Coming up on this week's news, the NICEIC warns the trade over fake certs after the big qualifications shakeup. An industry source sounds the alarm over a sharp slowdown in UK domestic work. And the IET fights back over mounting criticism, telling the trade, "We don't live in an ivory tower." Welcome to Electrical News Weekly in association with Anker, the world's number one home solar battery storage and the solar bank 3 pro, the 1200 watt bidirectional energy storage system with 4 MPPTs and 2.68 kWh capacity. 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 QuickWire and Chump Tools. And while you're there, click the links in the show notes to check out what our sponsors offer. On the show notes web page, you'll also find our bonus stories section covering a wide range of subjects. It's definitely worth a read and stay tuned to the end of the show to catch up on our regular features, including the weather from Joe 3PO, learner of the week, and the lighter side of the news. The NICEIC has warned that it's seeing a sharp increase in the use of forged electrical documents. It says fake certificates, qualifications, and other proofs of competence, such as ECS gold cards, are circulating in the trade. The organisation believes scammers have spotted a gap in the market. It says workers who don't meet qualification requirements are finding ways of staying in the industry. The alert follows mounting alarm as more and more electricians are discovering they're no longer qualified to do work they've been doing for years. It follows a poorly publicised shakeup of EAS competence requirements coming into effect this October. From then, you'll need qualifications before you can work on EV chargers, solar panels, or battery packs. You'll also be required to have the standards and codes of practice documents as well as the right tools. Additionally, qualified supervisors and employed persons who do periodic inspection and testing will have to have at least two years experience. They'll also have to hold what's termed acceptable qualifications. Finally, they'll have to show proof of continuing professional development. An increasing number of installers are finding out about the changes the hard way. They're discovering that it's affecting the scope of their work, their sign off rights, and future work opportunities. But apart from a slight broadening of the requirements for EV charger installs to include a couple of city and guilds qualifications, the EAS isn't backing down. Kevin Sparrow of the EL defended the moves in a recent eFIXX live stream, saying, "Everyone says they want to raise standards in the industry, and the new rules will do just that." I've put a link to the full requirements in the show notes. And speaking of raising standards, have you seen the new MI3136 from Metrel? It's faster, more functional, and has a better screen than its predecessor, the MI3125, which was already great. With features you'd only expect to find on a more expensive tester, this is an exponential upgrade. Check out Rick's full review video in the show notes. Meanwhile, another alarm bell is being sounded for the profession. A respected UK industry source says he's seeing a marked drop off in domestic work for electricians. Dan McAdam of the Rewired Agency, a leading specialist support firm for the trade, says that the last few months have been painfully slow. Some sparks on the company's books say they're really worried about the pipeline of work for the first time. Normally months like May and June are buoyant, but McAdam says something has changed in the industry. While emergency work is continuing as normal, discretionary jobs seem to have dried up. These include jobs like extra sockets, new pendants, and garden lights. McAdam says this is worrying as these jobs represent around 50% of residential work. He blames the slowdown on the cost of living crisis. What's your experience with inquiries? Tell us what you're seeing in the comments below. And if you are getting work still coming in, why not try installing the range of high quality smoke alarms from Kidde? From battery powered to hardwired, there's an easy to install solution that suits your customers with the latest sensing technologies to detect potential fire hazards and comply with strict European standards. Our very own Joe Hammond's made a great video on the new range with one very surprising feature. You know where to find the link. We don't live in an ivory tower. That's the cry this week from the Institution of Engineering and Technology. The organisation has taken the unusual step of publishing for the first time a rebuttal to its many critics in the trade. Specifically, the IET has been reacting to mounting criticism that it's greedy and out of touch. The condemnation was sparked by the pricing of the recent amendment four of the wiring regs at 125. The IET says social media is a wash with accusations that it doesn't care about electrical safety, changes the regs too often, and basically makes money from old rope. First off, it says it doesn't actually write the regs. Instead, it manages the relevant committees and pulls it all together. It says it's actually the industry itself that reviews and governs the technical content. It also hit back over the cost of the last amendment. It says the UK is probably the cheapest source for the entire standard. In Europe, prices typically start at €330 for each part, which is published separately. A whole set can cost in the region of €7,000. It says British standard costs are usually based on page count and by that measure the warring regulations BS7671 works out at 19 p a page. It says this is astonishingly good value for a British standard. The organisation goes on to refute the accusation that its people are from an academic background and are not in touch with electricians. It says this couldn't be