UK Power Networks Services drives the British Army towards a greener future

UK Power Networks Services is powering the British Army on the road to a greener future following the design and installation of electric vehicle charging infrastructure at military sites across the south of England. Up to 80 fully electric vehicles (EVs) will now operate across five garrisons on Salisbury Plain and Aldershot, allowing soldiers and civilian personnel to travel emission-free. In conjunction with KBR Aspire Defence Services, who hold responsibility for the improvement, maintenance, and facilities management of soldiers’ living and working environments for the Army across Salisbury Plain and Aldershot, the introduction of EV charging infrastructure is the first step towards achieving a complete transition of the Army’s non-combat fleet of vehicles to electric by 2030. The EV infrastructure installation is the latest activity to be delivered by Project Allenby Connaught, an £8 billion initiative by the Ministry of Defence to rebuild and refurbish the living accommodation of nearly 19,000 soldiers and their families. David Mitchell, head of client delivery at UK Power Networks Services says: “We are proud to provide our expertise to design and install electric vehicle charging infrastructure for the British Army. It’s an exciting development in our longstanding partnership with Aspire Defence to deliver modern and sustainable living quarters for service personnel.” ADSL managing director Mark Carr added that the introduction of the EV charging points was “fantastic” for the garrisons. He comments: “There have been first-class facilities built and maintained throughout Project Allenby Connaught, and the EV installations are another great addition which will have the benefit of leaving a reduced carbon footprint.” Since the foundation of Project Allenby Connaught, UK Power Networks Services has managed, operated and maintained the existing and new electrical infrastructure at Aldershot and Salisbury Plain garrisons.

Niglon teams up with DPD to distribute products across the UK

A Midlands based family firm which supplies thousands of products to wholesalers across the UK is celebrating a new courier partnership. Niglon’s products will now reach their customers in the safe hands of DPD – one of the country’s most well-known and well-trusted courier firms. Welcoming the news, Commercial Director Paul Dawson says it has been a busy few weeks for the team as they searched for the perfect new company following their previous contract ending. “We are thrilled that DPD are partnering with us to help our products make their way from our Solihull headquarters to our wholesale customers based up and down the UK. We know DPD’s commitment to customer service is taken just as seriously as our own, and that they will demonstrate reliability and efficiency at all times. “What’s even more reassuring is that we are able to track parcels in a way that we’ve never been able to with previous couriers we’ve used, so we know exactly where everything is at any one time, and in the unlikely event of a problem we can work with DPD to rectify it as soon as possible. “When you rely on outside agencies to provide a service, you have to be able to trust them, and DPD is such a household name that we are sure they’re the right choice of courier for us.” Niglon is a fourth-generation family-owned and family-run firm, which can trace its roots back to the 1940s. Their ranges comprise 4,500 products across seven key areas: wiring accessories, control and automation, circuit protection, industrial accessories, general lighting, fixings and tools, and cable management.

Technique Learning Solutions offers new electrical courses

Technique Learning Solutions currently offers a wide range of courses and has recently added four new electrical courses to its offering. These new courses include City & Guilds 2365 level two and three, and the AM2 assessment. These courses are essential for those who would like to become an electrician but have no previous experience and are unable to, or do not want to, do an apprenticeship. The AM2 test is also vital for apprentices and electricians who need to take the assessment to complete their portfolio of qualifications to gain their gold card. Mark Crook, managing director of Technique Learning Solutions, says: “We’re really pleased that we can now offer 2365 courses and the AM2 assessment. We’ve had many queries on these courses over the years, so there is definitely a demand for them and it makes a lot of sense for us to offer them.” From 1 September 2021, there will be changes made to the EAS document, which is produced by the IET and these changes will affect qualified supervisors. These changes bring new entry requirements for joining a competent person scheme.  Mark adds: “We are able to help candidates through their journey completely, from a beginner to fully qualified. We are able to cover any scenario - this industry is ever-changing and we’re always aiming to adapt and change with it.”  Technique Learning Solutions currently has a private bursary available on its 2365 courses to those who register - this provides a huge discount and a free EV course.  As well as the 2365 and AM2 assessments, Technique Learning Solutions will be offering a Lightning Protection course and a Thermal Imaging course. Both courses offer additional skills to those working in the electrical and other industries and have a range of safety benefits. 

