Coming up on this week's news, the IET has finally published the long-awaited amendment four to the 18th edition of the wiring regs. NAPIT warns the trade not to neglect this crucial ring final circuit test and pioneering battery storage brand give energy files a notice of its intention to appoint an administrator. Welcome to Electrical News Weekly in association with Anker Solix, the world's number one plug-and-play home solar battery storage brand. 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 this exclusive cap branded with Friends of the Show Quick Wire and Chump Tools. And while you're there, click the links in the show notes to check out what our sponsors offer. The authors of the wiring regulations, the IET has finally published amendment four to the 18th edition of the document. The IET says the changes were necessary as a response to fast evolving technologies. Amendment 4 introduces a series of clarifications and changes that affect how electricians apply the regs on site. A key change is the formal definition of unidirectional and bidirectional devices. Installers must follow manufacturer markings and if none are present, you must assume that the devices are unidirectional. In earthing, a major addition is protective neutral bonding or PNB. While similar in appearance to PME or TNCS, PMBB differs by placing an earth electrode within 40 meters of the installation, but ideally as close as possible to the consumer's supply terminals. This electrode is controlled by the DNO. This closer Earth reference reduces the risks associated with pen conductor failure. These can include dangerous touch voltages and diverted neutral currents. However, electricians must confirm the earthing arrangement with the DNO. Making assumptions is not acceptable. The amended regs also put stronger emphasis on fire safety. AFDDs now require justification if omitted based on risk rather than cost. Escape routes must remain free of non-essential electrical equipment. Appendix 13 introduces relative safety for internal escape paths and ultimate safety for external areas requiring installers to consider fire risks in relation to evacuation routes. Fire rated cable supports and proper installation methods are now critical. In part five, clearer rules for conductor identification are introduced, especially where conductors serve multiple functions. Cable support systems must withstand fire conditions and underground ducting must meet a defined compression rating. Greater responsibility is placed on correct termination of flexible conductors. RCD selection is a major focus of the amended regs. Type AC devices are becoming unsuitable for modern loads with type A now the baseline and types F and B used where necessary. Proper coordination is required. Upstream devices must be at least as capable as downstream ones. Installers must understand load characteristics including DC components to ensure that protection operates correctly. With multiple supplies such as solar and batteries, systems must be designed to ensure safe fault protection and correct power flow. Batteries are now treated as generating sets and clear labelling is required. Inspection and testing changes emphasise accountability. FI codes are no longer a fallback and must be justified with clear identification of danger where present. Overall, Amendment 4 reinforces a shift toward greater responsibility, requiring electricians to base decisions on risk, understand system behaviour, and clearly justify their work. You can buy the new document with its bright tangerine cover at a range of places. is you can get it direct from the IET for 125 quid, but our recommendation would be to get it from Docs Store. This is a site designed especially for the trade and is a specialist in compliance documents. It sells discounted bundles of contract documents that include the wiring regs. The company also supplies exclusive page tabs which let you label your book and make it easier to navigate. These are included in many of the bundle deals or you can buy them separately. I'll put a link to the store in the show notes. You'll have to stop using the current brown book for new installs by the 16th of October 2026. In other news, NAPIT has warned the trade that many electricians are not carrying out what it terms an important continuity and polarity check on ring final circuits. In addition, this step, which the trade body warn is often missed, will also help to identify the contortions of possible figure of eight connections. Napit says installers should head to the consumer unit and cross connect one of the line conductors to the neutral in the other cable and vice versa. Then measure the resistance at each point on the circuit. Reading should be as close to the calculated values as possible. Any points wired as spurs will show a higher resistance value. If the cables are PVC single core, ensure that the line and neutral conductors of the opposite ends from the ring final circuit are identified and connected together correctly as they may not be marked. Then the same process should be repeated but this time on the