coming up on this week's news the IET has revealed that neutral current diversions can hit up to 67  amps the government says you can put a heat pump at your neighbour's fence and the NICEIC unveils  a route to recognition for experienced domestic electricians 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 author of the wiring regulations  is warning the trade this week about the high currents that can be found in a neutral current  diversion a survey by the IET has revealed that currents can reach up to 67 amperes during the  fault the average current measured during the incidents compiled by the survey was 12 amps  one electrician reported no current at first but when a neighbour switched something on  boom 43 amps suddenly appeared it's all down to network impedance and load distribution  in another case a gas installer investigating sparks on the gas installation pipe work when  a nut was undone recorded the presence of almost 4 amps now gas engineers are being trained to use  volt sticks and network rail has gone so far as issuing them to staff for the same reason  neutral current diversion can happen in the event of the loss of a protective earth  neutral conductor on a TNCS electrical supply the installation then loses its intended connection  to neutral and earth the current is diverted and will find its way back to the supply transformer  any way it can one common route for it is through shared metallic pipe work such as  gas and water pipes the IET warns that many TNS supplies may not be as pure as you might think  it strongly advises treating TNS as PME unless you know for certain that it's TNS back to the  transformer the survey also revealed that the majority of incidents are not being reported to  the DNO only 49% of electricians said that they called in the issue the IET says the right thing  to do is to call 105 and get it logged i'll popped a link to the full advisory in the show notes the  government has rewritten the rules this week for installing heat pumps it's scrapping the major  planning requirement that the kit be located at least one meter away from the neighbouring  property the change could open the door for millions more installations across England Octopus  Energy says that over a quarter of its customers were affected by the 1 m rule in London that  rises exponentially due to the number of terraced houses previous concerns over noise are less of an  issue with newer devices but units will still be required to operate below a certain volume level  the planning changes also include a relaxation of the rules for the size and number of heat  pumps that households can install however consumer groups are warning that the high upfront cost is  still a major barrier to installs in response the government says it's exploring innovative  financing models such as heat pump subscriptions in other news the NICEIC has unveiled two new ways  for experienced domestic electricians who've been flummoxed by the existing system to get  recognition for their skills the organisation has expanded its experienced worker assessment program  to include a new route for sparks who specialise in residential work this means they can now work  towards a recognised level three qualification opening doors to new jobs opportunities and  industry recognition the NIC has also launched a new entry test for seasoned professionals who  don't have a level two qualification this test is open to sparks who typically have over 10  years as a practicing electrician it assesses your core knowledge and understanding and if you pass  you can move on to the full EWA the first exam window opens in July 2025 and the NICEIC will be  the first approved centre to offer it the body says it's responding to increasing demand from  electricians seeking formal recognition of their skills the link to the full requirements is in  the show notes thousands of UK energy customers are set to receive payouts of up to £1000 each  following a stinging review by the regulator ofgem into how suppliers were switching people  onto prepayment meters without their permission over 70 million pounds is being handed out some  customers will get 4 to500 depending on how badly their supplier botched the process but  there's payouts of £1,000 for what Ofgemcalled inappropriate installations that's where the  meter was forcibly fitted in ways that completely ignored the rules the scandal blew up in 2023 when  energy prices soared energy firms often remotely switched smart meters to prepay mode or worse  sent agents with locksmiths and even the police to forcibly install new meters British Gas especially  came under fire when it was revealed that its agents broke into the homes of vulnerable people  to fit the meters customer Aaron King from Kent lost his job and fell £160 behind on his energy  bills the next thing he knew agents had broken in installed a prepayment meter and charged him over  400 quid for the police and locksmiths companies coughing up include EDF Eon Octopus and Scottish  Power sounds like some customers are getting vengeance to me in product news this week there's  been a recall of a small quantity of Aico heat detectors a number of EI 3014 models was produced  with plastic coverings which incorrectly stated that they could also detect carbon monoxide this  could have resulted in customers being unaware that the alarm they have installed is for heat  detection only and cannot detect carbon monoxide this British-made product therefore doesn't meet  the requirements of the general product safety regulations of 2005 says the Office for Product  Safety and Standards the issue has been isolated to a small production batch and affected consumers  have been contacted directly i've put the affected batch numbers in the show notes now following on  from our triumphant time spent at CEF Live last week with Robus and Marshall Tufflex we've got our  next trade show visit coming up Gary and I will be heading back to the NEC on Tuesday the 24th of  June to hang out with Hive on Stand 5 H80 at the Installer Show so if you missed us the first time  round pop down to say hello and check out all the amazing kit that they have to offer we hope  to see you there now welcome to our electrical news weekly feature where we focus on a specific  product area this week we're feeling the cool breeze of HVAC Zhender has unveiled the ComfoAir  Q600 with Comfa Climb which combines space heating and air tempering in a single unit this clever bit  of kit sets the air temperature and dehumidifies it before it's distributed to individual rooms  this results in your customer having their chosen air temperature during both warm and cold periods  the Q600 provides passive house certified levels of heat recovery efficiency as well as passive  dehumidification and F7 filtration it also meets building regulations Part 0 for overheating if  you're not familiar with it extractor fan world is the UK's leading ventilation e-commerce site  it sells all types of domestic extraction and air treatment kit having been in the game for 15 years  these guys know what's good and what sucks when it comes to fans one of its