What are the very best green energy suppliers of 2021?

Switching to a green energy provider is one way people can help protect the environment by reducing their carbon footprint. Many green tariffs are priced alongside traditional tariffs, so there may be no additional cost to pay. While the number of green tariffs on the market is increasing to meet demand, what ‘green’ actually means for each provider can vary greatly, making it difficult to pinpoint whether a company is truly meeting your ethical requirements. With that in mind, Forbes Advisor has compared UK energy providers to identify the best in the green arena. Note that tariff prices, where given, are for annual consumption by a typical UK household. The top three best green energy providers, all with a green mix* score of 4/5 & their cheapest green tariff: Bulb - £1126.35 (variable rate tariff) Octopus Energy - £1125.69 (fixed tariff) Good Energy - £1175.40 (fixed tariff) What is green energy? Green energy is produced from renewable sources and is intended to be environmentally friendly. It produces less carbon emissions than coal and oil. How do green energy tariffs work? If you choose a green energy tariff, you still get your electricity from the National Grid in the same way as a customer on a standard tariff. Electricity is generated from a range of sources – some of which is renewable – and this is mixed together in the National Grid and then supplied to people’s homes. However, there are still benefits to choosing a renewable tariff as the supplier will match some or all of the electricity you use with the amount they buy from renewable energy generators. This means the greater the number of households that sign up to eco friendly energy tariffs, the more renewable energy is fed into the National Grid. Your supplier may also invest in green projects, such as the planting of trees, to reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere. How ‘green’ is your supplier? Energy firms are required by law to publish details of their ‘fuel mix’ – in other words, what percentage of the electricity they generate comes from renewable sources and what percentage comes from other sources such as coal, gas and nuclear power. This must be updated at least once a year. You should be able to find this information on the supplier’s website or on your energy bill. Energy jargon buster If you’re researching energy, there are several terms you may come across. We have listed a few of them below, along with their definitions. Power Purchase Agreements: Long-term contracts between generators and energy suppliers that agree on a set amount of power. REGO certificates: For every 1 MWh (megawatt hour) of renewable energy generated, the energy regulator Ofgem issues the generator with a certificate called a Renewable Energy Guarantee of Origin certificate (REGO). Generators can sell the REGO certificates to energy suppliers alongside the renewable electricity, or separately. Suppliers then submit the certificates to Ofgem to show how much of the electricity they buy from renewable sources. Green washing: In some cases, energy suppliers claim to provide 100% renewable energy, but are in fact purchasing unused REGO certificates without buying any renewable energy. Early in 2020, Ofgem said it was aware of the issue and was looking into the matter. It said: “We expect suppliers to be transparent about what constitutes a ‘green tariff’ and we will undertake work to ensure that customers are not misled.” Green funds: This involves you paying a premium for a tariff to contribute to a fund which supports renewable energy projects. Brown electricity: Another word for non-renewable electricity

