JTL Regional Award winners announced

JTL has announced the winners of the regional stage of its Regional and National Awards programme. The Regional and National Awards are run on an annual basis, recognising those who have demonstrated high levels of achievement and commitment to learning throughout their apprenticeships. With 11 Regional Award winners announced in total, each winner will now go ‘head-to-head’ in the hope of being named JTL National Apprentice of the Year at the National Awards taking place in London on 20th July. The Regional Award winners, who automatically qualify as National Awards finalists, are as follows: [gallery ids="31458,31459,31460"] Northern Dillon Spark (Electrical), Robertson Group (Engineering Services) - Training Officer Ian Hay Courteney Thompson (Electrical), Balfour Beatty Kilpatrick - Training Officer Steve Maddison Adam Shute (MES), Advance Installations - Training Officer Ian Ramsey [gallery columns="2" ids="31461,31462"] Southern William Hall (Electrical), R S Birch & Partners - Training Officer Dan Hatton Freddie Young (Electrical), Briggs & Forrester Group - Training Officer Sam Middleton [gallery ids="31465,31464,31463"] Eastern Michelle Robinson (Electrical), Electract - Training Officer Andrew Hemsill Richard Simon Evans (Electrical) - Training Officer Nick Bottomley Tommy Rice (MES), JDL - Training Officer Chris Swales [gallery ids="31466,31467,31468"] Western Alexander Jolley (Electrical), Dornan Engineering Services - Training Officer Richard Stanley Logan Qunatock (Electrical) - Training Officer Matthew Bailey Jack Graty (MES), Ultra Plumbing -Training Officer Paul Walton Judi Wheeler, National Delivery Director at JTL, says: “Our awards are a brilliant opportunity to celebrate some of our hardest-working and most talented apprentices, and hearing the diverse range of stories behind each nomination has been truly inspiring and a testament to the inclusivity and passion felt at all levels across the business. “I hope that each of the regional winners are incredibly proud of their achievements to date. I congratulate them and wish them the best of luck at the National Awards ceremony taking place this summer.” The award scheme, which is now in its seventh year, assesses each nominee against four key elements which make up the apprenticeship framework – their practical work onsite, theoretical knowledge, key skills and industrial test scores.

CityFibre announces £28m full fibre boost for Stockton

CityFibre has named Stockton as the next UK town in line for a multi-million-pound investment in its digital infrastructure – a move that will see it join the nation’s growing list of full fibre enabled communities. Today the Prime Minister met with Greg Mesch, Chief Executive at CityFibre, and Matt Vickers MP for Stockton South, to finalise plans for the rollout and to visit a state-of-the-art training facility that will skill-up new CityFibre employees as part of the Government’s Way to Work campaign. CityFibre is set to invest £28m in a new town-wide network that will bring fast and reliable full fibre-enabled internet services within reach of almost every home and business across Stockton. Nationally, CityFibre is building new and better digital infrastructure for up to eight million homes and businesses through its up to £4bn Gigabit City Investment Programme. Construction work on the full fibre network in Stockton will begin later this year. As work is completed in each neighbourhood, CityFibre will designate the homes ‘ready for service’, which means residents can choose to connect to full fibre-enabled broadband services when they go live in their area. Full fibre networks, unlike many of the copper-based ‘fibre broadband’ services available today, use 100% fibre optic technology to carry data at light speed all the way from the home to the point of connection. This gives users speeds of up to 1,000 Mbps for upload and download (up to 1,000 Mbps), near limitless bandwidth and connectivity users can depend on. A full fibre connection also goes far beyond simply enabling access to the latest entertainment at lightning speed. As an essential digital utility, full fibre boosts households and businesses alike, with experts saying it will drive a range of economic benefits, such as making us more productive and innovative. Greg Mesch, Chief Executive at CityFibre, says: “We are delighted to be adding Stockton to our nationwide full fibre rollout. Investments like this in the digital infrastructure of our towns and cities are critical to unlocking economic growth, new jobs and more efficient public services. Thanks to burgeoning infrastructure competition, CityFibre is making hundreds of similar investments across the country, helping address the digital divide and level up the UK. Speaking of CityFibre’s full fibre rollout plans for Stockton, Matt Vickers MP for Stockton South, comments: “I am delighted to hear that CityFibre is investing up to £28m in Stockton, delivering full fibre broadband to local people and business across the area. “A future-proof digital infrastructure is a crucial part of levelling-up constituencies like mine, and it will help unlock the potential of local businesses and lift the local economy.”

