Coming up on this week's news, we reveal a new service that lets you legally remove the cutout fuse. Investigators say a single loose wire caused a ship to crash into a bridge and kill six people and battery packs that plug into the mains. Are they even legal? Welcome to Electrical News Weekly in association with Sungrow, making every watt count, literally since 1997. 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. We're being lit by Flex 7 with their lightning fast pre-wired modular lighting connection system that keeps your installation times razor sharp. 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. And while you're there, click the links in the show notes to check out what our sponsors offer. A UK company has unveiled an innovative service which will allow electrical contractors to safely and legally remove the cutout fuse. Voltari is an official safe isolation provider or SIP and it's authorised to de energize electrical installations for maintenance under its scheme dubbed the power shield service. Installers will be trained by it in safe isolation while working under the company's SIP certification. Once signed off as competent, electricians will then receive a permit to operate as well as the special sealing pliers for resealing the service fuse to its original state. They'll also get a mobile phone app to ensure that the completed works are recorded, photographed, and notified to the DNO. Voltari says that the power shield is a cost-effective way to operate as a safe isolation provider without the lengthy processes and expense involved in full qualification. Without SIP authorisation, electricians must request that the service fuse is removed by the supplier, their meter operator or the local DNO. However, this can lead to delays and extra expense for the customer. In essence, graduates of the power shield plan become subcontractors working on behalf of Voltari. A company is licensed to use subbies under its terms of operation. So, officially, Voltari pulls the fuse. However, it's only the isolation and reinstall of the fuse that is subcontracted. The rest of the job at the site, such as the change of a consumer unit or a rewire, is nothing to do with Voltari, but a project by the installer themselves. The service can be used on single phase, single phase on a three-phase head, and three-phase. The company emphasises that it trains people to high standards to ensure they follow the right industry guidelines on safely pulling and reinstating the fuse. It also makes sure that they wear the correct personal protective equipment during the operation. The ceiling pliers issued to the subcontractor is identifiable both as Voltari and to the individual involved. They can't pass these on or use them on jobs that are not known to Voltari. If an individual leaves the subcontract organisation, the ceiling pliers must be returned. To ensure compliance with the license, Voltari audits the subcontractors in three ways. First, it has visibility of all the jobs, their date and images captured by the app. Second, subcontractors will be obliged to audit their staff once a quarter. And finally, Voltari will carry out two annual audits of their subcontractors on two random sites. It describes these as not unlike NIC style evaluations. These are included in the annual license fee. I'll put a link to more information on the PowerShield service in the show notes. And if your standard of work is high enough that you'll make use of this service, it's probably high enough that you'll also be installing SPDs from this week's power sponsor, Schneider. With top quality SPDs in both the KQ and Acti 9 ranges, they'll keep you surging ahead in protecting your installations. In other news, the cause of a deadly crash which brought down a huge bridge in the USA has been revealed as a single loose wire. Specifically, investigators say that a tiny identification sleep was the root of the trouble. This prevented a solid electrical connection and led to a power outage on the container ship Dali. The giant vessel's propulsion and steering systems went down, causing it to veer into the two-mile long Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore in March last year. The bridge collapsed, killing six road workers. The label on the wire was a small silicon sheath made of thermoplastic which was heat shrunk around the wire. However, this label covered all of the ferrule's blue insulated collar. This increases its overall circumference, preventing the wire from being fully inserted into its terminal block. Consequently, it was vulnerable to becoming electrically disconnected. The investigators say that if an infrared thermal imaging camera had been used on the switchboard, this possible point of failure could have been spotted. The loose wire caused a circuit breaker to unexpectedly open, beginning a sequence of events that led to the loss of both propulsion and steering. Investigators found that the label banding on the wire prevented it from being fully inserted into a terminal block spring clamp gate, causing an inadequate