coming up in this week's electrical news weekly mk make their rapid fix screwless socket available
from more wholesalers uk power networks are trying to find out how customers with heat pumps react to
freezing weather and we discover how electric chopsticks can reduce your salt intake all this
and more so stick around i'm joe robinson and i've been through the best of the electrical industry
news to save you the trouble welcome to electrical news weekly whether you're listening in the van
on-site down at the wholesale counter or if you're an electrical designer and you've made it safely
to your desk wherever you are i hope your week is off to a great start first up we had a thump
at the door last week as a new catalogue from electrical direct landed having a flick through
we noticed that mk have now released a rapid fix screwless socket to more wholesalers
previously it was only available from Screwfix and b&q diy stores the rapid fix is the first 13 amp
screwer socket on the uk market and offers up to a 45% time saving compared with traditional screws
check out the video we made for the product launch last year i'll leave a link in the show
notes and also a link to pick up a copy of the new electrical direct catalogue moving on to product
news scolmore group have released a new metalclad fused connection unit with a secret key operating
switch so it's intended for the same purpose as a regular switch fuse connection unit but the switch
can only be operated by a key rather than just by hand this product has been launched in response to
demand from contractors working in areas such as student accommodation because apparently students
have been known to switch things off as some form of practical joke unlike the rest of the general
the population of course next up hylec have launched a the new version of their popular d-box enclosure range
the debox 11 is ideal for exterior electrical applications with a rating of up to ip67 and
multiple cable entry options manufactured from polypropylene with innovative mounting features
and captive lid screws along with three terminal lever type connectors this new addition looks like
an absolute winner for electricians hilec have adopted the classic henry ford colour scheme
as the debox 11 is available in any colour you want as long as it's black and just before
anyone leaps in to tell us that this statement about the ford model t was only ever partly true
we know but it made for a nice conclusion there in an interesting move marshall tufflex have produced
a product to help electricians save time when installing accessories into suspended ceilings
when installing circular recessed lights or sensors often they require a petrous installing
behind them to help support the weight so the tile doesn't break often this would mean cutting
a wooden square out of plywood or similar however this is time-consuming unless you happen to know a
friendly chippy the tuflex tile is a product that solves this problem it's super lightweight strong
and easy to cut or drill meaning installations can be completed far more quickly additionally
the product is flame retardant and lsf so it won't contribute to the dreaded fire triangle
it's made from super lightweight correct material easy to handle and store it comes in pre-cut
595 by 595 mil squares with pre-chamfered corners making it easy and quick to install
and won't produce waste and dust from soaring also reducing the need to use ppe for long periods
always nice to see some outside the box thinking from manufacturers although in this case it's more
thinking outside the two-dimensional plane now we can't move out of product news without a mention
of lighting which has a special place in our hearts here at efix knightsbridge have announced
the launch of their new low bay light fittings for commercial installations where ceiling heights
are typically under 6.1 meters demand shallower reflectors and manageable outputs the fittings
come in a 90 watt 12 800 lumen version and 165 watt 23 220 lumen achieving efficacy levels of
over 140 lumens per watt accessories available include emergency lighting packs 360 degree pir
and microwave sensors and even mounting brackets for surface mounted installations definitely a
consideration for your next commercial project in testers and testing a new device from mega the
evcc 300 electric vehicle charger checker which can make you feel either like james bond or a
road traffic controller depending on where your ambitions lie for those listening only we should
point out that the charger is vaguely gun choked this tester does exactly what it says on the tin
it's a checker so it's not designed for initial verification of a new install but it is a super
helpful diagnostic tool for maintenance and fault finding it's centered around the basics such as
earthing checking protective devices for nuisance tripping and correct ev charge point operation
the best way to understand it is to think of it as being a bit like a plug-in socket tester it serves
as a great functional check and the starting point for fault finding although of course with way more
functionality tool news now in our fortnightly live streams we've looked at the precursor to
this tool briefly we've all been there trying to use our biggest flat head screwdriver to tighten
up roofing bolts on cable tray with it skidding out at the critical moment no doubt wondering
why isn't there a better way of doing this the same thought must have occurred to electrician
john mielski who was tired of the endless struggle when installing roofing bolts to fix tray in place
having snapped the corner of yet another flathead screwdriver this ingenious electrician decided
enough was enough and decided to solve the problem instead of just moaning about it the result was
the impact rated roofing bolt driver a driver bit specifically designed for use with roofing bolts