Cyberhawk wins public safety award for power grid inspection

Cyberhawk has been recognised for public safety at this year’s Airwards, the global drone awards. The accolade was received in acknowledgment of the company’s power grid inspection capabilities and contribution to wildfire prevention initiatives using drones. Cyberhawk has developed a visual intelligence solution for critical energy infrastructure. The end-to-end inspection solution supports the condition-monitoring of infrastructure which help power grid operators to identify faults before they affect the electricity supply. The firm leverages drone technology to conduct close visual inspections of live infrastructure in often inaccessible areas that are prone to wildfire risk. Drone imagery is layered with existing inspection data, captured from helicopters or groundcrews, and analysed using an IoT-enabled software solution called iHawk. iHawk is a cloud-based software solution that manages all visual inspection data recorded from electricity towers, substations, and overhead lines to help power grid operators prioritise maintenance. Airwards is the first programme to recognise the real-world positive impact of drones. The awards are dedicated to recognising innovative use-cases of drone technology from around the world. Chris Fleming, CEO at Cyberhawk comments: “We are proud to be recognised by the Airwards for services to public safety. Our teams work tirelessly with power grid operators to capture inspection data safely, quickly, and on an unprecedented scale, to ensure electricity networks continue to run uninterrupted.”

Toolstation launches ‘Crown Tools’ to celebrate jubilee

Toolstation has created an opulent toolkit to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee. The regal set of tools were created for Toolstation by designer Elizabeth Melinek, who has over 20 years’ experience, and took two days to create. The Crown Tools set includes an adjustable wrench, a claw hammer, a chisel, a trowel and a mixing paddle all from Toolstation’s Minotaur range. The tools were subject to a combination of 24 carat gilding, and in some cases, gold plating, with gold leaf applied to the primed surface of the tools. The design included ornate and floral elements, which required gold plated cast shapes and delicate laser etched metal applied to the surface of the tools before plating. The tools were then polished and sealed before being carefully adorned with hand-crafted jewels to help launch the brand’s competition to win a Jubilee prize, which is up to £500 of Toolstation products. The competition will launch on Toolstation’s social media channels including YouTube, Instagram and Twitter, and will ask the nation to nominate who they think is the tradesperson that deserves to be crowned ‘the heir to the Crown Tools.’ To accompany the Crown Tools set, Toolstation and krow Group have created a 60 second film that shows the craftsmanship and detail that went into making them, before a figure in white gloves reveals them in all their regal glory. Sarah Gale, category manager from Toolstation says: “We wanted to create something momentous to celebrate Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee and the UK’s tradespeople and what better way than a toolkit fit for any royal palace? We’re thrilled to be offering one lucky tradesperson the chance to be crowned the heir to the Crown Tools for this Jubilee.” Darryl George, Executive Creative Director at krow Group says: “For the Platinum Jubilee we created a unique set of bejewelled tools that are truly fit for the occasion. The resulting ‘making of’ film goes to show that Toolstation have products for homeowners and palace owners alike.” [embed]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCZ-XqSBd5w[/embed]

Octopus Energy’s electric blanket scheme saves customers £300 on bills

Octopus Energy’s new energy efficiency scheme, Octopus Electric Blankets, has seen customers reduce their bills by 19% – a £300 per year saving. The new scheme, which was launched in January 2022, is one of several measures the company set up since the start of the crisis to support customers who were worried about heating costs and at risk of becoming cold. Octopus has so far sent out 7,000 free electric blankets to customers, helping them to reduce their energy consumption and lower their bills. Electric blankets are an incredibly efficient way to heat a person and save customers from paying to heat an entire home. It currently costs less than 3p an hour to keep a person warm with an electric blanket, whilst heating a whole home could cost around £4.70 a day. An analysis by Octopus Energy’s data team, which looked at the smart meter data of 4,190 customers who opted into the scheme, showed that customers who received electric blankets reduced their energy bills by 19% compared to a control group. This would see customers save £300 on their energy bill this year. The scheme has been open to all Octopus Energy customers and can be accessed via a quick and simple online tool which asks a series of questions about their financial situation. The distribution of the blankets was based on need, prioritising those who are struggling the most. This winter’s scheme has now closed, but given the success of the programme, the company is today announcing it will extend the scheme again next winter. As well as blankets available for free for those most in need, Octopus is partnering with a major electric blankets supplier to provide half price blankets to any customer. This comes as the energy regulator Ofgem announces that the UK energy price cap is expected to rise by £830 to around £2,800 in October 2022. Rebecca Dibb-Simkin, Chief Product and Marketing Officer at Octopus Energy Group, comments: “Octopus is determined to do all we can to help customers through the crisis. We’ve subsidised prices by over £100m, created the OctoAssist fund that’s directly helped over 50,000 customers with real cash assistance and helped 250,000 customers through our Winter Workout. “We started sending electric blankets out to customers who qualified under our financial assessment scheme after one of our scientists highlighted the energy efficiency of ‘heating the human, not the home’ – especially for those with limited mobility. “This analysis proves just how much difference it makes – with savings of £300 this is perhaps the single biggest thing many people can do to stay warm affordably in these tough times. “This crisis is real – but alongside the government’s welcome support package, there is a lot that energy companies can do, and Octopus will be relentless in finding ways to help.”