connection. Jennifer Homendy of the National Transportation Safety Board praised her investigators for finding the problem. She said that the ship is as long as the Eiffel Tower is high with miles of wiring and thousands of electrical connections. She described finding this single wire as like hunting for a loose rivet on the Eiffel Tower. She said that like all of the accidents in Investigates, this was preventable. I'll put a link to the full report in the show notes. And speaking of safety considerations, with their top-of-the-line smoke detectors, they'll keep watch over you and your loved ones even when you can't. It's this week's fire protection sponsor, Fireangel. Here in the UK, the government has announced that it's expanding the boiler upgrade scheme to include air-to-air heat pumps and heat batteries. The program currently offers grants of £75,000 off the cost of installing an air source or ground source heat pump. Now, the scheme has been expanded to offer a £25,000 discount off the cost of installing an air-to-air heat pump, which can provide heat in winter and cooling in summer. It's the first time air conditioning units like this have been eligible for government grants. The announcement comes as 2025 is named a record-breaking year for heat pump installs. The typical project cost of installing an air-to-air heat pump is around £45,000, meaning the grant can cover most of the upfront cost. Energy Minister Martin McCluskey also announced that households will be able to claim £25,000 off the price of heat batteries which can store heat overnight for use during the day. And that'll be enough of a saving for a lovely herring bone floor in your kitchen. In product news, a Chinese power specialist has unveiled a battery pack that doesn't require an electrician to install it. The DJI Power 2000 simply plugs into a socket outlet. You pair it with an energy meter to harvest the excess energy from solar panels and well, you're good to go. Or are you? Is it even legal to simply put power into a socket? With nervous hands trembling like a goldfinch, Gordon got his mitts on a DJI Power 2000 and set out to answer those questions and more. I've put a link to his video review in the show notes. Sunrow is currently marketing its battery storage option for commercial and industrial applications. It's known as the Power Stack. The Power Stack 255CS boasts 314 amp hour battery cells and a 20-year design life. It's certified to top international standards and features multi-level safety protections. The latter include advanced cell anomaly detection and overcurrent protection. There's also fuses at cabinet rack and pack levels. Projects equipped with power stack can be operated via Sungrow's energy management platform I solar cloud. Sungrow says it meets stringent data privacy and cyber security standards which safeguard every stage of the product life cycle. The system is pre-installed and pre-commissioned and Sungrow says that using one brand makes sense because you get seamless compatibility and ultra low noise levels. Typical power stack installations include solar and battery combos, EV charger integration, and micro grids. Now, how do you like the sound of circuit protection that can be put together like Lego? This is the Enymod modular switchboard from German brand Hensel. These are special custom boards made to your specification. They can be used indoors or outdoors. Because it's a totally modular system, the components can be precisely tailored to your requirements and you can extend them at any time. The plastic enclosures offer many advantages over traditional metal ones. Firstly, there's the ease of installation. The material is lighter but has a comparable strength to metal. Then there's cost savings and longer durability. Best of all, they stay rust-free in harsh environments. The components are scalable, too, and can deliver a maximum performance of up to an impressive 1,600 amps. The system has an ingress protection of IP65, is protection class 2, and has an EMC compliant design. Components include Hensel's innovative junction boxes for SWA cables with a built-in protective earth inlay. You insert and connect the cables using the company's GSC glands, which provides protection of up to IP68 using the included PE bridge. Even non-armoured cables can be easily connected to armoured cables in one cable junction box. And if you think that's smart, then check out the direct easy lighting control system from Ledvance. When your lights are this clever, you'll swear they've got a degree in illumination. The latest consumer unit to hit the market is the Vault by Axiom. It boasts a sleek new design with curved edges and curved lid. It comes complete with info boxes for use on the boards, full MCB blanks, a robust grommet strip, and a magnet for holding the door open during installation. It also has large terminals for easy wiring, integrated spirit levels for accurate mounting, dual screw terminal isolators, and generous wiring space. Each model is supplied with a 100 amp isolator, and selected models include a pre-installed 