Coming up on this week's news. Police are selling electricians recover tools on eBay and the trade wants the law changed. There's a tsunami of inspection work heading our way, but new competence requirements could make it harder to find people qualified to style it off. Heat pump can keep your house cool in summer, but there's a fairly important catch. And later, an electrician earning around £150,000 a year apparently loses his job over a £1.50 chocolate chip cookie. Electrical News Weekly is brought to you by Shelly, helping electricians offer smarter buildings and better energy management. Shelly's range of smart relays, sensors and control devices make it easy to add automation without the cost and disruption of rewiring. And we're lit by Flex 7, the pre-wired modular lighting system built to get installations moving fast. And the show is supported by QuickWire and Chunk Tools. Police are selling electricians' tools on eBay, which is not exactly the bargain hunting story the trade was hoping for. Police forces in Sussex, Leicestershire, and Thames Valley have been listing recovered tools through official eBay shops, power drills, angle grinders, and toolboxes. The police say the tools were recovered from suspected tool gangs but cannot be linked to a specific owner. So rather than leaving them in storage indefinitely, they're being sold to the highest bidder. And you can understand why that has gone down badly. Imagine spotting your own drill online, knowing it may have been recovered by the police, but still unable to prove that it belongs to you. Now before anyone starts trolling eBay for a suspiciously cheap STS drill, this is not a recommendation to buy it and ask questions later. But it does raise an awkward one. If the police can recover the tools, why can't they get them back to the people they were taken from? Tool theft has now reached the political agenda, thanks to Trade United, formed after plumber Shaweeb Awan lost his own kit. The group wants a ban on power tool sales at car booties, along with tougher sentencing for people stealing equipment that workers rely on to earn a living. Amanda Martin, MP for Portsmouth North, has also been pushing for a change to the way tool theft is treated in sentencing. At the moment, the value of the tools is often the starting point. But a stolen drill is not just a stolen drill. It can mean cancelled work, lost income, missed deadlines, and the cost of replacing an entire van full of equipment. That's the argument now gaining political traction. Tool theft is not simply the loss of an object, it's the theft of someone's ability to do their work. And speaking of things that are supposed to stay firmly attached, if you need a rock solid fixing in something that feels more like Peppy Mache, this is where chump fix comes in. We at eFix love the chump fix and we have tested it thoroughly. The perforated plastic fixing pushes through a 25mm hole, then flattens as you pull the handle. You screw through the plaster board and secure the fitting without relying on a conventional wool plug. So lights, pull cords, and other fixings can be fixed properly, even when the material behind them is less than impressive. There are two sizes available: 12 centimetres and 25 centimetres. And if you buy through the Chump Tools website, you can add a special key fob to your order. More details at chumptools.com. I love a key fob. Of course, it's not just thieves that give tools a hard time. The job site can do that all by itself. And if you think the job site is tough, DeWalt can give it a run for its money. These tools are made specifically for the electrical industry and tested on site, dropped, covered in dust, abused, and pushed to the absolute limit. So when you need them, they keep working. More information in the show notes. Okay, so that's the pressure coming from thieves, but another pressure is building inside the trade paperwork. There are reports of inspection diaries filling up weeks in advance, and the reason is fairly simple. The original wave of mandatory electrical installation condition reports in the rented sector is now reaching the end of its five-year cycle. At the same time, social housing providers need to make sure existing tenancies have a valid EICR by the end of October. That could affect around 4 million homes. And it's not just the consumer units, relevant electrical equipment provided by the landlord also needs to be inspected and tested. More inspections mean more observations, and more observations mean more remedial work. And more remedial work means more pressure on the people carrying out the inspections. But here's where the numbers and the rules collide. From October, changes to the electrotechnical assessment specification means qualified supervisors and employed people carrying out periodic inspection and testing work will need at least two years' experience. They'll also need suitable qualifications, such as a level three qualification in periodic inspection and testing, along with evidence of continuing professional development. So here's the question: if demand for inspection work is increasing while the rules around competence and supervision are becoming tighter, who is actually going to do all of it? The intention is obvious improve competence and protect the public. But the practical impact could be significant for businesses already struggling to find experienced inspectors. If you're an employer, now is probably the time to check your position rather than discovering in October that somebody can carry out the work but can no longer take responsibility for signing it off. And if you're doing more testing, you might want a tester that can keep up. It's faster, more functional, and has a better screen than the MI3125, which was already a very good tester. It also includes features you'd normally expect to find on a much more expensive bit of kit. So if you're looking to speed up the testing process, it's worth