians on the use of steel wire  armoured cables with solar installs. The IET said it was acting because innovations hitting  the trade increasingly raise challenging questions about safety. Specifically, the organisation says  that because installers of unearthed DC solar arrays have to consider the risk of mechanical  damage to a string cable, some are tempted to opt for steel wire armoured, or SWA, cable. This is an error. DC solar PV systems in the UK are unearthed  systems. Because DC conductors are unearthed in solar installs,  the regs require that the cables have double or reinforced insulation. But with SWA cables,  the single cores aren't double insulated from each other. In fact, the insulated cores lie  next to each other and the filler material doesn’t have any insulation properties. The IET says cables are often incorrectly referred to as double-insulated when in  fact they’re insulated and sheathed. The IET has ruled therefore that the use of single  insulated SWA cable for unearthed solar DC cabling is not permitted by BS 7671.  That's because it doesn't provide that critical double insulation between the string conductors. The article also makes the point that even if a manufacturer produces an SWA cable that  replaces the single insulated conductors with insulated and sheathed cores surrounded by  steel wire armour and an exterior sheath, the armoured part of the cable would mean  the final cable assembly is non-standard — and therefore this would be a departure. Where there's a need to bury a DC cable directly in the ground, the cable must be earthed in  accordance with Regulation 522.8.10 — which is not possible in an unearthed system — and is therefore  not permitted. So ducting with the correct type of cable would then be required instead. I’ll put a link to the full IET article in the show notes.

the record price of copper is fuelling  a spate of cable thefts across the UK. It’s particularly a problem in the West Midlands,  where police say it’s a significant issue. One firm, Instavolt, says it’s  lost over £400,000 worth of EV cable from its charging stations since November 2023. Brazen thieves have also raised the stakes by targeting substations.  They stole cable at National Grid facilities in North Worcestershire,  which authorities say risks safety and raises the prospect of blackouts. It’s all due to the soaring price of the metal. Copper hit £9,000 a ton for the  first time last month, but criminals typically sell stolen cable for much  less than its scrap value of £1,300 a ton. Ironically, copper has been in huge demand  due to the increased electrification of the world — but more recently it slumped due to  global economic issues. Whether that puts an end to cable theft remains to be seen. We’re going to be talking with greencable about scrap copper on this week’s eFIXX  TV livestream. It’s a special episode we’re calling “The Joe Show” — as myself and Joe  Hammond will be presenting, with Joe 2.0 acting as the puppeteer pulling the strings behind the  scenes. Rick will be there too, but has alas expressed no interest in changing his name. And our mates at greencable are giving away an awesome Unilite prize package to whoever  guesses the closest weight of our overflowing greencable bin. It’s packed with offcuts and  ready to tip — so take a shot! Drop your guess using the form in the description.  It’s free to enter, and you could walk away with some seriously nice gear. It’ll be worth a watch, that one, so set your reminders now. One of the sectors electrifying fast is the prison system. In fact, the UK has  just opened its first all-electric jail. The £400 million HMP Millsike in Yorkshire is a  Category C facility for 1,500 inmates. It’s powered by 8,500 kilowatt hours of renewable  energy — that’s a quarter of the power used in a similar-size Victorian prison. Millsike features solar panels, heat pumps,  and LED lighting, as well as special anti-drone windows. In other news, sales of the Powerwall 3 are falling. The Tesla kit was once a category  killer in the home battery pack market, but now it’s looking more wobbly than a learner  unicyclist. Analysts say the brand’s association with the divisive figure of Elon Musk is hitting  sales. Last year, seven out of ten US buyers chose a Powerwall. Now it’s down to six in ten. In the UK, installers have had to drop their prices from a high of £10,000 for a full install,  with some now quoting just £7,500. A number of firms are even stopping  putting pictures of Powerwall jobs on social media due to negative feedback,  and magazines are publishing lists of alternatives in a bid for online traffic.  Brands set to benefit include Anker, Fox ESS, Give Energy, and SigEnergy. Now welcome to our Electrical News Weekly feature,  where we focus on a specific product area. This week, we’re illuminating the darkness  with commercial lighting, and we’ve got some excellent products to share with you. First up is Leadvance’s latest 600 by 600 ceiling panel. These are aimed at areas where UK building  regs require a rating of TPA — a classification based on how the fitting behaves in the event of  a fire. The panels feature switchable colour temperatures between a cool 4,000 Kelvin and  a warm 3,000 Kelvin, and an impressive efficiency of up to 120 lumens per watt. The PL Comp 600 TPA also has ultra-low flicker for a comfortable environment for  all occupants. Another version boasts good glare reduction and is rated with a UGR of  under 19 in standard