The ECA urges industry to prepare for heat pumps demand

The ECA is urging the industry to fully engage with Government initiatives to decarbonise heat, including the new Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS), launched this week. The BUS offers a grant of up to £5,000 for heating installers and households to replace traditional fossil fuel-powered boilers with more efficient, low-carbon alternatives, including air and ground source heat pumps. The ECA is urging electrotechnical contractors, designers and installers to prepare for a surge in demand for heat pumps, and a rapid shift towards the electrification of heat via low-carbon technologies. Luke Osborne, ECA Energy and Emerging Technologies Solutions Advisor, says, “The electrification of heat is finally gathering pace. This presents clear opportunities for electrotechnical firms such as ECA’s Members to use their skills to drive decarbonisation and help reach net zero. “The BUS grant, along with important consumer protection initiatives, will go a long way to making heat pumps a more affordable option for households trying to cut their energy bills and carbon footprint. “ECA urges all electrotechnical designers and installers to familiarise themselves with new sources of information and guidance, such as the new AM17 document from CIBSE and BEIS (for non-domestic heat pump installations), to enable a faster, cheaper transition to net zero.”

Institute for Manufacturing, University of Cambridge, teams up with ABB

Rising energy costs, reducing emissions and meeting environmental targets all need a change in energy management. IfM Engage, part of the Institute for Manufacturing, University of Cambridge and ABB have teamed up to develop a blueprint for better ways of working that look at technology, challenges, processes and people to plan purposeful change. The World Bank warned in 2021 that energy prices were expected to average more than 80% higher compared to 2020 and remain at high levels in 20221. The current geopolitical climate has subsequently caused unprecedented changes in energy security with the World Bank estimating energy prices will rise more than 50% in 20222. This has caused a fundamental shift in the speed at which governments and businesses wish to move away from reliance on fossil fuels and reduce fuel consumption. In response to the energy crisis, ABB Electrification is collaborating with experts from IfM Engage3 to develop a roadmap that takes a strategic approach to improving energy management, breaking down the complex changes involved into manageable steps and building a plan for purposeful change. Reviewing processes, resources and capabilities and building on tools such as road-mapping supports the most effective change. “Sometimes organisations make the mistake of looking at what technologies can help them to ‘go digital’, without considering the broader context including where value can be created and what pain points could benefit most from digitalisation. Do not build on the status quo but think about your ideal future scenario - then develop a roadmap for your digital transformation,” says Dr Clemens Chaskel, Industrial Associate, IfM Engage. It's not the technology that makes your digital transformation successful, but it’s how it is applied. During road-mapping, the vital component is establishing connections between those strategic elements to ensure that every item on the roadmap has a purpose.” “IfM Engage and ABB developed a roadmap that will improve our technology strategy, R&D projects, customer deliverables and anticipate future trends, which has the potential to shape the energy management systems of the future. The next step is to turn this blueprint into real world actions,” comments Giampiero Frisio, ABB Smart Power Division President. “By working with experts from the University of Cambridge, we secured our long-term trajectory for the evolution of the ABB Ability Energy Manager. We know we have a coherent and original strategy to support customers in cutting operational costs, reducing emissions and meeting environmental targets,” adds Giuseppe Casagrande, ABB Smart Power Division Digital Leader. Andi Jones, Industrial Associate, IfM Engage, says: “It was exciting to work with ABB on a project that could have such a significant impact. We were able to use collective knowledge from across ABB to create a coherent technology strategy that will address some of the significant energy management challenges we all face in the future.”

