Coming up on this week's news, the UK government  has issued a special warning about the fire risk   from a major brand of EV charger. Napit issues  fresh advice to electricians on the practice of borrowing concealed cable zones in residential  jobs and the clever drilling technique that put a   cable under a railway track. Welcome to Electrical  News Weekly in association with Shelly, helping electricians offer smarter buildings and better  energy management. Shelly's range of smart relays,   sensors, and control devices makes it easy to  add automation without the cost and disruption of rewiring. 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. 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 story 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 Fox ESS and the lighter side of the news from Quickwire. The UK government  has issued a special warning about the fire risk   from a model of EV charger from Wallbox. It safety  watchdog says its popular Pulsar Max has a low risk of fire due to a manufacturing defect which  affects the internal output terminal block. This   defect may cause internal electrical connections  to overheat during use and may also reduce the lifespan of the charger. The Spanish-made  wall-mounted unit has mode 3 charging and pen   fault detection. The company has contacted owners  of affected products directly. Additionally, a software update will be issued and the affected  chargers will be inspected. Repairs or replacement   parts will be provided where necessary. I've  put the relevant product identifiers in the show notes. Electricians with any concerns about  installs should contact Wallboxes customer support   directly. In other news, NAPIT has issued  fresh advice to electricians on the practice of borrowing concealed cable zones in residential  jobs. The competent person scheme says it wants to   remind the trade that while the wiring rags allow  for prescribed zones extending both horizontally and vertically from accessories, care must be  taken with borrowing these. The presence of an   accessory alone does not automatically create  acceptable cable routes. So, for instance, a problem would arise if a prescribed zone is  borrowed from the accessory below to run a cable   to an outside light on the reverse of the wall.  If the socket below were to be opened to determine the cable routes, then the person doing this would  conclude that the only cable in the area is the   one running down the wall. The intent of the  regulation will not have been met and the users of the installation are not given the opportunity  to avoid the risk of damaging the wiring system.   NAPIT also warns electricians to be careful to  use the correct terms in BS7671. Many call these corridors safe zones when in fact there is no  such thing as a safe zone. These are prescribed   routes and should be approached with caution.  The organization also takes the opportunity in the advisory to warn about metal safe plates in  floors and ceilings. These should be used where a   cable is less than 50 mil from the top of a floor  joist or the bottom of a ceiling joist. Napit says many proprietary safe plates are unlikely to meet  the requirements of regulation 522.6.204. They're vulnerable to power tools and nail guns giving the  protective integrity of a Bananarama CD. Instead,   the guidance suggests that a steel covering should  have a minimum of 3 mm thickness. If this is the chosen method of protection, the designer must  decide if this is sufficient. I've put a link   to the full advisory in the show notes. A cable  that's definitely well protected from householders with nail guns has just been installed in South  London. The high voltage connector was installed   under a working railway and tram track using an  innovative technique called horizontal directional drilling. This uses hydraulic pressure to steer  the three drill heads while they are underground.   A small transmitter behind the drill sends an  electromagnetic signal to the surface. there. The trekking technician uses a locator to see  the depth, pitch, and angle of the bit. After   scrolling away under the tracks, the operator  guides the drill heads back to the surface. This creates a U-shaped pilot tunnel. This is  progressively widened four times to create an   opening 50 cm in diameter. Ducting is then pulled  through, followed by the cross link polyethylene cables, which will provide safe and reliable  electricity supplies for thousands of customers.   The project between Crystal Palace and Beckenham  saw 9 km of new 33 KV underground cables installed in total. And if you're involved in serious  installation work, then check out the range from   DeWalt with tools created specifically for the  electrical industry. They're tested on site and in the hardest possible ways dropped, covered in  dust, abused, and driven to the absolute limits.   