40 kmp surge protection device. There's also lots of knockouts for cable and conduit entry. Hager points out that many standard RCBOs on the market are not designed to withstand the continual load of EV chargers. They can lead to premature burnout and increased replacement costs. So Hager has developed two products, the ADA 940U and 990U that are specifically engineered for the task. They support continuous 7.5 kW charging with advanced overload and residual current protection. Their type B bi-directional devices with switch neutrals. Their current rating is 40 amps. The two units have undergone endurance testing in the company's ASA RTL level 4 accredited laboratory to ensure their long-term performance and reliability. Congratulations are due this week to Navitas, which was named startup of the year in South Wales thanks to its rapid growth and impact in the region. Its latest launches include a new dinrail mounted rotary isolator. The compact range is designed for clean local switching on EV chargers, heat pumps, and plant installs. They feature lockable options and reliable switching mechanics. Also new are type one and two surge protection devices. This kit provides powerful protection against lightning and transient surges. It includes a B-curve 63 amp MCB and color-coded conductors. Finally, Navitas has introduced flush mount kits that allow for a premium recessed finish. Designed specifically for Navitas consumer units, these kits deliver a modern aesthetic while maintaining full compliance with the regs. 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 slot is brought to you by Elatako, German manufacturer of premium actuators, sensors, and energy meters for smart homes. And our learner this week is Codi Jackson-Kelsall of Riverside College in Witness and Runkorn. If the college sounds familiar, that's because one of the electrical tutors there is friend of this parish, Matt Horne. Cod9 recently pumped Gary of eFIXX for top tips on how to get ahead. Fired up by his chat, he created a LinkedIn page and learned how to tag people and eFIXX in posts. Codi is working on completing more of our eFIXX college connection CPDs and he says he'll share his progress online. He's determined to maximise his chances of securing an electrical apprenticeship. All the best, Codi. We're rooting for you and congratulations on being the eFIXX learner of the week in association with Eltako. And now to the lighter side of the electrical news. Yes, it's time for a tea break with Quickwire and its range of incredibly rapid electrical connectors. A Yorkshire electrician has been turning heads on the job thanks to his poresome apprentice. This 2-year-old cocker spaniel fetch his tools with the confidence of a seasoned trainee. Jensen Smith caught the adorable moment on camera as his dog Coda sprinted across a room to retrieve a pair of snips the second he asked for it. Coda proudly placed them in his hand while wagging his tail furiously. Coda was rescued as a puppy and he's currently being trained as a gun dog, but it seems he's more drawn to life on the tools. Who needs an apprentice when you've got one with four paws and a built-in tool locator. That's the lighter side of the news in our Tea break with Quickwire and their range of incredibly rapid electrical connectors. Click the link in the description to check them out for yourself. Now, 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, empowering their customers to harness power through light with their intelligent energy solutions, solar technology, and advanced lighting systems. It's Ledvance. 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, it's Doncaster Cables. And finally, one of our favourite new innovations here at eFIXX for rock solid fixings in flimsy materials. Don't just fix it when you can Chumpfix it. 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. will 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 winners of last week's challenge word competition. Last week's words were fossilised and chutney. And while he did get it right, just for a change, this week's winner was not Jason FKM5MQ. Loads of people got it right this week. And the first person out of the hat actually offered to help with the problem of repeat winners, completely disregarding the fact that he himself is becoming something of a repeat winner. It was Dave Friselle. I promise you folks, the results are always genuinely random. I guess you just have a higher chance of winning if you enter regularly. Anyway, well done to you, Dave. And make sure you click the get involved link in the show notes to claim your prize. This week, we've been lit by Flex 7 with their lightning fast pre-wired modular lighting connection system that keeps your installation times razor sharp. Don't forget to click the links in the show notes to find out more. Thanks for listening to this episode of Electrical News Weekly in association with Sungrow, making every watt count, literally since 1997. Make sure you subscribe to receive the next update. Thanks for listening and until next time, have a great week.