further from the truth. The five people in the team responsible for the technical regs come from electrical installation backgrounds designing and installing systems. It says that while not all committee members may use their tools on a daily basis anymore, they are often on-site resolving issues, designing systems, liazing with members, or verifying installs. The IET believes its staff work very hard. They're not sitting around sewing spangles to their clothes or practicing the banjo. They engage in CPDs and stay in touch by giving talks at trade shows, assisting electricians via the helpline, as well as engaging with international standardization. It says that doing electrical work can make a living, but it's sadly not enough to live in an ivory tower. Weird fix can confirm that at least one IET member is no stranger to tools of the trade. Joe Cannon is currently top of our electricians challenge leaderboard. So that tells you something. Last week, Charge-M8 and its partners headed to the installer show 2026 and showcased many exciting innovations. First up, a complete commercial EV charging ecosystem, the EV Cube, Multipost, and EVC2 charger built in partnership with E Park Engineering and Telonica Energy. We're talking a smart charger, a stainless steel mounting post, a slip-on barrier, and their EV cube foundation all in one integrated package now available through Kelvec electrical supplies. The whole system is designed to go in faster with less ground work and scale easily across commercial sites. Second, smarter energy management. The Libra system paired with NEA's Cosmos and Tap Electric's AI platform enables intelligent dynamic load balancing and real-time energy optimisation so sites can maximise their charging capacity without expensive grid upgrades. And third, simplified EV payment. Their Sigma payment kiosk is compatible with leading payment terminals including self-service technologies EV cloud pay platform and NYX's VOST touch, letting a single terminal serve multiple charging points, reducing hardware costs while keeping the payment experience smooth and accessible. They also brought three sizes of EV cube to the show floor so visitors could feel the materials and wait for themselves. And for those who took on their EV cube installation challenge, the fastest installer completed it in just 4 minutes and 8 seconds. Impressive stuff. Follow Charge-M8 on LinkedIn or check out the Charge-M8 blog for the full story. And speaking of blistering speeds, try the seriously flexible and smoothly illuminated neon lead lighting from Ultra LED. Perfect for extremely tight spaces with a dot-free seamless glow in a huge range of colours and effects. Perfect for both outdoor and indoor applications. All this and it's incredibly quick to install with their quick connect system. You know where to find the link. CRC Industries is currently marketing a heavy duty rust remover that removes the need for any scrubbing or sanding. Evapo-rust takes rust off old tools back to the bare metal by simply soaking and rinsing. And this time, I've put my money where my mouth is. I've allowed some of my personal tools, including the very first pair of pliers I ever had as a fresh face Sparky of 16, to be left out in the elements and get a bit rusty. The long-nosed pliers are in a particularly bad way. Can barely even open those. So, let's treat them and see what happens. Evapo-rust uses a special technique called selective chilation. And no, that isn't one of the challenge words today. The non-corrosive, pH neutral liquid is water-soluble and reusable. It's non-flammable, and there's no fumes or bad smells. Evapo-rust is safe on any metal and it won't affect plastic PVC or most paints either. You can get Evapo-rust in a variety of sizes and formats from retailers such as Tool Station, B&Q and Wickes. And my tools are as good as new. In promotion news, we've got two competitions for you to try your hand at winning. The first comes from Whisker and their brace system, which is designed to make cable gland installation quicker and easier using a simple push fit fixing to help save time when working with enclosures, panels, and other electrical equipment. And now, Wiska UK has teamed up with eFIXX to give installers the chance to get their hands on a serious prize bundle. The Brace Yourself competition is offering one lucky winner a, £1000 worth of Whisker products and merchandise. This could mean a big boost for your van stock, workshop shelves, or stores with practical kit from a brand already well known across the electrical industry. But it's not just one prize up for grabs. There are also 20 runner-up prizes available with each runner-up receiving a brace contractor kit, giving even more electricians and contractors the chance to try the system for themselves. The competition runs from the 29th of June until the 20th of July with winners announced on the 3rd of August through eFIXX channels. To enter, simply head to the competition page, fill in your details, and get yourself in the draw. Next up, a reminder that Spit special World Cup giveaway is up and running. There's three prizes, three winners, and one goal to bring football home, of course. And the prizes aren't too shabby. The top three winners will each receive a Spit 27e starter kit, which includes its acclaimed electric nail gun, a battery, a charger, and a hard case. The top winner will also get two tickets to see an England international football match in the UK. The second name out of the hat will also receive an England football shirt with his or her choice of player name and number. The closing date is World Cup final day, Sunday the 19th of July. Winners will be selected at random from all valid entries and announced on the news on the 27th of July, 2026. I've put a link to both promos in the show notes. All the best. And no doubt last week's