a look. Our man Rick has done a full review and you'll find the links in the show notes. And if you need to upskill, there is help available. XS Training offers online electrical courses for beginners and experienced Sparks, covering areas including inspection and testing, solar battery storage, EV charging, MVQs, and AM2 preparation. This week's learner of the week is Hubert Kusnere, who has just completed his first year at the electrical training trust in Balymina, Northern Ireland. Hubert has been recognized for his enthusiasm, professionalism, and passion for the electrical industry. He takes responsibility when working with customers alongside his dad, produces work to a high standard, and is always keen to learn and improve. And if you know somebody who deserves to be learner in the week, then get in touch with eFix. And if you're trying to get into industry, stay in it, or find the next step. We have groups, contacts, and a large library of free resources made by electricians for electricians. We can help. And while we're talking about looking after people, you might want to look at the range of smoke alarms from Kiddie. From battery powered to hardwired, there's an easy-to-install option to suit the customer. The latest scenting technology is designed to detect potential fire hazards and help installations meet the relevant European standards. I've made a video on the new range and it includes one surprisingly clever feature. Link in the show notes. And if you're finding this information useful, we dive into topics like this every week, so hit subscribe. Okay, do you fancy your chances of winning something and possibly improving your kit? Well, check this out. First up, bend it now. They're producing British made conduit bending machines from their base in Sheffield. The company has previously been involved in producing Hillmore branded machines and now offers stand-mounted bending machines along with compact manual units. The machines use precision machined aluminium formers and guides with five sides covering conduit from 20 to 32mm. If you're a regularly bending conduit, this could save you a lot of time and possibly save your knees as well. Full details are in the show notes. And from bending conduit to lighting up awkward spaces, try this seriously flexible, smoothly illuminated neon LED lighting from Ultra LED. It gives you a dot-free seamless glow with a huge range of colours and effects, and it works with both indoor and outdoor applications. It's also quick to install using the Ultra LED quick connect system, so you get the seamless look without spending all afternoon fighting with the lighting. Links in the show notes. Wishka is giving you the chance to win a serious amount of electrical kit with its Brace Yourself competition. The Brace system is designed to make cable gland installations quicker and easier with pushed fit fix-ins. One winner will receive a thousand quids worth of Whisker products and merchandise. There are also 20 runner-up prizes, each containing a Brace PP contractor kit. The competition runs until the 20th of July with winners announced through eFix channels on the 3rd of August. To enter, head to the competition page, fill in your details, and get yourself in the drawer. The Spit World Cup giveaway has now ended. The top three winners will each receive a Spit 27E starter kit, including the electrical nail gun, battery, charger, and hardcase. The overall winner will also receive two tickets to see an England international football match in the UK. The second aim drawn will receive an England football shirt with their choice of player, name, and number. The winners will be selected at random from valid entries and announced on eFix TV on the 27th of July 2026. So if you've entered, keep an eye on eFix TV. And Schneider Electric's 2026 score to win promotion is still going. Spend at least 250 quid on Schneider Electric products in one transaction at a participating wholesaler, and you get the chance to take on a virtual goalkeeper. The better you shoot, the higher you climb on the public leaderboard. Prizes include Premier League hospitality tickets and signed football shirts. The terms and conditions are in the show notes. And a big thanks to our premier partners, Led Vance, who are celebrating 10 and 100 years of experience. And Doncaster cables, the best thing to come out of Yorkshire since the Cat's eye reflective road studs and home of the Eevee Orchard, another groundbreaking product. You'll find links to both in the show notes. In World News, a 60-year-old electrician was fired over a cookie. Not a van full of tools, not a missing cable drum, a cookie. Kurt Crom had worked for 11 years repairing robots and automated equipment at a vehicle factory in Kentucky. He was earning more than $200,000 a year, roughly $150,000 quid when he was accused of not paying for a $1.95 chocolate chip cookie. That's about £1.50. Chrome says his blood sugar dropped during an overnight shift, so he brought the cookie from a self-service kiosk. The first card payment appeared to fail. He tried again at another machine, believed the payment had gone through and returned to work. A week later, two supervisors showed him CCTV of the failed payment and escorted him out of the building. The problem for the CCTV was that it only showed the first attempt. The problem for the employer was that Crom's bank statement showed the $1.95 transaction had actually gone through. The company later offered him his job back, but by then the relationship had gone rather stale. He moved to another job because reportedly there was no apology. And his argument was fairly simple. Why would someone earning more than $200,000 a year risk their career for a $1.95 cookie? Although, in fairness, he did apparently spend around $1,200 on Diet Cokes in the canteen last year. That's around 900 quid on a fizzy beverage. So clearly he was a very good customer. Now from workplace biscuits to a