Coming up on this week's news, an electrician with a side hustle in meter tampering warns the trade off the practice after a shop burns down in Manchester. The government unveils fresh cash grants for EV charger jobs. And an installer caught drinking on the job wins £40,000 in a surprise victory. Welcome to Electrical News Weekly. We're being kept safe this week by Hochiki. Protecting people in buildings with advanced fire detection systems. 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 this week's challenge word competition is supported by the good people at Brady. If you need a label, they've got a printer and so much more. 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 this exclusive cap branded with Friends of the Show, Quickwire and Chump Tools. And while you're there, click the links in the show notes to check out what our sponsors offer. Don't do it. That's the stark message to the trade this week from a self-confessed meter fiddler. The veteran electrician revealed to a BBC probe how he set up an illegal meter bypass for a friend's shop only for the business to burn down weeks later. The Manchester based installer dubbed Tony by the broadcaster says he does a lot of EICRs in the city and comes across DIY tampering most days. He says he charged £80 to do bypasses for struggling families with children, but he also admits to fiddling the meter for businesses, for which he priced the work at up to £2,000. He even accommodated wealthy people who wanted the main splice to feed summer houses and hot tubs surrounded by wild flowers and fox gloves. No doubt. He says that due to the cost of living crisis, demand is as high as it's ever been. While Tony says he has done his fair share of these jobs, he says he won't do it anymore. And he specifically warns young electricians not to be tempted by the easy money. He says, "If it goes wrong, and it does go wrong, you'll be sitting in a prison cell doing 20 years thinking to yourself, was it worth it?" Police figures show that eight of the top 10 hotspots for electricity theft are in the north of England. Manchester had 330 reported cases of dishonest use of electricity, placing just after the West Midlands, which had 452 incidents. In one terrace street in Manchester alone, the BBC found three residents who had tampered with electricity or gas meters to save money despite the risks. The Stay Energy Safe Service operated by Crimestoppers says that it has seen a 48% rise in suspicions of energy theft in the last few years. It estimates that there are 250,000 incidents which go unreported every year, representing a clear and present danger to installers. Meter fiddling doesn't just put residents at risk. It can also put fellow electricians in jeopardy. In 2024, an electrical contractor who went to fit an EV charger in Fe received a serious electric shock from a distribution board despite turning off the isolator. Another firm reports a bypassing in which the main switch turned off the neutral but not the line conductor. The neutral was shared and difficult to find without a single point contact phase tester. The electrician at the property followed the firm's safe isolation procedures which his employer reckons actually saved his life. The company said that most examples of energy extraction it sees involve either bypassing the meter completely or linking out terminal one and four. Scottish electrical contractors organisation Select has published a list of 10 telltale signs of tampering which it says electricians should watch out for. These include scratch, burn or black carbonisation marks on switch gear and connections, exposed copper wiring, missing or fake security seals and stub joints in supply cables. For credit meters, check for holes in the casing and negative monetary values on the display. Crimestoppers wants the trade to send it examples of meter interference, which they've come across in order to build an accurate picture of the issue. I've popped the details in the show notes. Big thanks to our correspondent in the field and friend of the show, Chris Horne, for that story. In other news, the government has unveiled fresh cash grants for EV charger installs. It's extending the incentive for both residents and businesses for another year and increasing it from £350 to £500. Anyone putting in plug-in points will be able to claim towards the cost of each fitting from the 1st of April. The Department for Transport says the increase will cover almost half the cost of a typical installation. It's designed to increase workplace charging for both fleets and the private vehicles of staff. Both renters and owners of residential property, including flats, are also eligible for £500 grants towards EV charges. Schools will be eligible for grants of up to £2,000 per socket. Ministers are cutting the grant types down from 8 to five, which it argues will make it easier to navigate the schemes and understand what support is available. The updated grant support will be available until March 2027. The government says it's a final year extension, so I encourage your customers to get applying. I've put the application link in the show notes. And if your customers are interested in saving even more money, then recommend the brand new range of green I motion sensors from LRN CP Electronics Arm. Designed with ease of install, commissioning, and use in mind along with 75% recycled packaging, they'll cut carbon, reduce costs, and help you specify efficient future ready buildings. It's not just green I. It'll help to make a green U. A Spanish electrician caught drinking on the job has accepted £40,000 compensation from his employer. It follows an earlier ruling in which a court declared that a contracting firm was wrong to fire the man, even if he had had more than three litres of beer, as was alleged. It said the company had failed to prove that he was drunk or unable to do his job. The Spaniard was dismissed after he and one of his colleagues were observed stopping at a bar at 8:27 a.m. At lunchtime that day, the pair bought four cans of San Miguel and a litre bottle of Estrella. The Spaniard had a couple more cans later before driving back to the company's base in Mercia to drop off the van. A fortnight later, he and two workmates were seen sharing a total of seven litres of beer between mid morning and the end of their lunch break. Six days later, he was seen drinking a bottle of beer before lunch and three glasses of red wine during lunch. He finished the meal with a shot of brandy, but the court ruled that there were insufficient grounds for dismissal as there was no evidence of inebriation. The judge said the work colleagues were eating at the time and needed to take refreshments. The court also noted that the company had failed to take into account the effect the hot mercy and summer could have had on the man's drinking. It said that the climactic conditions and the geographical habits in the region should have been carefully