Coming up on this week's news, a rail breaks out over the use of single insulation cables  in meter boxes. A further education college axes its electrical course saying it can't  find anyone to teach it. And if there's something strange in your conductors, who you going to call?  Glitchbusters. 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 row has broken out in the trade over the use of single insulated cables inside meter boxes.  Industry opinion is sharply divided over the practice. The outer sheets of SWA cables are often  stripped back in the meter boxes, leaving just a single layer of insulation. Many electricians  argue this is a clear C2 fault, posing a risk of shock and requiring prompt remedial action.  But the wiring regulations advisory committee disagrees. It says the meter box unit itself  provides the second layer of defence and as long as a tool or key is needed for access,  the installation meets current standards. Installers counter that in real world practice,  they see householders accessing the boxes to read the meter as well as boxes with loose and missing  doors. The controversy reignited after an eFIXX explainer video last month sparked by a question  from viewer Hank in Morpeth, who wrote in asking for clarification. Presenter Joe Hammond laid out  the facts, but the broadcast triggered a storm of reactions on social media, exposing a deep rift  over the regs. Some voiced the suspicion that the main beneficiary of the generous interpretation is  house builders. Referring to the sector's guidance bodies doesn't help. It turns out they're just as  divided as the trade. While the certification body NAPIT has single insulated cables in meter  boxes coded as a C2, potentially dangerous, the NIC rates it C3. Improvement is recommended. The  social media flare up was more ferocious than the debate over the best Revel. It's the Malteser,  by the way, and looks set to put renewed pressure on the authorities to speak with one voice on  the issue. Needless to say, we'll keep you posted on any developments. In other news,  a further education college has scrapped its electrical course because it can't find anyone  to teach it. City College Norwich has pulled the plug on its level two classes, which were  due to start in September. The decision by the technical school, the biggest in East Anglia,  is said to have left prospective electricians in limbo. Students with conditional offers  say they're scrambling for other options. College chiefs blame the closure of the course on the lack  of suitable lecturers. They say they're committed to supporting all applicants and are working with  them to find alternative arrangements. Despite the closure of the course, the government says  it's committed to boosting apprenticeships in the trade. Ministers say they've increased funding per  student by 15% to £23,000 in England. The boost hasn't gone down well in Scotland, however. That's  because it makes the English grant almost three times the size of the one north of the border.  Scottish funding per learner is just £8,000 and it hasn't increased in seven years. Alan Wilson,  boss of Scottish electrical contractors body Select, says this represents a fall of 30% in  real terms and it's creating a two-tier system. He now fears Scotland is set to lose an entire  generation of electricians. He's calling on the Scottish government to stump up more cash. Now you  think you've got a failing cable. Who you going to call? Glitchbusters, of course, except these  investigators aren't paranormal exterminators. They're electricians using the latest backpack  kit to find faults. Whilst they may resemble Dan Aykroyd's crew in the Ghostbusters film,  the equipment is designed to suck in air. The Fault Sniffer 2 device from Megger is a backpack  with pipes running to the handle, which sucks up the gas from hidden cable faults below ground,  which cause power cuts. It detects even the smallest traces of imperceptible gas, which  escapes when a cable develops a fault. And it can even tell the difference between that and natural  or bio gases. Traditionally, the way to find an underground cable fault was to make like Steve off  of Minecraft and use a hammer drill to make small holes in the pavement at regular intervals, then  insert a sniffer probe to find any gas released. Instead, this new equipment requires no holes,  and it can find faults from readings as low as 10 parts per million for the type of gas released by  a cable fault. UK Power Networks has now set up Glitchbuster squads in Croyden, Guildford, and  Kingston. The squads are even using the sniffers proactively to intercept power cuts before they  happen. And don't forget, there's still time to get involved in our fantasy football league. But  time's running out as the new season starts in a couple of weeks. And the earlier you get on board,  the more points you can get. Joe 2.0 is feeling pretty confident in his team selection. So if  you think you can do better, click the link in the show notes, put your team together,  join our exclusive WhatsApp chat, and let the banter begin. Now, welcome to our electrical  news weekly feature where we focus on a specific product area. This week we're making a racket  about circuit protection. The latest news here is that Wylex has just unveiled a board specifically  for solar and microgeneration systems. It includes an integrated PV isolator which provides lockable  double