- Coming up on this week's news,
we reveal the secret code
which tells you when you'll have a power cut this winter.
The deadline for tax returns is looming,
but have you set enough aside to cover it?
And thanks to skill shortages,
pay packets for electricians
are hitting an average of a whopping 1,000 pounds a week.
Welcome to Electrical News Weekly
in association with Myenergi.
Whether you're listening in the van, onsite,
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 as always, if you think you've spotted the two words
I've been challenged to slip into this week's show,
comment with them below for the chance to win a prize.
eFixx is today revealing a secret code,
which tells you when you'll have a power cut this winter
in the event of rolling blackouts.
National Grid is warning households and businesses
that they could face a series of three-hour power cuts
if imported gas supplies from other countries get shut off,
and Britain experiences another cold snap
like the Beast from the East In 2018.
Engineers at National Grid will then share out
the available power by using local shutdowns.
In fact, the government
has already drawn up the secret rota,
and you'll be given just 24 hours notice of a blackout.
But eFixx has discovered a code
which reveals how exactly the rolling switch offs will work,
and who will get hit first.
I mean, we're really leaning into this secret code business,
all this information
is freely and readily available on the government website.
Lack of awareness doesn't imply a shroud of secrecy,
but anyway, each home or premises
has been allocated a letter of the alphabet from A to U.
This letter can be found on most people's energy bills.
If not, you can look it up on the internet.
You can then plug this into the
Government's Published Emergency Rota
to see when you'll have power and when you won't.
I'll put the link to both the online lookup
and the Government's Rota Plan in the show notes.
We use the tools to work out that Lineside Studios
is assigned to letter T.
That means that in the least severe rolling blackout,
we'll have the power turned off
for three hours on a Friday morning.
Gordon's house meanwhile is M,
so he won't be able to heat his Olympic swimming pool
on Thursday morning, so he'll have to go gallivanting
off for an extra CrossFit session.
Gary's jukebox of Daniel O'Donnell records will be
out of action at lunchtime on Tuesdays
and my rejuvenating facial massage machine
will have a rare moment of idleness on Thursday evenings.
I am going to have to have a word
with our scriptwriter on that one.
On a serious note though,
the advice from power grid operators is
that widespread blackouts are highly unlikely
but everyone should be prepared.
So if you have elderly parents
or friends or relatives who use important medical equipment,
make sure that they're signed up to your
DNOs Priority Services register.
Again, I've popped a link to that in the show notes.
If you need a bit of personal resilience
there's a few bits of kit we can hardly recommend.
First of all, the key question, how can you get a brew
during a power cut?
Before the holidays,
we reviewed the Makita battery powered kettle.
So check out our special video to see
if it can deliver steaming cups of Yorkshire tea.
And what if you need to use power tools?
Well, we also bench tested the Power Oak AC 50S
portable power supply.
Again, check out our video and see
if it's something that you'll need to invest in.
The links are once again in the show notes.
Uncertainty over power supply is also helping the growth
of solar power and home battery combos.
If installed correctly,
this duo will allow you to operate completely
off grid by using the system so-called Island Mode.
We've lots on this topic coming up early in 2023.
So keep an eye on the video feed for alerts for that.
Now it's January and that can only mean one thing,
tax returns.
If you are self-employed and registered for self-assessment,
you'll need to tell his Majesty's revenue
and customs what you earned in the year
to the end of the last tax period.
And you'll probably have to stump up a wad of cash.
And don't be tempted to train any financial hanky panky
or you may end up with a fine.
The bad news is that the UK's
4 million self-employed people are terrible
at budgeting for their tax payments.
Most wait until their tax return is complete
before trying to find the money.
And a further 15% say they do not yet have
enough money set aside for their next tax bill.
The insights revealed in a survey
of 500 self-employed people and tradesmen and women indicate
that tax is a key problem as the current system
does not allow them to budget appropriately.
A quarter of those asked said they think
self-employed people pay too much tax
compared to those in employment.
And many self-employed people say they struggle to
maintain good financial health.
Just 38% have a pension
and only 57% have savings set aside,
leaving a huge 43% with no savings.
The good news for sparks is that pay packets are bulging.
Thanks to widespread skill shortages,
electricians picked up 1,200 pounds a week last month.
Average earnings are edging close
to a thousand pounds a week
with weekly earnings hitting all-time highs in some regions.
Payroll Firm Hudson contract holders.
It said, average earnings went up
by 1.5% to 992 pounds per week last month
a rise of 5% on the same period last year.
And finally,
scientists have managed to create a solar panel
which looks like a traditional clay roof tile.
The photovoltaic element is hidden
under a polymer layer that looks
for all the world like a Roman style tile.
The manufacturer is, however a little cagey
about the tech specs.
The firm says it's opaque to the human eye
but translucent to sunrise, it's also self-cleaning.
We've put in a request for a sample
so we can do a review video.
So, watch this space.
That's it for this week but we're starting 2023 with a bang.
So watch out for a brand new,
free training package to help you
with the CPD dropping this week.
It's on the subject of data trunking and we are going to
be running a competition with an absolutely fantastic prize
for winning.
So make sure you're watching our socials really
carefully to get involved with that one.
We'll be releasing that along with a Q and A
on the bending radius for data cables.
It's also a livestream week, and we've got guests
from Fergus, the job management software for UK trades
and service businesses, that's helping busy sparks
and manage their projects efficiently.
So make sure that you're tuned in for that on Wednesday.
If you think you know the words that I've smuggled
into this week's show, pop your guess into the comments
and we'll dig out a goodie bag prize
to the first to get the right answers.
If you can cast your mind back all
the way to about three weeks ago
to the last episode of the podcast,
you may have spotted the hidden words were
Halloumi and argy-bargy.
I think the Challenge Words committee drank
their lunch that day.
Anyway, loads of people got it right
but coming in at blistering pace was Lewis who got
both right the quickest.
So well done to you.
Please click the link
in the description below to claim your prize.
Thanks for listening to this episode
of Electrical News Weekly in association with Myenergi.
Make sure you subscribe to receive the next update.
And until next time, have a great week.
Stay safe out there.
And remember, there's no such thing
as a taut calibrated arm.