ECA issues safety as COVID isolation relaxed in England

As of Monday 16 August, the government has removed the requirement to self-isolate for fully vaccinated adults or under-18s in England, if NHS notified of contact with a positive COVID-19 case. The change should greatly reduce the number of workers and others in isolation as a result of NHS Test and Trace ‘pinging’, although notified individuals are being advised by the government to undergo a free PCR test. According to Andrew Eldred, ECA Director of Employment and Skills: “The latest change will be a huge relief to employers, many of whom have seen their workforce decimated as a result of self isolation following an NHS ping. However, these changes do not signal the end of the pandemic, and we still need to wait for further reductions in R rates and other national and regional indicators before we can think about lowering our guard. We are encouraging employers to stay registered with NHS Test and Trace and to support employee testing”. Double-vaccinated adults no longer need to self-isolate as long as they received their second UK approved vaccination at least 14 days prior to a notified contact with a positive case. Anyone who tests positive following the PCR test is still legally required to self-isolate, and anyone who develops COVID-19 symptoms should self-isolate, get a PCR test and remain in isolation until the result comes back. ECA Director of CSR Paul Reeve says that following the current government guidelines and construction Site Operating Procedures is still the best way forward for employers, helping to prevent transmission of potentially harmful COVID variants and helping to ensure the continued wellbeing and productivity of the workforce. “We are advising employers to continue with COVID-safe work practices wherever possible not just to protect themselves, work colleagues and customers, but also families and friends. We can also help to protect the NHS which is still under huge pressure,” says Reeve. Reeve adds “Ensuring effective ventilation, wearing clean, effective face coverings in busy or confined places including public transport, and effective hygiene and sanitisation will help us to move towards the end game for the pandemic, but we must all stay vigilant.” The CLC’s Site Operating Procedures provide voluntary guidance on onsite construction COVID measures.

Indra appoints Leighton King as chief commercial officer

EV charging company Indra has made a significant appointment through the addition of Leighton King, who joins the business as their first Chief Commercial Officer. With an established track record of over 20 years’ experience within the automotive and marine industry, the appointment of King is just one of a number of key moves the company is making as part of its ambitious growth plans. Having previously held senior positions at Aston Martin, in his most recent role as commercial director at LEVC, King was responsible for managing the rebranding of the company and launching the range of electric commercial vehicles. King’s vehicle OEM experience, combined with his strong connections in the fleet segment, comes at a key time in Indra’s journey. Set against a landscape of huge growth opportunity, in his role as Chief Commercial Officer, King will be focussed on enabling Indra to accelerate brand and company growth. Commenting on his appointment, King says: “Indra is the global leader in the development of pioneering electric vehicle charging technology. Today, Indra has the world’s smartest and most reliable EV charger, plus it is extremely simple to use. In the future we will bring products and services to the market that will completely transform the energy ecosystem surrounding electric vehicle charging. “Indra is committed to helping drivers save time and money when making the switch to EV, and I am excited about doing all of this within a business that is passionate about the need to accelerate the switch towards clean energy solutions. “Technology such as ours is key to ensuring that switching to an EV is cleaner, greener AND cheaper!” Mike Schooling, Indra’s founder and chief technology officer, comments: “We’re delighted to welcome Leighton onto the Indra board as chief commercial officer. “Leighton’s strategic expertise will only strengthen our leadership team as we continue to expand at a rapid pace and, as our new CCO, Leighton will play a key role in delivering our ambitious growth plans and accelerate our ambition to make the world a greener place through continued innovation.”

North Manchester MP visits British Cables Company following success

Graham Stringer, MP for Blackley and Broughton, has recently visited British Cables Company (BCC) in Blackley in recognition of the company’s significant new business gains. BCC has recently announced the awards of multi-million pound orders from Openreach, Network Rail and Cyprus Telecom. BCC Managing Director, Kevin Samuel, welcomed Graham to the 28 acre manufacturing plant and gave a short presentation on the businesses’ history, which dates back over 125 years. This was followed by a tour of the factory where Graham viewed the production lines and BCC’s impressive service and stock infrastructure. Mr Samuel comments, “It’s important to our business for our local MP to see first-hand how we are successfully developing new products, new markets and indeed blue-chip customers. We have invested significantly in our manufacturing production, our customer service facilities and we are delighted that new business gains are resulting in further employment opportunities here. It’s a very positive time for the business.” MP Graham Stringer says, “I really enjoyed being shown round the BCC’s Blackley site. It’s reassuring to visit a business so firmly routed in North Manchester’s industrial history, with such a clear vision on how to succeed in the future.”