So, they'll keep working exactly when you need  them to. Meanwhile, in the north of England, a local authorities to spend millions inspecting  all its solar panel installations after two fires. Northumberland County Council has set aside 3.5  million pounds for the work after blazes at one   of its sports centers in June and a primary  school in July. Reports indicate that there is an unspecified issue with the arrays which  affects another 141 council buildings including   81 schools, 10 fire stations, and six leisure  facilities. Councelor Nick Oliver said the inspections were something it had to do as it  has a responsibility for everything to be safe.   As an additional precaution, panels on all of its  commercial estate and 40% of its social housing have been isolated from the grid, resulting  in a loss of over 1 million pounds annually.   Back in June, hundreds of panels at 80 schools  in Suffolk were switched off after a series of fires involving PV arrays. The National Education  Union says it has grave concern for the safety of   pupils and teachers after fires involving solar  panels occurred at several schools in the county. Firefighters have fought blazes at schools across  the region in recent months. A spokesperson for   Suffolk County Council said there was no firm  evidence the school fires had been caused by the same issue. For electrical kit you'll never  want to switch off, try the seriously flexible   and smoothly illuminated neon LED lighting from  Ultralled. Perfect for extremely tight spaces with a dot-free seamless glow in a huge range of  colors 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. In renewable  news, the microgeneration certification scheme   says it's soon set to recognize installers of  air-to-air heat pumps. That's because the UK accredititation service has given the green light  to the tech following a review. There are already   a number of MCS certified air-to-air heat pumps,  but not installers. The MCS says it's working on accrediting both NAPIT and the NIC, which means  that the two bodies will be able to assess   installations and MCS certify the installer.  Once installer certification bodies have gained accreditation through UKAS, installers will be  able to apply for MCS certification for air-to-air   heat pumps. A key part of this is installers  demonstrating that they hold a technical supervisor with the appropriate competency. The  organization says this process is critical in   ensuring that MCS certified installations of  air-to-air heat pump products deliver quality for consumers. Still on the MCS. Did you know that  every 74 seconds an MCS install is completed by a business of fewer than five people still handling  every piece of documentation and reporting on   their own? That's a heck of a lot of paperwork,  which is why many are turning to Rionic, an AI system that brings everything in one place.  It puts your solar PV, battery storage, heat pump,   and EV charging jobs on a single record and  generates the necessary MCS, Part L, Part P, and Eco4 documents. In the first half of 2026,  nine in ten battery installations went onto   properties that already had solar, and one in  three either combined multiple technologies or added to a home with an existing certified system.  Most contractors still run that single job across   separate tools for design, heat loss, calculation,  quoting,uling, and compliance paperwork, re-entering the same survey data at every step.  Rionic keeps it on one record. roof measurement,   module layout, shading simulation, heat load  calculation, the single line diagram, the quote, and the customer portal all draw information from  the same design. The handover pack assembles as   the work happens rather than after it. Nester  found that 19% of heat pump installers named administration as the single biggest thing  stopping them taking on more work and concluded   that admin is a larger barrier than the physical  install itself. Requirements have tightened since. New MCS structural and weather tightness  evidence rules took effect in June 2026, and the   redeveloped MCS installer scheme is now rolling  out across the certified base. And best of all, Rionic is so keen for you to try the platform  that it's offering a special incentive to eFIXX   viewers. Book a demo using the link I've put  in the show notes and you'll get your first three months at half price and the activation fee  waived. And now, a reminder that there's just one week to go until Solar and Storage Live. The show  takes place from Tuesday the 22nd of September   to Thursday the 24th of September at the NEC in  Birmingham. There'll be over 500 companies showing their latest tech across solar, energy storage  and EV charging. Big brands include EcoFlow,   Ankor Solix, Goodwei, and the Cleveland Cable  Company. There'll be kit-like modules, inverters, batteries, smart grids, and mounting systems, as  well as monitoring, testing, and PV components. It   spans residential, commercial, and industrial  installations. If you need to take the weight off