recent innovations that's  attracting a lot of attention is its decentralised mechanical extract ventilation fan or DME for  short you can think of the DME as a standalone extractor fan that's packed with clever features  it can help improve indoor air quality and prevent mold and condensation issues by continuously  extracting stale air and moisture the latest addition to the platform's tornado range is deep  breath the ST100 dMEV HT as well as looking cool this fan boasts an integrated humidistat and timer  function fully adjustable air flow settings and a near silent operation the boost setting delivers a  whopping 35 L/s through its high pressure axial impeller making this one of the more powerful  fans on the market the unit can be installed with constant and switch live connections allowing the  fan to be triggered through both humidity and manually it can also be installed with only a  constant live for automatic triggering by humidity only extractor fan world offers next day delivery  and is rated 4.8 out of five on Trustpilot switch gear maker Doepke has unveiled a special RCD for  heat pump installs the brand has echoed recent warnings that standard type B RCDs may trip  unexpectedly when subjected to leakage currents above 1 kHz or worse the detection circuit may  be blinded this will result in the device not detecting residual currents under fault  conditions that's because under current standards type B RCDs don't provide protection above that  frequency in heat pumps however the inverter can operate at frequencies of up to 20 kHz doepke says  this is a recognised issue for larger inverter applications in industrial installations the  brand's type B RCCBs by contrast will operate up to 150 kHz far beyond even the VDE standard  the company's DFS HP comes in two and four- pole options and features an optimised short  time delay this delay circuit reduces unwarranted tripping resulting from transient peaks associated  with heat pump control the company has produced a type B RCD application guide and I've put the  download link in the show notes the Vort Invisible Mini is a compact heat recovery ventilation unit  perfect for both homes and commercial spaces it recovers up to 80% of thermal energy while  ensuring low 64 watt power use and whisper quiet operation designed for void mounting it suits  studio flats small apartments and hotel rooms key features include two speeds compatibility  with 100 mil and 125 mil ducting and multiple versions with summer bypass full summer bypass  and a humidity sensor for automatic speed control its EC brushless motors and high efficiency heat  exchanger guarantee 100% filtered fresh air all packed in a discrete IPX2 rated casing Vaillant  is currently marketing its latest heat pump the Arotherm Plus the Arotherm Plus is the first heat  pump from the brand to use the refrigerant R290 this natural refrigerant is highly efficient and  more environmentally friendly than standard refrigerants it's available in outputs from  3.5 to 12 kW and has a super low global warming potential of just three that's our electrical news  weekly roundup of products or people that we think deserve some attention next week lighting controls  that you won't want to alter or delete now our learner of the week this week is Max Young max  is a super enthusiastic electrical installation student at Hugh Baird College in Bootle Merseyside  he did his first ever post on LinkedIn this week to showcase his college work with a little help  and encouragement from Gary who noticed the post he then put up some more of his work by the very  next morning and within 12 hours of joining LinkedIn he'd been approached with a potential  work experience opportunity needless to say he was absolutely buzzing about it Gaz says it's  a brilliant example of how it's never too late to start and how powerful LinkedIn can be for young  people trying to break into the trade finally a reminder that there's still time to win a pair  of tickets for the Oasis reunion in the Schneider Electric promo the company is offering two premium  club hospitality tickets in its what's the story promotion the Oasis tickets offer some of the best  seats in the stadium and access to exclusive bars you'll also get Oasis merch and a £50 Uber voucher  to get you home afterwards runner up prizes are pretty cool too they include Ticket Master and  Apple Music gift cards in values from 50 quid to 250 quid to enter spend £250 on Schneider products  at participating wholesalers and you'll receive an entry ticket simply scan the QR code on your  competition entry ticket to access the entry form the competition closes at the end of June  2025 now if you're wondering what to watch next we recommend the review of Gordon and Gary's trip  to the InterSolar Show in Germany that's because it's packed with pretty awesome innovations in  photovoltaics batteries and EV chargers all of which will be coming to a wholesaler near  you soon i've put the link to that in the show notes 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 lighting controls  product innovations and wiring accessories 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 that 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 at 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 WhiteCliffe  Electrical Distribution next with deep commitments to the economy the environment and the electrical  community they're so much more than an electrical distributor the self-styled experts in shifting  boxes is Niglon up next for all your circuit protection needs they're like having an Italian  Star Striker in your premiership team it's Lewden Palazzoli in an age of energy uncertainty if  you're looking for your next EV charge point to install then helping you charge into the future  with confidence powering the future together it's Rolec and now suspend your disbelief like you  suspend a cable tray 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 and with over 5,000 product  lines from heating lighting ventilation to wiring accessories if you need it they've got it it's  electrical distributor CED Group don't forget to use the code eFIXX30 to claim your 30% discount  on top quality light fittings from Philips and Ecolink 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 because of my time off last week we're going to reveal  two weeks worth of winners today for the episode that went out on the 27th of May the challenge  words were perplexed and sachet and I had to be extremely generous with the spelling on that  last word but the person to be plucked from our electronic hat was Jason FKM5MQ who I think has  won a couple of times before so great work Jason and for the episode that went out on the 2nd of  June the words were frogmen and deleterious and the winner for last week was good friend of the  show Dave Friselle 3882 he also sent me a lovely comment about my week off it didn't influence his  winning the competition but it's nice to be nice well done both make sure you click the  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 stay safe out there and remember there's no such thing as a torque calibrated arm