line and circuit protective conductors. While the highest reading on this step will be recorded as the circuit R1 plus R2 value. Andrew Duffen, technical commercial engineer at Napit, points out there's nowhere on the form to record the R1 + RN value. He advises electricians to record the results of this step in the remarks column of the schedule of test results. This will be really useful information for the next inspector. We've made a few videos explaining this procedure in a bit more detail. You'll find links to these and the full advisory in the show notes. In business news, the pioneering battery storage brand Give Energy has filed notice of its intention to appoint an administrator. This signals the start of the administration process and pauses any legal action against the company. Last week, Giv Energy sent an email to customers announcing its intention to move to a subscription-based model to manage its smart energy software in the cloud. It said the reason was rising software costs and falling hardware sales. With its HQ in Staffordshire, Giv Energy was founded in 2018 and designs and makes battery systems, inverters, and EV chargers. We're thinking of all staff and their families who might be affected at this difficult time. Despite the organisation's troubles, the boom in renewables appears to be getting boomier. PV specialists say they're experiencing soaring inquiries and sales against the background of conflict in the Middle East. John Bloomfield of Green Energy Solar in Cardiff told the IPAP that sales have gone totally crazy. He's seen a doubling of orders for panels and battery storage during March to over 1 million pounds. Bloomfield described some of his customers as being freaked out by the energy crisis, but another factor was the power cuts from recent storms in the principality. Octopus Energy says sales of solar panels and heat pumps are up 50% since the start of the war. Eon calculates its rise in PV purchases at 62%. While Good Energy says it's seeing an increase in orders of 54%. But those new customers may see higher prices. That's because the Chinese government is scrapping the 9% rebate it gives its manufacturers on the exports of panels. It's also reducing the export rebate for batteries from 9% to 6% and it will exit completely from January next year. The announcement triggered a rush from importers and wholesalers to secure supply before the price rises higher than a pound of frankincense. In promo news, Sync Energy has launched a reward program. It's available to anyone who installs two of the brand's acclaimed EV chargers. The bonus is a crisp 50 quid. If you're registered on the Sync Energy app, you're automatically enrolled in the scheme. To be eligible, all installs must be fully commissioned, set up correctly in the app, and have the end user complete their first charge. You can choose your reward in two ways. a simple digital voucher that you can redeem at over 500 outlets including Screw Fix and John Lewis. Alternatively, if you do 20 installs and are due over £500, Sync will give you cash back with an invoice. To do this, you'll need to be set up as a supplier and VAT registered. The promotion runs until the end of this month. Meanwhile, Flex 7 has unveiled a wireless control system based on the brand's famous plug-and-play kit. Mesh 7 uses the Thread wireless protocol to configure and control Luminaires. Whether you want to do a single room or a whole building is completely scalable. For instance, you can set lights to come on automatically when you enter or leave a room. You can get them to dim down or turn off when there's natural light. You can also keep lights in corridors illuminated when the adjacent rooms are occupied. To set it up, you start with a standard Flex 7 lighting distribution box. You simply need to connect the permanent line, neutral, and earth. Once that's done, the rest of the system just plugs together. Simples. You'll find more information at the link in the show notes. Now, we love energy storage systems, but let's face it, they're not always the best looking bit of kit. We've got an example here that we at eFIXX are thinking of bringing to market. It's the Urban Gateway Lithium Energy Enclosure, or UGLEE for short. Really need to workshop that name. And to help us improve its looks, Embrace Renewables has unveiled a range of special covers for domestic battery and inverter systems. There's no fewer than 1,500 sizes to choose from. They offer total weather protection, safeguarding batteries and inverters from driving rain, UV exposure and debris and general weathering. The covers help improve the long-term reliability of external installations. Optional insulation is available which offers improved temperature stability in extreme conditions. And this is so more than just a decorative cover because it has ventilation and clearance built in. Creator of the product Harry Lovell has a degree in engineering specialising in air flow. and he's brought this to bear on the design by creating an adjustable rear spacer system to provide a dedicated ventilation route. There's also plenty