considered. It ordered the firm to either reinstate the sack spark or pay compensation. The electrician has now accepted recompense of £40,000. Now, there may not be 40 grand on offer in the eFIXX 30 under 30 competition, but there's a whole lot of kudos if you get selected. Nominations open today, Monday the 9th of March, for the program, which celebrates and rewards talented young people in the electrical industry. So, if you know someone special, you have until Monday the 13th of April to put their name in the hat. I've popped the nomination link in the show notes. In promo news, BG and Knipex have teamed up for competition with two World Cup tickets on offer. You get to go to a group stage match in sunny Miami with travel and hotel all laid on. Simply buy £20 worth of BG products, upload your proof of purchase, and play the BG penalty shootout game. Score a goal to win one of 300 instant prizes. You'll also be automatically entered into the draw for two hospitality tickets at Miami Gardens. I've put a link to this top promo in the show notes. Our special innovation focus this week is on fire safety and security kit. The big news here is that Hochiki's ACD multi sensor has won a top award. The sensor, which can detect smoke, heat, and carbon monoxide, has been named best active fire safety product in this year's Intersect Awards. By analyzing multiple indicators of combustion, the sensor can deliver faster and more reliable detection while minimizing false alarms. In fact, there are no fewer than 24 approved configurable operating modes. It's compatible with addressable fire systems and integrates into bigger fire detection systems. In one of the first major specifications, the ACD has been installed at the famous Riverside Studios in London's Hammersmith. There, it's helping to protect performance areas, studios, offices, and public zones. It's also been fitted at Livingston Academy in Bournemouth. This secondary school is using it to cut down on false alarms, which can disrupt teaching. Still on fire safety, Firesure is currently marketing a range of fire rated hood covers for 600 by 600 light panels. The protection is necessary if the ceiling with the luminaires forms a part of a fire compartment boundary. As the majority of LED panels aren't independently fir tested to maintain ceiling fire resistance, fitting a certified fire hood restores the integrity of the barrier. The FPC hoods are tested to BS476 part 21 and BS467 part 22. The range is believed to be the only product backed by a special failure to perform insurance. Ajax Systems has launched an ambitious survey of the fire industry and it wants your help. The security system manufacturer wants to explore the UK fire detection market and identify the company's competitive position. The survey takes just four minutes to complete. As a thank you for your time, the firm will randomly select three participants to receive an Ajax EN54 demo case and branded merch. Two more entrance will get a limited edition Ajax merch gift box. The winners will be drawn live during the eFIXX TV show on Wednesday the 25th of March. I've put the link to the promo in the show notes. Now, how about this for a bright idea? It's the Paul Russell's lamp of the week. And today, we're giving a shout out to the classic candle shape. This one replaces the 40 W incandescent of old. It gives out the same 470 lumen output, but with just 5.5 watts of input power. That's because it's LED. And not just LED, but dimmable LED. The colour temperature is a toasty warm white at 2,700 Kelvin, and it lasts 15,000 hours. That's an incredible 2 years of continuous use. Now, to our learner of the week slot, which is brought to you by Viperclip for rapid, secure, and fireproof installations of cabling. And our learner this week is Saqib Hussein of Abington and Whitney College. Saqib attended a presentation by my eFIXX colleague and college connections guru Gary and then swung into action. Within 24 hours, he'd set up a LinkedIn profile and started sharing the hard work he's been doing at college. He's also joined the eFIXX special LinkedIn group, Electricians apprenticeship careers and support. He's also been posting about some of the CPDs that he's been completing. Gary says it's genuinely refreshing to see someone act so quickly to improve their chances of securing an apprenticeship. It's the kind of proactive mindset which we're trying to encourage. Great job, Saqib. And congratulations on being the eFIXX learner of the week in association with ViperClip. That should put paid to anyone who thinks the younger generation are all goofballs. To find the support group that I mentioned, just log on to LinkedIn and search for UK electrician apprenticeships and career support. I'll also put a link in the show notes. And if you're an employer looking to offer work experience or an electrical apprenticeship, we can help too. Just reach out to the team at eFIXX and we'll do our best to connect you with motivated learners in your area. And now to the lighter side of the electrical news. Yes, it's time for a tea break with quickware in its range of incredibly rapid electrical connectors. Enterprising engineers have come up with a solar array which you put on your car. It boasts 675W photovoltaic panels which you unfold when you're in a parking space. It continually charges the batteries even when you're driving. The Dart solar costs £3,000 and comes as a kit which you attach to the roof yourself. That's the lighter side of the news in our Teabreak 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, Ledvance, your vision, their light. Celebrating 10 years and 100red years of experience. One of our favourite new innovations here at EIX, especially now it's in sexy new packaging for rocksolid fixings in flimsy materials. Don't just fix it when you can chumpfix it 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 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 eFIXX goodie bag prize. Answers submitted after midnight on the Wednesday after release will not be entered into the draw. Now, let's reveal the winners of last week's challenge word competition sponsored by Brady. Remember, if you need a label, they've got a printer, and so much more. Click the link in the description to view their incredible range. Last week's words were Earthworms and Ghostbusters, and quite a few got it right, including over on Facebook, where we don't post the news as a video anymore. Most impressive. And just to prove that the selection process is truly random, the first person to come out of Electronic Hat was Gary Reed for the second week on the bounce. Hopefully, Jen didn't get round to shipping last week's prize yet, and she can do a twofer this week. Well done again, Gary. 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. We've been kept safe this week by Hochiki, protecting people and buildings with advanced fire detection systems. 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.