heatwave had us all checking our solar generation apps with smug grins. But for many UK homeowners, solar is no longer just about generating electricity. It's about lowering bills, making better use of energy, and preparing for a home that may include EV charging, heat pumps, and battery storage. That's where the Sigen Hybrid Inverter SP2 series from SIG Energy comes in. Designed for modern residential homes, the SP2 is slim, compact, and ultra quiet. But its real strength is the intelligence built into the system. Unlike a traditional hybrid inverter, it uses AI to help optimise energy use automatically throughout the day. For homeowners on smart tariffs, that means the system can charge the battery when electricity prices are at their lowest or even free. Then prioritize stored energy during expensive peak rate periods. Over time, it can also learn household energy patterns and prepare for expected demand, whether that's evening consumption, EV charging, or heat pump use. The system is flexible, too. Homeowners can start with solar, add battery storage later, or expand with backup power protection and EV charging as their needs change. Everything is managed through the My Sigen app, giving users a simple smart home energy experience. So, for homes looking to cut bills and take more control of energy use, SIG Energy's SP2 is designed to make smart energy management feel effortless. Now, how about this for a bright idea? It's the Paul Russell's lamp of the week. This week, we have a golf ball with a warm amber coating and also an increasingly rare example of an SBC or small bayonet cap base. It's got a toasty 2,700 Kelvin color temperature, so it's perfect for hospitality as well as domestic use. It's also dimmable, so you can set the perfect scene. The lamp gives out over 400 lumens from just 4.5 watts of input power. Lamp life is 15,000 hours. So about the same amount of time it takes your kids to get ready for school. See the full range of lamps at paulrussells.com. 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 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 Kieran Trot of Bridgen College in Wales. He's been nominated by the college's Helen Hampton for his consistently excellent standard of work. Throughout his course, Kieran has demonstrated exceptional organization and professionalism. His practical work is consistently tidy and accurate. He's completed his in work assessments a year early, and with one year remaining of his apprenticeship, Kieran distinguishes himself from his peers through his determination, reliability, and strong work ethic. He is a credit to himself and his employer JLS electrical services Wales and is thoroughly deserving of recognition. Well done Kieran 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 quick wire and its range of incredibly rapid electrical connectors. A huge solar panel install is being built in Mongolia by the Chinese. And when I say it's big, I mean it's big. In fact, it's set to be 250 mi long and up to 3 m wide. Much of it has already been done. They had some fun with an early section which they turned into a massive image of a galloping horse. It's even visible from space. The picture comprises almost 200,000 individual panels and it's been recognised by the Guinness Book of Records as the largest solar panel image yet. Now, the only person I know with enough panels and the motivation to create an image is Gordon. Gordon, please tell me there isn't a huge smiling image of you that's visible from space. 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 favurite 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 experience. One of our favourite new innovations here at eFIXX, especially now it's in sexy new packaging for rock solid fixings in flimsier materials. Don't just fix it when you can chump fix it. And the best thing to come out of Yorkshire since stainless steel, 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 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. Last week's words were offspring and jawbreaker. And as far as I can see, nobody got it right, which saves us a job today. And now it's time for this week's weather from Joe 3PO and Fox ESS. So apparently there's some sort of football tournament going on. And last week's heatwave brought them all out. No tops. And for reasons I'll never understand, their t-shirts tucked into their shorts. I mean, what is the appeal of that? Let me know in the comments. Anyway, the extreme heat has packed its bags for now, and I hope everyone survived last week's blast of absolute scorchio. Next week's weather is looking a little more comfortable. But before we get to that, a quick shout out to this week's Fox ESS premier partner, Manchester Renewables. You should definitely maybe check them out. For this week's Solar Barometer, we're heading to Moss Lane, Liverpool. A quick look down the street shows row after row of south facing terrace homes, but surprisingly very few solar panels. Right, then Tuesday, a much fresher start with sunny spells for most of the UK. Still warm enough to generate plenty of solar without you feeling like you're wiring a consumer unit inside an oven. Uh Wednesday is another decent day. Sunshine for belly with just a few patches of cloud drifting through. Thursday and Friday still looking settled across much of the country. Although the Northwest could see a few showers trying to spoil things. And by the weekend, most places stay dry with warm, sunny spells and much more comfortable temperatures. So, if you've got solar this week, it should be a nice balance. Good generation, no record-breaking temperatures, and hopefully a lot fewer blo wandering around with no shirt on. Thanks for that update, Joe. 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 solar battery storage brand. 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.