of clearance for conduit and trunking without you having to make any on-site modifications. The covers have a clean architectural style finish and have a 30-year design life. The company says the products create an upsell opportunity for battery installs. Harry will be at Solar and Storage Live in London later this month, so keep an eye out for him. Also at the show is Alpha ESS. The company says it's redefining home resilience with the new dual system backup box. This high-capacity hub bridges the gap between standard storage and going fully off-grid. It features a twin system integration which seamlessly links two Alpha ESS battery units through a single interface for double the backup capacity. A heavy duty 100 amp changeover ensures the entire home, including high demand appliances, will stay powered during outages. The system features built-in surge protection devices which shield any sensitive electronics from voltage spikes and atmospheric interference. It's also got instant switching. Smart automation detects any grid outage and transitions to backup power faster than a flicker. And finally, ENW sponsor Anker Solix will also be appearing at the show. We're big fans of the X1 here at eFIXX, and Gordon has done a full review of that product, which you'll find in the show notes, but we've had hints that they're going to be unveiling something new, big, and exciting at the show. It seems we're in a perfect storm right now for solar and storage systems to take off in a big way. So don't miss out. Book your tickets for the show and head down on the 29th and 30th of April. Now, how about this for a bright idea? It's the Paul Russell's lamp of the week. And today we're going super retro with an old school R80 reflector style lamp, except of course this one is LED. It's super cool at a chilly daylight rating of 6,500 Kelvin. The light output is equivalent to a 60W incandescent, but this one uses just 10 watts of power to deliver the same lumens. It's got an Edison screw base and has a lifetime of 15,000 hours. And don't forget, Schneider has unveiled the 2026 version of its hugely popular score to win promotion. In this exciting new game, installers must beat the keeper from the penalty spot as many times as they can to win points. And what do points mean? Prizes, of course. This year, there are Premier League hospitality tickets up for grabs, as well as signed football shirts. In fact, one contractor will take away a framed 1986 Argentina football shirt signed by Diego Maradona himself. Simply spend a minimum of 250 quid on Schneider Electric products in one transaction at any participating wholesaler. You'll then be given the opportunity to play a virtual game of skill involving kicking a football into a goal. There'll even be a public leaderboard so you can see how your mates are doing. I'll put a link to the terms and conditions in the show notes. Now, it's that great moment where we get to celebrate the sterling work being done by the next generation. And our learner of the week slot is brought to you by excess training with their online electrical courses for beginners and experienced sparks covering inspection and testing, solar battery storage, EV charging, and their specialism NVQs and AM2 online prep. And our learner this week is Ryan Bloomfield from Salford City College. Ryan is coming to the end of his T- level in building services engineering, having successfully passed all of his exams. Throughout his course, he's shown a strong work ethic, a positive attitude, and a real commitment to developing his skills. He's currently completing his industry placement where he's taking full advantage of the opportunity to learn and improve. In practical sessions, Ryan produces installations to a very high standard, works methodically, and shows great attention to detail. He now wants to progress to a project management apprenticeship. Based on his performance so far, I have no doubt that he'll be a real asset to any employer. If you have any roles that might suit Ryan, please get in touch with us here at eFIXX. And a very big well done from us on being this week's eFIXX learner of the week in association with excess training. And now to the lighter side of the electrical news. Yes, it's time for a tea break with QuickWire in its range of incredibly rapid electrical connectors. An electrician from Cambridge has been using his retirement to build superersized versions of everyday household items. 