CICV Forum welcomes Scotland Loves Local gift card scheme

The Construction Industry Coronavirus (CICV) Forum has thrown its weight behind the new Scotland Loves Local gift card campaign – and has urged businesses and the public to sign up and help support tradespeople in their area. Designed to revitalise grassroots communities hit by COVID-19, the scheme will see the creation of Scotland Loves Local gift cards for each of Scotland’s 32 local authority areas, each of which can only be spent in that specific region. The CICV Forum is keen to see the scheme used by the public to support local tradespeople and the construction industry in general, recognising the emergency and essential work the sector undertook at the height of the national shutdown. Announced in July by Community Wealth Minister Tom Arthur, and boosted by a new £10 million multi-year fund, the scheme is being delivered by Scotland’s Towns Partnership in partnership with fintech specialist Miconex, and is due for public launch in the autumn. John McKinney, Secretary of the National Federation of Roofing Contractors, comments: “This is an innovative way to help fuel the country’s financial fightback from COVID by supporting local enterprises and helping town centres survive and thrive. “Buying local can make a real and tangible difference to the fortunes and futures of our hard-working local traders and tradespeople.” Alan Wilson, Managing Director of SELECT, Scotland’s largest construction trade association, adds: “As the body which represents electricians in Scotland, we would very much welcome this initiative and encourage consumers not only to patronise local shops and restaurants but also to support the trades which are so important to their communities. “Sourcing your needs locally is more sustainable and better for the environment. It reduces our carbon footprint and chimes with SELECT’s stated aim of helping to build a fairer, greener society.” Fiona Hodgson, Chief Executive of SNIPEF, Scotland and Northern Ireland Plumbing Employers’ Federation, says: “This just makes so much sense and it has never been more important to support local enterprises. “We have all been through what was probably the most challenging event in people’s lives and trades people were in the front line as they kept societal infrastructure functioning and made sure services stayed operational. “Apart from rebuilding a healthy community life, buying from local services is a way of saying thank you to businesses which kept going when many other aspects of everyday living were shut down.”