lamp that looks like it belongs in a very stylish cafe. This is not a lamp for lighting up a warehouse. At 1800 Kelvin, it's basically a tiny indoor sunset. It's this week's lamp of the week from Paul Russell's, a tinted golf ball lamp with an E14 Edison screw cap, a warm 134 lumen output and dimming built in. So not the lamp for finding a lost screw, but for pubs, restaurants, or a room where the lamp is part of the atmosphere. It gives you that warm decorative glow without making the place feel like a dentist waiting room. It's rated for 15,000 hours, so that tiny indoor sunset should last quite a while. See this one and the full Paul Russell's range at Paulrussell.com. From creating atmosphere to creating electricity. So it's time for a tea break with QuickWire, the rapid electrical connectors that save you from spending your entire break making connections. And this week's solar power has gone undercover. A German company has developed a roll-up solar awning that shades a shop or cafe while generating electricity for the business underneath it. So it does the job of an awning, a solar array, and presumably a fairly smug conversation starter. There are two versions, a 1.35 kilowatts and a 1.8 kilowatts. They're registered as plug-in balcony solar systems with feed-in limited to 800 watts, and the inverters are supplied as part of the package. The first customer was reportedly a cafe in Cologne, which means the awning can provide shade while helping power the place. That's a much better use of a shop front. You'll find a link to the full story in the description, along with more information about QuickWire's rapid electrical connectors. Now for the story we teased right at the beginning. Can a heat pump keep your home cool in summer? Yes. But that does not mean every heat pump installation is ready to act as air conditioning. Researchers at the University of Salford tested heat pumps inside a climate chamber, simulating a 32 degree heat wave. By running the heat pump in reverse, they kept indoor temperatures below 25 degrees during a four-day simulated heat wave. The running cost during the test was around about three quid per day. That sounds excellent, provided the rest of the installation is designed for cooling. Most heat pumps are connected to wet central heating systems with ordinary radiators. Those radiators are designed to get hot. They are not normally designed to become cold. And once you start cooling services below the dew point, condensation becomes a problem. The heat pump can run in reverse. The radiator may not be able to. That's why the researchers used fan coil units. They blow air across chilled water pipes and are designed to provide both heating and cooling. They are already real-world examples of this approach. One couple in Surrey used underfloor heating alongside concealed fan coil units and kept their house at around 25 degrees when it was over 30 degrees outside. A family in Wimbledon reportedly kept their bedroom between 21 and 23 degrees during a 36 degree heat wave. But getting this right depends on the installation. You need insulated pipework, condensation management, and controls that understand the difference between heating and cooling. So if somebody tells you a heat pump can cool your house, they are right. But if they suggest that every existing heat pump installation can simply be switched over and used like air conditioning, that's where the story gets more complicated. And with all this heat wave talk, let's head over to me for this week's weather brought to you by Fox ESS. Well, football isn't coming home, but the footballers are. England's World Cup ended with a 2-1 defeat to Argentina, which means the nation can now return to his other favourite summer pastime, and that's complaining that it's too hot. Anyway, unlike England's defense, high pressure looks capable of holding its shape this week. But before the forecast, a quick shout out to this week's Fox ESS premiere partner, CC Solar. They might not be able to store a one-goal lead, but they can store surplus solar energy, helping homeowners use it later, reduce their dependence on the grid, and make more of the sunshine. And for this week's solar barometer, we're staying close to CC Solar and heading to South Terrace in Little Hampton. There's plenty of roof space, plenty of sunshine, and more than a few properties that look like they could be generating their own electricity. So let's see what the weather has in store. Tuesday looks largely dry and settled across the UK, with plenty of sunny spells and temperatures generally reaching the mid-20s. Northern areas may see a little bit more cloud, but overall it should be another decent day for solar generation. Wednesday brings more of the same. Best of the sunshine will be across England and Wales. Scotland and the northwest may see thicker cloud and the odd patch of rain or drizzle. Unlike England's World Cup campaign, most batteries should comfortably make it through to the evening. Thursday and Friday remain warm and mostly dry, particularly across southern and central areas. Further north and west, conditions become a little bit more mixed with an increasing chance of showers. And by the weekend, Atlantic weather may finally start applying some pressure. Northern parts of the UK have the greatest chance of rain and stronger winds, while the south should hold on to longer, dry spells and some useful sunshine. So England may be out, but solar generation is still very much in the competition. Even if national morale is currently sitting at around 12% state of charge. That's all for this week's Electrical News Weekly. The show was brought to you by Shelly, helping electricians offer smarter buildings and better energy management. And we were lit by Flex 7, the lightning fast pre wired modular lighting connection system. Don't forget to check the links in the show notes for all of this week's sponsors, competitions, and further reading.