62-year-old Steve Wright uses wood, metal, and plastic to create enormous sculptures of things that would ordinarily fit in the palm of his hand. He's made 20 items, including a 5-ft tall pencil, a three-ft tall cassette tape, and a huge clothes peg. Steve says he usually makes things 10 times the size to make the calculations easier. And of course, being a Spark, his recent creations include a giant plug and a 13 amp fuse. H, wonder if Steve could super size my bonus this month. That's the lighter side of the news in our Teareak with Quickwire and their range of incredibly rapid electrical connectors. Click the link in the show notes to check them out for yourself. Now, it's over to the John Maatson of the electrical industry. It's Joe 2.0 with all the latest news from our fantasy football league. Gameweek 32 is over and out following a two-week break for international fixtures. And as always, those breaks either reset teams or completely ruin them. This time it looked like the latter. Man United and Arsenal both came back and suffered surprise defeats to leads in Bournemouth, leaving plenty of managers scratching their heads. Elsewhere though, there were definitely points to be had if you pick the right players. Let's see who made it count. The Marshall Tufflex team of the week goes to Finley Hayers, son of the legendary Gary Hayers. To cap off a great week with Luton winning the cup at Wembley, Finn absolutely stormed the weekly standings with a massive 95 points, miles ahead of the competition and good enough for around 4,000th in the whole world this week. A very bold Jarred Bowen captaincy paid off brilliantly, backed up by strong returns from Guehi and Thiago. Both hitting double digits. Safe to say bragging rights in the Hayes house load belong firmly to Finn this week. Outstanding performance. Well played. Next up, the Fusebox Flyer of the week goes to Power to the Core, managed by Richard Grace. Richard climbed 30 places up the table thanks to a very strong all round performance. His defence did the heavy lifting with Guehi and O'Reilly both scoring and keeping clean sheets. A dream combination when you add in a couple of forwards returning double digits and it all came together nicely. When both ends of the pitch are firing, you know you're on to a good week. Now for the EV Blocks defence of the week, which goes to Boys in the Hood, managed by Paul Allen. This was one of the strangest defences you'll see all season. Pickford with zero points, Acheampong with one, and then casually sitting alongside them. Two 14-pointers and a 15-pointer. That's the kind of swing that completely changes your week. This gameweek really belong to defensive picks, and if you got them right, you were laughing. If not, it was a long weekend. Finally, it's time for the TIS transfer of the week. Next week brings the biggest double game week of the season so far with six teams playing twice. Plenty of managers will be looking at their free hit, and I'll be doing exactly the same. My standout pick is Cherki from Man City. He's in great form and looks like he's stepping up to fill the creative role left behind by Kevin De Bruyne. He's got serious potential to rack up some points. That's the highlights in the eFIXX Fantasy League. Huge thanks to our brand partners for backing the fun every week. And don't forget to enter the draw for the Knipex tool of the week. The links in the description. Until next time, may your captains actually play. May your benches be stacked and may leads continue to disappoint Rick. Thanks for that update, Joe. 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, they like having an Italian Star Striker in your premiership team. It's Lewden Palazzoli. 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. Make sure you 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 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. Last week's words were kazoo and Maldes and the person to come out of our electronic hat was the only person who guessed on LinkedIn and he just happened to be right. It's Gary Reed. Well done to you Gary. Make sure you click the get involved link in the show notes to claim your prize. And now it's time for this week's weather from Joe Hammond and Fox CSS. This week we're shining a light on Springwell Electrical in Artley Paul. Something to do with the monkey there. Anyway, uh some absolutely cracking installs. These chaps and chapets. Well worth a call. Loving the neat work containment and a very good looking piece of kit and something as well which caught Gordon's eye. Oh, I love a DC isolator. There you have it. Uh now the weather and honestly it's all over the place. Uh from Monday through to Wednesday, it's just in full chaos mode. Sunshine, then showers, uh then some proper heavy downpour. So if you're on a roof, I just sack it off, do the leg work indoors, do the batteries, fuse boards, you whatever. Second half of the week, it does warm up, but it could start snowing. You know, we've just had Storm Dave. We could get Storm Big Dave. Uh that could bring typhoon winds, whip your trampolines and balcony solars into Karen's garden. Could happen. So if I were you, I'd leave the roof stuff unless you've probably dialed into a proper weather report. Heading into the weekend, it does stay mixed. Bit of sun, bit of showers, nothing consistent. Your solar is going to tick along, but it's not going to be tearing up any trees when it comes to export. And that's your weather. There's been a high Joe per show ratio on ENW today. You're welcome. 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 Anker Solix, the world's number one plug-and-play balcony solar battery storage brand for two consecutive years. 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.