coming up on this week's news no smart meter no MCS certificate but still this homeowner gets cash  for power under the smart export guarantee We reveal how it's done The MCS warns the  trade over fake alerts for solar panel jobs and police arrest two men over the electrocution of  a 2-year-old at a fun fair 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 A UK householder has discovered that you can be paid for export power under  the smart export guarantee without a smart meter and without MCS membership The story begins when  electrical expert Griff installs a single-phase 30 kW photovoltaic array on the roof of his property  in the north of England It ends up producing much more electricity than his family needs So  he wants to export the surplus power and get paid for doing so But he has two obstacles to overcome  First his installation isn't MCS approved For this reason energy company OVO turns down his  application for the smart export guarantee So Griff seeks out the original rules for power  export set by the watchdog ofgem There he makes a remarkable discovery that MCS certification  isn't necessary A clause in the rule book allows for what's termed equivalent schemes to the MCS  This is defined as programs accredited to EN17065 Griff says the relevant clause is hidden like you  wouldn't believe As all competent person schemes are accredited to this standard he simply employs  a contractor who's a member of such a scheme In fact anyone who's a member of an assessed  and competent person scheme and taking on work relevant to their competency is accredited to  ISO IEC7065 In the end Ovo accepts the argument and approves him for the smart export guarantee  But a second barrier remains to getting the cash A problem with his meter Like many smart  meters in the north of England it's not talking to his energy supplier That's because the radio  technology used in the north is notoriously patchy So without a means of metering the exported power  it looks like Thomas was back to square one and wasn't going to get paid for his power But then  Griff returns to the law books There he reads that in fact you don't need a communicating  smart meter to get the money The wording of the legislation requires merely that a meter can read  energy at half hourly intervals It doesn't need to communicate in a smart way Again Ovo accepts  Thomas' argument They agree that he can read the meter every month and send them the information  And now that's exactly what he does And he gets paid for the privilege 250 quid is his latest  payment Griff Thomas is believed to be the only person in the UK who receives payment this way He  came into the eFIXX studio earlier this month to tell the full story exclusively to eFIXX I've put  the link to that in the show notes and it's a hard recommend from me Great show What a tale enough  to rival that of Goldilocks and the Three Bears In further MCS news it turns out that scammers  are imitating the organisation and creating panic among householders with solar panels The scammers  are sending out text alerts stating that their solar warranty has expired and asking them to call  a number provided to get it renewed The sender ID shows up as MCS but MCS executives say it's  all fake news Their text is not from MCS and the phone number is not linked to MCS in any way The  fraudsters are also making phone calls and sending emails claiming to be MCS They offer maintenance  packages and warranty packages by falsely claiming that the customer's guarantee has expired MCS says  the trade should be aware of the scam which it's now reported to Ofcom and the National  Cyber Security Center In other news two men have been arrested and charged with involuntary  manslaughter following the electrocution of a 2-year-old girl in Spain Amira whose surname isn't  being disclosed was fatally electrocuted while bouncing on a funfair trampoline in Mercia She  died after touching the metal fence surrounding the attraction Paramedics fought desperately  to resuscitate her for half an hour but she was declared dead at the scene The two men believed  to be the owner of the trampolines and one of his employees have been provisionally released pending  the investigation The focus of the probe is a grounding failure that may have allowed current to  pass through the metal railing where the children were playing The judge has asked Mercia City Hall  for all the documents relating to the installation including safety certificates technical reviews  and permits Meanwhile here in the UK four people have been hospitalised after receiving electric  shocks on a funfair ride in Wigan Police paramedics and fire crews were called to a  funfair on the Meadow Bank playing fields after reports of suspected electrocution The ride was  closed to the public and a scene was established whilst emergency services dealt with the incident  The police said that the risk to the public has since been mitigated The organisers of the event  have yet to comment The government has announced a delay to the switch off of RTS meters Originally  the signal which tells radio tele switch service meters to flip between peak and off peak tariffs  was due to be turned off this week but fears that homes and schools would be left without  hot water and heating led to a government U-turn A third of a million households still use the aging  RTS meters Suppliers have tried swapping them all for smart meters before the deadline but without  success A much more successful play appears to be Octopus Energy's new car and charging package  deal Under the arrangement householders can get a leased electric car a two-way charger and free EV  charging for £299 a month It's being hailed as a breakthrough by EV experts The company says  it's the first bundle to include vehicle-to-grid technology This allows the battery in the car to  power the household and send electricity to the grid Those signing up will get a BYD do Dolphin  a bidirectional Zaptec Pro charger and access to a smart tariff that offers free home charging V2G  as the tech is known transforms electric vehicles into batteries on wheels allowing them to charge  when electricity is cheap and send it to the grid at peak times when electricity is expensive That  news gets my inner man child very excited Now welcome to our electrical news weekly feature  where we focus on a specific product area This week we're going week for wiring accessories  First up is a whole new concept a plug-in type socket from Dagnall Innovation The design enables  fixed wiring to terminate directly into the back box before wall finishes are applied This allows  for dead testing of the circuit cabling including continuity of conductors and insulation resistance  Three special live neutral and earth pins are screwed into the threads on either side of the  rear of the socket The earth pin is longer and wider to ensure it connects first The socket and  pin combination is then simply plugged into the back box Initial feedback for the radical design  is positive but some concerns were raised Some claim the arrangement if it uses flying leads  creates a spur but the inventor Martin Dagnall says this is up for