Five resources all trainee and apprentice electricians should know about

The summer is well and truly underway, and this means many budding electricians will be taking their first steps into the industry in the form of trainee schemes and apprenticeships. While the electrical industry is desperate to attract new talent, the competition for jobs is fierce meaning new sparkys will be more eager than ever to nail their first few weeks in the role. To help up and coming electricians hit the ground running when they start, electrical wholesaler ERF has pulled together a handy guide identifying some of the most insightful and informative resources within the industry. Electrodoc app Gone are the days where trainees and apprentices have to open up a book to find key information. Electrodoc (formerly called ElectroDroid) is available on iOS and android and is known by many as a portable electrician’s bible. From its Ohm’s law calculator to its voltage divider, the app breaks down the complexities of electrics into easy to consume information - perfect for young adults who are typically glued to their phones. People learn in a variety of different ways and this app caters for all capabilities allowing electricians to quickly search for an answer on the go or learn something new about a core topic. Electrodoc is one of the best ‘toolkits’ any aspiring electrician could carry around. And you never know, you might end up teaching the boss a thing or two along the way. Talk Electrician’s forum Talk Electrician’s forum (TEF) is an online community with more than 30,000 fellow electricians - in fact, you’ll do well to find anywhere else with so many sparkys in one place. For this reason, it’s a brilliant group for trainees and apprentices to be a part of, with endless advice, information and help at your fingertips. Even if you just fancy a chat with another electrician, the TEF is known for the friendliness of its members. There are a number of different forums with many threads to read through and get involved in. For example, the ‘Question & Answer Board’ is the perfect place to ask all of your burning electrical questions and receive replies from people who know exactly what they’re talking about. There are as many as 129,309 posts on that forum alone, so never be too shy to ask a question! Other forums include industry news and updates; one for job openings and apprenticeships; a forum with learning resources to help those who are training… and even a jokes thread. There’s a diverse range of content available on the forum and it also provides people with the ability to interact with other electricians in the industry. Electricians on YouTube As well as apps and forums, electricians are taking the world of YouTube by storm. The accessible and practical nature of video clips make YouTube an ideal platform for learning, especially for the more technical elements of the trade. Electrician-come-Youtuber, John Ward is one for aspiring apprentices to watch. JW’s videos are full of practical snippets of information, with a slightly more formal tone to his channel. Uploading a new video every week, John puts electrical theories to the test and shows off different experiments and demonstrations. GSH Electrical is a perfect example of a YouTube channel providing a useful (and professional) overview into the electrical world. With a large following of 69.6K subscribers online, the channel showcases the best practice in testing and installation. Helpful for any beginner, there are practical demonstrations to support learning as well as useful advice from a fully-qualified college teacher. The short, snappy, videos are engaging and cover a range of electrical qualifications to suit different abilities. N Bundy Electrical is an upbeat and fun YouTube account and is also well worth a follow. It’s run by Nick Bundy who is a self-employed electrician with a big personality. His videos are entertaining to watch as well as being informative with their ‘how-to” style. Structured as more of a vlogging ‘series’, this channel accurately documents a day-in-the-life as a sparky - warts and all. #sparky TikTok Even electricians can’t stay away from the TikTok craze at the moment. TikTok isn’t just for funny dance routines and memes, it has soon become one of the best platforms for learning too. The popular social media tool has been designed so that anyone can easily create and upload videos, and electricians are getting involved too; sharing their expertise, jumping on trends and networking. #sparky is a hashtag worth following, along with 390 million other people who also watch these short videos. For apprentices and trainees, this hashtag on TikTok will make learning a bit more fun and engaging, with a range of more educational clips to funny moments from electricians all over the world. We can’t talk about #sparky TikTok without giving a special mention to Kimmy The Sparks who is an inspiring TikToker that uploads snappy, upbeat videos throughout her work day. She not only offers knowledgeable content on electrical tips, but also helps to bust any myths about female electricians. The Electrical Show Podcast Podcasts are another clever way to learn more about a topic without having to concentrate too hard on the content. They are becoming more and more popular, being easy enough to follow whilst completing other tasks, and so they never feel too time consuming. One podcast all newcomers to the industry show be aware of is The Electrical Show. Every Friday lunchtime, Thomas Nagy discusses the latest and most relevant topics in the world of electricals, often being joined by special guests within the industry and commenting on the latest news. Each episode is around 20 minutes long and Thomas invites his audience to send in their opinions; sparking up some interesting debates. The podcast also gives out handy advice for junior electricians, such as the problem with short courses and top tips for packing your toolkit… every episode is well worth the listen!

Power upgrade for Braiswick residents

A multi million pound power upgrade is set to benefit homes in the Braiswick area of Colchester. New state-of-the-art equipment is to replace electrical transformers at Braiswick substation, making power supplies more resilient and quieter for nearly 7,000 residents. UK Power Networks is spending more than £2million and beginning work at the end of August, as part of continued investment in the electricity network. The work is being carried out in partnership with Morrison Energy Services and is expected to be completed by June next year. The two new transformers – which are devices used to step the power down to a safe, lower voltage - will be significantly quieter than the current ones and will be housed in their own acoustic enclosure. The original substation, built 60 years ago, provided power for an industrial factory that was working 24/7 but now caters for modern blocks of flats and houses. UK Power Networks project manager, Richard Desborough, says: “Replacing the transformers is part of our ongoing investment in the network to maintain reliable power supplies for this area of Colchester. “Future proofing the network and housing the transformers in an acoustic enclosure will have lasting benefits for the community.” The work will not impact residents electricity supplies.