pole isolation. The range includes 125 amp rated consume units with a 125 amp  main incomer for larger demand installations. It comes with a 16 amp 30 mAh single pole and switch  neutral birectional RCBO for the microgeneration circuit supply. It also features an MID certified  PV generation meter for accurate and compliant energy monitoring. There are 14 usable ways,  and you can fit SPD protection directly into the unit. Devices in the Gewiss restart range can  switch themselves back on if it's safe to do so. The restart technology has built-in diagnostics  and self- testing. It continuously assesses electrical parameters and environmental conditions  to provide automatic reset. The units, which are available as both RCD and RCBO formats, also boast  automatic testing with periodic and automatic control of the residual current protection without  interrupting the power supply. The company says the restart range cuts maintenance costs as a call  out isn't needed to reset the device manually. There are a total of 46 variants in the range.  Click the links in the show notes to find out more. Meanwhile, Fusebox is currently marketing  its TPN disc boards. The boards of three, 7, 11, and 15 usable ways. There's a set of 10KA devices  including MCBs, RCBOs's, and RCDs. And all the units come with a factory fitted 125 amp four-pole  main switch and a T2 surge protection devices standard. They've really thought of the installer  here with a chunky pan assembly with device end stops and large easy to terminate earth and  neutral terminal bars. There are shrouded neutral terminal bars and removable gland plates at both  the top and bottom with smooth edge cable entry. In terms of accessories, you can get an extension  box and a coin slot door lock. The company has 1300 stockists around the UK, and there's a handy  locator on the website where you simply pop in your postcode to find your nearest outlet. Brother  has upgraded two of its printers for the trade, the PTE 560 and 310 replace the 500 and 300,  respectively, and deliver professional standard labelling for electrical and coms installations.  They ensure cables, conduits, switches, and sockets are clearly identified with long-lasting,  durable labels, supporting compliance with the wiring regs. The E560's automatic cutter includes  a half cut feature, letting you print multiple labels in one go and peel off the relevant  stickers as needed, reducing tape wastage. Both devices also come with Pro TZ tapes with improved  specifications. They have rechargeable lithium ion batteries as well as Bluetooth and USBC  connections which enable use with the Brother Pro Label tool app and Pouch editor software. You can  add QR codes, 2D barcodes, and company logos. And you can use industry templates like patch panels,  cable wraps, face plates, and safety signages. Absolutely perfect, we think, for labelling up  your distribution board and circuit protection gear. That's our electrical news weekly roundup  of products or people we think deserve some attention. Next time, lighting controls. Now,  it's that great moment where we get to celebrate the sterling work being done  by the next generation. Our learner of the week is from the brilliant South Tyneside College in South  Shields. It's Ethan Peak, who's said to be flying in his studies. We're super impressed by his work,  including domestic final circuits, commercial installs using plastic conduit, and industrial  systems with cable tray. That variety really shows the strength and practical depth of the course.  Ethan is actively seeking either work experience or an apprenticeship. So, eFIXX community,  please work your usual magic on this. Contact details are in the show notes. And let's just  take a moment to celebrate the teaching team at Ethan's College. They're doing a cracking job and  we must single out for special mention lecturer Matt Davies. Matt has long championed his learners  achievements and encourage them to use platforms like LinkedIn to help land apprenticeships. It's  great to see educators being so proactive. That's our eFIXX learner of the week. If you've got any  great students you think deserve to be featured, then get in touch with us on social media. 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, power, renewables, and solar, and safety products. 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. It's Sunsynk. 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. 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 and helping you charge into the future with confidence,  powering the future together, it's Rolec. 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. And the best thing to come out of Yorkshire  since stainless steel, the home of EV Ultra and other groundbreaking and quality products,  is 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 winner of last week's challenge word competition.  Last week's words were Barracuda and Gobstoppper, and they clearly stuck out like a sore thumb  because even Gary found them. And even though I desperately wanted Eddie Clemens off of Pegasus  Electrical to be the winner because he referred to me as Joeby one Kenobi when he submitted his  correct guesses over on LinkedIn, fair's fair. And the winner to be plucked from our electronic  hat was Dillip Das. 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, stay safe out there, and remember there's no such thing as a torque calibrated arm!