including a magnetic holder in the center that holds the roofing bolt in place
prior to and during installation mr mielsky worked in partnership with ahmeg to get the
tool onto shelves and into the hands of grateful electricians now however armage
have released another version that clocks in at a longer 100 millimeters or about four inches if
you're listening from the past the longer length will make it much easier to access bolts in tray
with deeper flanges and is better than using an extension bit as the bolt driver is impact rated
making it much tougher in ev and renewables news now in response to the booming ev market ctek the
swedish charge point manufacturer has expanded its uk team to support a growing network of installers
and wholesalers cecilia routledge no relation global director of energy and facilities for
ctek says we are delighted to have expanded our uk team to provide unrivaled expertise
training sales and technical support in the field of ev technology another swedish charge point
manufacturer joining the uk market is charge amps headed up by paul routledge no relation
the keynote viewers will have seen the charge amps residential charger in a recent effects video
exploring power supplies to garages and outbuildings presented by gordon routledge again
no relation this follows on from our successful workplace ev charger series co-presented by
gordon routledge no relation and featuring the ctek chargestorm ev charger we must stress again
that we don't believe any of these routledges are related however we have passed this case
over to a family history researcher for further investigation and we can only imagine gordon's
reaction when he discovers he's actually from sunderland i'll leave a link to the ev charging
videos in the show notes uk power networks are conducting research to find out exactly how much
energy is needed to keep homeowners warm using heat pumps and other electric heating technologies
the neighborhood green project will compare energy use in the trial homes with a theoretical model
to predict energy use in response to 1 in 20 year cold winters the data will be used to help
plan electricity network upgrades to cope with the expected growth in heat pump installations as gas
heating is phased out and our next story relates to the sterling work being carried out over
the last couple of years by napit in supporting letting agencies local authorities and landlords
in getting to grips with the electrical safety standards in the private rented sector regulations
of 2020 the rules surrounding electrical safety and the need for periodic testing to produce
electrical installation condition reports for rented properties can be confusing for
non-electricians and electricians and so napit have delivered a number of free webinars to
interested parties reaching over 850 individuals from the rental sector to educate and inform
them about their responsibilities what eicrs are and how to find a competent electrician to carry
them out they've received overwhelmingly positive feedback about the clarity and informative nature
of the webinars this is undoubtedly a real boost to improving electrical safety for residents in
the rental sector and we wish napit all the very best with their ongoing efforts in this regard now
here's your rundown on what's coming up on efix this week the team will be visiting the elect show
in harrogate on thursday joining the weha stand to take a look at some of the latest tall additions
and recount tales of the recent electricians challenged by weha uk boss steven lester
please please do pop along and say hello if you're visiting the show on friday we'll be visiting
fully charged live taking place at the farnborough exhibition center to bring you the latest in ev
charger and home energy technology videos being released on our youtube channel this week include
10 things you didn't know about waygo or is it vargo tune in to find out the definitive answer
and a lot more about this powerhouse of innovation we'll also be taking a look at some new downlights
from ansel and an ev charger from zaptech which solves problems for ev owners who live
in apartments and while we're busy blowing our own trumpet we've spotted one of our 30 under 30
award winners making the national press as colin mulvaney owner of cm electrical made an appearance
in the daily record leading with the headline hard work pays off as lannister electrician's
bright young company recognised with a ward in the lannisha live section of the records website
the story details how colin came to start his own business and how he felt on receiving the
news that he was a winner initially thinking that the call was a wind-up a big congratulations to
colin and all the other winners we're looking forward to next year's awards so keep an eye
on our website and social media to see how you can get involved and even win an award
and finally in lighter news researchers in japan have created chopsticks that use electricity
to intensify the umami taste in food by adjusting the function of ions such as sodium chloride
and sodium glutamate to change the perception of taste by making food seem to taste stronger
or weaker the chopsticks work in conjunction with an electronic controller one on the wrist
while eating to change the perceived saltiness of food to the taste buds it's hoped that the
use of the chopsticks could reduce the sodium intake of people using them as less salt can
be used to achieve the same flavor we'll keep you posted if they make it into production and become
widely available and in the meantime please do not attempt to make your own version using the mains
or even a battery because if you do then high sodium in your diet may well be the least of
your worries that's all from us this week make sure you subscribe to receive the next update
have a great week stay safe out there and remember there's no such thing as a torque calibrated arm