Aico host the Community Awards 2022

Aico has recently hosted the Community Awards at the International Convention Centre, Birmingham. The ceremony was designed to recognise excellence within social housing and the local community, with 11 curated categories to provide entrants with an opportunity to showcase their inspirational projects and innovations. Aico also utilised the event to raise funds for the Electrical Industries Charity (EIC), which offer a range of vital support services to individuals, and their families, who serve within the electrical sector. The event was hosted by Carl Jones, BBC Radio Presenter and Master of Ceremonies. Carl Jones says, "It was a fantastic evening of celebration. The hall delivered a real 'wow' factor to get things off to a terrific start. Standing at the lectern as Master of Ceremonies is always a privileged position at events like these - because it means I get to see the magical expressions on the faces of winners when their names are announced. You can see how much it meant to them to be recognised in front of colleagues and peers on an evening when so many people made new friends. It was a joy to share the stage with such inspirational people." Also in attendance were special guest speakers, George Clarke, architect and TV presenter, and Ed Clancy OBE, triple Olympic champion. Ed Clancy OBE spoke to the audience about the importance of teamwork in achieving success, drawing on his own experiences as a Team Pursuit cyclist for Great Britain. Ed comments, "It was a great evening and a privilege to be a part of the Community Awards 2022. It was fantastic to hear all about the positive work that Aico and their partners are doing for their communities. Everyone had a good time - I very much enjoyed George Clarke riding round on my bike in his tux!" The finalists were chosen from over 200 entries and selected by five judges: Neal Hooper, Managing Director of Aico, Gavin Smart, CEO of the Chartered Institute of Housing, Dame Judith Hackitt, Chair of Enginuity, Fayann Simpson OBE, Group Board Member and Senior Independent Director of L&Q and Mandeep Bhogil, Director of Operations at Tower Hamlets Community Housing. The first award of the evening was presented to a Shropshire-based educational facility, Derwen College, which won College Initiative of the Year. As a specialist college for young adults with special educational needs and disabilities, Derwen’s entry focused on their Vintage Charity Shop that provides valuable work experience for students. Pete Evans, Commercial Manager of Derwen College, comments “We were delighted to be shortlisted for the College Initiative of the Year. To find out we were overall winners was wonderful; especially as the competition from across the UK was so strong. We were very proud to be recognised for creating and opening our Vintage Advantage charity shop. Launching during a pandemic was challenging, to say the least, but everyone's efforts have made it all worthwhile – the shop is proving to be a huge success.” The 10 remaining awards were received by a diverse range of organisations that operate or offer services within the housing sector. Fire protection company, Millwood Servicing, were the deserving winner of the Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative, which included two unique employability schemes to give fair and equal opportunities specifically for the disabled and disadvantaged. The winning initiative for Resident Engagement was Wheatley Group; through engaging with vulnerable residents via events and home visits, the organisation has significantly improved fire safety. Kerry Storrar of Berneslai Homes was announced as Woman in Fire Safety for the improvements she has brought to the organisation while working as a firefighter in her spare time. The Neighbourhood Transformation category was awarded to Grand Union Housing Group for the improvements they have made to a local estate through working in partnership with the local authority, police and the community. Sita Luka of Northampton Partnership Homes won the accolade of Inspirational Colleague of the Year for her work with the most vulnerable residents to implement an innovative solution that improves fire safety. Lesley Baird of TPAS Scotland was the winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award; through her determination and targeted strategy work, Lesley and her team have positioned the organisation as the number one for tenant engagement expertise in Scotland. The Community Awards recognised Adam Pearce of North Star Housing Group as its Rising Star for his passion and enthusiasm for his role as Property and Repairs Manager. Northern Ireland Housing Executive, the strategic Housing Authority for Northern Ireland, won Sustainability Project of the Year for their evidence-based pilot project, which has helped reduce carbon emissions and fabric heat loss within their housing stock. The Best Distributor Community Initiative was awarded to Quantum Electrical Distribution, whose ‘green initiative’ programme is making a meaningful difference within their business and the communities they serve. The final award of the evening celebrated the Electrical Contractor of the Year. ADS were the winning nomination, recognised for their proactive approach to service delivery from inception to completion, going the extra mile to ensure good customer service.

WiFi control of outdoor lighting and appliances

Now you can offer your customers full WiFi control of exterior lighting and outdoor appliances, using Timeguard’s new IP66 weatherproof in-line controller. Simply install the WF10 WiFi Outdoor Controller within range of the home router to extend app-based control to outdoor devices. All can then be controlled by a smartphone or tablet using the free, global TuyaSmart App, which also offers voice control via Amazon Alexa or Hey Google. Setting daily, weekly or countdown timing is straightforward, as is manual override. With 10A (2300W) switching, this neat device will provide an easy-install solution for touchscreen and voice control of most outdoor electrical installations. Installation is easy with large terminals and two PG11 cable glands are included.

Trant Engineering meets Southern Water’s EDM programme

To meet the Environment Agency’s accelerated target that all Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) are fitted with EDM devices by 31 December 2023, Southern Water needed to install and/or upgrade EDM's to 500 CSOs in AMP7 and have engaged Trant Engineering to develop a plan for their design, supply and installation. Southern Water needed a number of these planned outputs by 31 March 2022 to meet the National Environment Programme (NEP) deadline. Each EDM installation required a bespoke design to suit the existing infrastructure, creating a challenge for Trant and their electrical sub-contractors GA Electrical Services, SRE Services and telemetry specialists Multiform Technologies. “We completed 54 installations in eight weeks to meet the 31 March deadline and are well on the way to completing all of the AMP7 requirements”, says Katie Kerr, Trant Project Manager. “We have been working on EDM with Trant since 2016 when the Environment Agency first introduced the programme,” says Southern Water's Project Manager, Angus Cramp, “and Trant have always supported SWS to meet the deadline year on year”.