debate He says appendix 15  doesn't appear to raise any concerns to his approach The connector is able to accommodate  4mm cables to handle up to 26 amps at the outlet Some have asked if the design has created higher  resistance and more points of failure Dagnall says that using either of his socket methods the fixed  wiring remains in the same location as the day it was installed This helps prolong its service life  and reduce the risk of failures along the ring final circuit Finally some have queried if by  using a plug-in socket every time you insert and remove a plug it will create movement This will  in turn result in non-uniform marking and take out an AFDD Dagnall says the pins used within  the plug-in socket are spring-loaded and intended to ensure a solid connection What's your view We'd  welcome your feedback on this innovation in the comments below BG is currently marketing its edge  to edge rocker switches They feature a full face switch a super slim profile and retain screws to  prevent them dropping out mid install They come in lots of colours and finishes including matte black  copper and pearlescent white Best of all they look pretty cool Selectric has introduced a range of  fire rated back boxes made in flush galvanised steel These 35 mil deep boxes feature a fire  retardant insert spring-loaded lugs and five 25 mil knockouts They're compliant with all national  and international standards including acoustic requirements Knightsbridge has taken the outdoor  double socket to the next level by adding a key fob remote control The OP9R allows your customer  to control garden features such as lighting from the comfort of indoors The key fob has a range  of 30 m The socket is rated at IP66 and it can take a max load of 3 kW And while you're working  away on your wiring accessories you're probably generating a lot of cable waste The good news is  that innovative scrap metal startup GreenCable is expanding again If you're not familiar with  the scheme it's a new concept where the company delivers a green wheelie bin to your premises or  home There's no contract or service charge You simply put in your offcuts of twin and earth and  other non-ferris metal They collect it they give you money and that's it The firm describes itself  as the trade scrapyard on wheels It's now upgraded its fleet and is rolling out the service to more  parts of the country Having extended its service earlier this year to Blackpool Yorkshire Surrey  and Bedfordshire we can exclusively announce that Green Cable will be serving Essex Haven and South  Wales from this summer Hundreds of you on the waiting list have already been contacted to set up  your accounts And if you're in those regions and are ready to sign up head over to greencable.com  and get yourself on the list to be visited I've popped a sign up link in the show notes along with  a link to the episode of eFIXX TV where Ed Nash from GreenCable joined us He was a great sport and  it's worth a watch Now back to wiring accessories Last week's live stream was a cracker We hosted  the CED Electrical Group and they brought along an absolutely brilliant bit of kit for an EIX World  exclusive It's the MagCharge a new socket outlet with a built-in point for charging your phone  truly wirelessly For phones featuring wireless charging you can simply place your phone onto  the circular pad and it'll start to charge while being held in place by magnets It's aiming to be  available in October and it's given us a taste of the innovation that's starting to come out of the  CED stable We look forward to bringing you more on that when it's launched We also checked out a load  of the other gear that they offer including the Now 25 of consumer units Click the link  in the show notes to see what that's all about Next up we're heading over to Retro Touch Their  Aura range offers a modular design solution for modern interiors Featuring interchangeable metal  finish covers in black nickel brass and bronze the two-part system allows aesthetic updates  without rewiring Designed in the UK the Aura range combines style sustainability and practicality  with a 10-year warranty on electrical parts Ideal for evolving tastes and interior refreshes it's  a flexible choice for homeowners and designers alike It's a seriously good-looking range and well  worth checking out This week's question of the week is taken from our free training package on  wiring accessories from the Luceco Group We asked according to table H2 in the on-site guide what is  the maximum floor area an A3 final can supply The options were 25 50 75 and 100 square meters The  answer was of course 50 square meters Just 29% of YouTubers ticked the right box while a healthier  38% of LinkedIn has got it right Yet another win for the Blues but also a pretty clear indication  that we as a group need to check out that wiring accessory CPD from BG You'll find a link to that  in the show notes That's our electrical news weekly roundup of products or people that we  think deserve some attention Next time we're overseeing cable management Now a big shout  out to our learner of the week Katie Firth whose Instagram identity is Electro one Electrical UK  It's inspiring to see the level of dedication that she's bringing to her journey in the  industry Katie has built up impressive knowledge particularly around portable appliance testing  What's even more impressive is her genuine passion for safe isolation something we're always keen to  see championed in the industry She's been making the most of our CPD packages too as well as other  free training content which shows a real hunger for growth and self-improvement Congratulations  Katie We look forward to seeing your impact on the trade And 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 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 quid  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 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 So  send us pictures of your installs or let us know if you've come across any new kit or companies  that's 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 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 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 it's Niglon And empowering their customers  to harness power through light with their intelligent energy solutions solar technology and  advanced lighting systems It's Ledvance 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 in 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 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  EIX 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  Last week's words were salmon and fly fishing And as far as I can see absolutely no one got  it right on any platform Bit of a shock at that one So instead of announcing a winner I'll just  say hello to a viewer I met at the installer show last week whose name I got spectacularly wrong the  week that he did win a prize He very kindly taught me how to say it right So a big thank you to Here  goes Mira it was a pleasure to meet you Thanks for watching and giving me what I hope is now the  correct pronunciation 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