installs. The range has an external driver for easy installation and  a lifetime of 50,000 hours. A separate DALI driver is also available where required. Tamlite has unveiled a lighting system for data centres. The Linear Promax has  a modular design. It combines trunking components, quick-release luminaires,  and infill plates into one structure. You simply plug in the various elements to  make up the lighting rig. The lights boast efficiencies of up to 180 lumens per watt. JCC says its IP65-rated downlight has been designed with the installer in mind. It features  a two-part connector with a simple plug-and-play connection. The double-hinged casing allows for  easy access to the terminal blocks, whilst a clear cover provides reassurance of secure  termination. Inside are secure lever terminals for a fast connection. You can use the onboard switch  to choose between three colour temperatures and two power ratings. Finally, easy-glide  protective clips are designed to reduce ceiling damage and allow for simple ceiling access. NVC Lighting is currently running a sales promo with a top prize of tickets to see  Oasis. The campaign, which runs until the end of May, rewards you for your purchases.  For spends of £250 you get a £5 Greggs voucher, for £400 it’s a £10 voucher,  and there are also 15 Amazon voucher prizes each month. All entries go into  a draw for the Oasis tickets. I’ve put a link to the competition in the show notes. Did you know that Paul Russell — the company known for its lamps — also does commercial  luminaires? These include keenly priced downlights, battens and GU10 fittings.  And we reckon the company’s £13 oval bulkhead is stylish enough to take on top-price brands.  It’s made in durable polycarbonate and has an opal diffuser with black trim. BEG is currently shipping a range of lights with integral microwave switching.  These are perfect for plant rooms, corridors, toilets,  and stairwells — and mean you don’t have to wire up a separate sensor. The microwave  detectors aren’t visible and are more sensitive than PIR. In fact, they react  to the slightest motion. You can set the time delay for between 20 seconds and 10 minutes. Forum Lighting Solutions has unveiled a control system which it says turns  any home into a smart home. It’s designed for retrofitting into existing switches,  and no neutral is required. You can have on/off, dimmable, two-way and four-way, and you control  it all on an app. It’s called the Icon system, and the link — as ever — is in the show notes. Also in the lighting controls business is Cyc. It uses Bluetooth mesh to create a  wireless control system run from any enabled device such as a smartphone. You connect the  receiver box to any circuit you’d like to control. The transmitter is either the app,  a wall switch, a handheld remote — or even a voice. There are lots of switch  plate options and styles available to suit your customer’s interior. Highspec, best known for its fire detection and emergency lighting, has also developed a  huge range of luminaires and accessories. These include floodlights, wall packs,  and panel lights — all aimed at the contractor market. The company was recently named one of the  fastest growing businesses in the UK by the Sunday Times, so they’re clearly doing something right. That’s our Electrical News Weekly roundup of products we think deserve  some attention. Next week, we’re unscrewing the cover on tools  and test equipment. 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. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be featuring commercial lighting, tools and test equipment,  and wholesalers and distributors. So send us pictures of your installs,  or let us know if you’ve come across any new kit or companies  that are making your job easier — or any products you think deserve a shout-out. And 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. Doubling down on terminal screws in their top-quality circuit protection products,  and building innovative isolating units with built-in surge protection,  it’s White Cliff Electrical Distribution. And now suspend your disbelief — like you suspend a cable tray — and if you need to get any piece  of building services equipment into the air and keep it there, then check out Zip Clip. With their new award-winning Lumo consumer unit,  and offering complete product support from their highly trained team, it’s CPN Cudis. Don’t forget to use the code EIX30 to claim your 30% discount on top-quality  light fittings from Philips and Eolink. Download the LumXpert app today and make  your life easier and less expensive. It’s the light of our lives — Signify. And 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. Click the links in the show notes to find out more about these great brands. 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 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 winners of last week’s challenge word competition. Last week’s words  were chimpanzee and hammerhead — and we actually had a couple of correct  answers from LinkedIn again, so keep on submitting your guesses on all platforms,  folks. They all count and they all have an equal chance of winning. This week, the first name to come out of our electronic hat was Solar Systems — 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. Make sure you subscribe to receive  the next update. Thanks for listening — and until next time, have a great week,  

there's no such thing as a torque calibrated arm.