your feet at the show, there'll be the Cable  World Arms Pub where you can grab a drink, catch   up with colleagues and make new connections. Entry  to the exhibition is free for electricians and you can also attend EV Charge Live UK next door. I've  put the registration link in the show notes. Now,   how about this for a bright idea? It's the Paul  Russell's lamp of the week. This week, we've got a lamp which looks like one of those balloons you  twist into the shape of a dog. I've given it a go   and have managed to produce a worm. Technically,  it's called a T65. It's got a long amber glass envelope which emphasizes its warm 1800 Kelvin  color temperature. I reckon three or more of   them could look really dramatic over a reception  desk or bar. It draws a mere 4.5 watts of power and has a lifetime of 15,000 hours. You can see  the full range of lamps at paulrussells.com. And now to the lighter side of the electrical news.  Yes, it's time for a tea with Quickwire and its   range of incredibly rapid electrical connectors. A  pedestrian on his way to the dentist has survived unscathed after being struck by lightning. New  Yorker Thomas Farmy had a miracle escape after the   powerful bolt hit his umbrella. A doorbell camera  captured the whole incident on video. He was taken to Staten Island University Hospital where  doctors found no injuries or burns during multiple   examinations. Farmy says the experience has taught  him to just appreciate life. His advice is smile, breathe in the fresh air, and don't let life  overwhelm you. Great advice, Thomas. Glad you were   unhurt. That's the lighter side of the news in our  tea with Quickwire and their range of incredibly rapid electrical connectors. Click the link in  the description to check them out for yourself.   Click the link in the show notes to check them  out for yourself. Now, just before we get to your favorite bit of the show where I reveal last  week's challenge words and winners, we want to   thank our premium partner. They're the best thing  to come out of Yorkshire since stainless steel, the home of EV Ultra and other groundbreaking and  quality products, is Doncaster Cables. Click the   links in the show notes to find out more about  this great brand. 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. Last week's words were woggle and constipated. And the first person to come  out of her electronic hat was Wikkido5000,   who included an excellent joke about one of  the words being a bit difficult to get out, which genuinely made me giggle. Excellent stuff,  Wikido. 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 3PO and Fox ESS. I've just come back from camping on  the Yorkshire coast, fully expecting wind, rain,   and a traditional British camping experience.  Instead, the weather was absolutely beautiful. And at the same time, I kept hearing  rumors of a September heatwave. So,   was my camping trip the warm-up act? Well, we're  going to find out. But before the forecast, a quick shout out to this week's Fox  ESS premier partner, Glo Renewables,   based in Top Ness in Devon. and Glo Renewables  installs solar PV battery storage and EV charging systems across the southwest. And for this week's  solar barometer, we're staying local and heading   into the Bridgetown area of Totnes to see how  much untapped solar potential we can find. So, what does the weather have in store? Well, Tuesday  stays changeable with sunny spells mixed with showers and temperatures generally in the high  teens. For solar generation, expect useful bursts rather than consistent sunshine. Wednesday sees  more cloud and rain pushing into the north and west while southern and eastern areas should hold  on to longer dry and brighter spells. Thursday follows a similar pattern. The north and west  remain more unsettled while further south and east should see the better opportunities for solar  generation. And Friday keeps the Atlantic involved with further showers and some stronger winds.  Although brighter gaps remain possible the further south you go. Going into the weekend, things stay  mixed with cloud showers and some dry intervals, but nothing particularly settled. So what about  that September heat wave? Well, at the moment, no. There may be some warmer days further south,  but the wider outlook is still looking changeable rather than hot and settled. So it turns out  my Yorkshire camping trip might not have been   a preview of the heatwave. It might have just  been this summer's encore. And that's your weather. Thanks for that update, Joe. Thanks  for listening to this episode of Electrical   News Weekly in association with Shelly, helping  electricians offer smarter buildings and better energy management. Shelly's range of smart  relays, sensors, and control devices makes   it easy to add automation without the cost and  disruption of rewiring. Until next time, have a great week. Stay safe out there. And remember,  there's no such thing as a torque calibrated arm.