New electrical game launched by NET 

A new game has been launched by National Electrotechnical Training (NET) to promote the electrical industry and help apprentices practise their skills. Designed for complete beginners and those already in the industry, ‘Amped Up’ has two levels: beginners can work through a series of tasks to give them a taste of the industry, whilst the Apprentice level tests apprentices’ skills and knowledge in areas such as safe isolation, protective device selection, Ohm’s law and R1 + R2 testing. Friendly competition is introduced by way of a leaderboard where users can compare scores with their peers. At the end of the game, beginners are directed to the Electrical Careers website for more information on the industry. Apprentices are linked across to the NET website to find out more about the AM2S assessment they’ll need to complete at the end of their apprenticeship. “Through our charitable work NET aims to promote electrical careers and the industry in general,” says Carolyn Mason, NET Chief Executive. “For schools and young people, the game provides a fun look at just some of the tasks carried out by an electrician. For apprentices, it’s a light-hearted but educational way of practising some key tasks.” Amped Up is available on iOS and Android. https://youtu.be/eC_tC9x2CAs

Ecolighting UK announces the consolidation of divisions into Eco UK Group

Ecolighting UK has announced the consolidation of its three divisions to form Eco UK Group. The Ecolighting, Ecomech and Ecolectrical divisions will be brought together under the new brand to provide a streamlined service for its customers and support the continued advancement of the organisation’s service offerings. Following consistent growth, the Group continues to respond to the growing demand for energy-saving solutions across the UK’s industrial and commercial sectors. This latest consolidation development serves to reflect in branding what has long been an operational reality, the joined-up provision of high-quality services across the Group’s divisions. Spanning lighting, electrical installation and HVAC services, the Group’s bespoke solutions aim to meet the requirements of every customer. In becoming ECO UK Group, the Midlands-based business will benefit from consistent branding across all of its channels, clothing, and equipment, ensuring its teams are familiar and recognisable when multiple divisions are operating across sites. The new brand coincides with the launch of the Group’s new website, providing an enhanced source of service information, case studies, and company news. Commenting on the move, Managing Director Steve Gardner says: “Incorporating all three divisions under ECO UK Group marks the continued evolution of our brand to reflect our ever-progressing proposition. The Group has responded to increased demand for energy efficiency and is proud of the role we continue to play in moving to a greener world. As we celebrate our 50th year, our outlook remains focussed on creating the most appropriate solutions for our customers and implementing them to the highest standard.” “While our brand and name might look slightly different from today, our people, services, and standards remain unchanged as our customers remain at the heart of what we do.”

Gira by INTALITE UK set to re-open on 12th April

Gira is now taking provisional bookings in the run up to its planned re-opening of Gira by INTALITE UK in April. As lockdown measures start to relax for the UK high street, Gira is able to confirm its flagship London showroom will be open for appointments, week commencing Monday 12th April. Mark Booth, Managing Director at Gira UK says “We are delighted to welcome trade customers and members of the public to our Wimbledon showroom, initially on an appointment-only basis. As homeowners have a much greater appreciation of the uses of smart technology following a year of working from home, we are well-placed in the market to help them navigate the latest innovations and system solutions so they can enjoy a multi-purpose living environment, which responds to their every need.” Gira by INTALITE UK is located in the heart of London and under a 5 minute walk from South Wimbledon Underground station. Convenient for the A24 to Surrey and Sussex with parking available, this high street showroom offers a display of intelligent lighting, heating, cooling and smart home solutions by Gira. With experts on hand to guide retail and commercial customers through the new possibilities of an intuitive building, this beautifully designed, interactive showroom caters for system integrators, architects, property developers and homeowners. Created to serve both commercial and retail customers, the showroom combines interactive light boxes with conversation starting displays, so that consumers can get a better understanding of the features and benefits of intelligent homes: including climate, light and blind control alongside award-winning Gira Design Lines for switches and sockets. Gira will do its utmost to accommodate your needs during the latest national lockdown measures, with the showroom and all Gira representatives following strict COVID-19 health and safety protocols: Full contact information will be required in accordance with Covid-19 guidance. This will provide traceability for contacts, if needed One-way system and limited visitors in the showroom On site hand-sanitizing stations, disposable masks and gloves provided Gloves must be worn in the showroom if touching products Masks have to be worn at all times and social distancing must be adhered to on entry.

Digital tax for small businesses in the trades made easy

Ben Dyer, CEO of Powered Now, provides a beginner’s guide for tradespeople to start their tax year on the right foot. Over the course of the pandemic, the trades has been welcomed as a haven for job growth. With hundreds of thousands employed in the construction and trade sectors respectively, the popularity of these careers has grown exponentially, with 18% of Brits considering the trades as a career due to the pandemic. With the commencement of the new tax year, it is essential that for the influx of new tradespeople in the UK, they are up to speed with how to best prepare their finances. Powered Now,  field service management software of the trades, has compiled its beginners guide for filing taxes in accordance with HMRC's Making Tax Digital scheme. Making Tax Digital Making Tax Digital (MTD) is HMRC’s initiative to bring all record keeping relating to tax onto digital platforms. Becoming compulsory from April 2023, many businesses need to start giving some thought to MTD, but may not have done so. As a result, they are probably in for a bumpy ride and this could be a painful time for trade businesses like plumbers, gas engineers, electricians and builders. The argument for the implementation is that in the long term it will be better for honest businesses while they will collect more tax – known as closing the ‘tax gap’. Critics argue that it will be much more work for everyone and is being badly implemented to boot. The specifics of MTD for VAT were twofold: All quarterly VAT reporting needs to be done through new technology. The old web form has been dropped and software that talks to the new MTD portal must be used for VAT returns. There must be a link from the individual records to the VAT return and these records must be kept on computer. Are we ready For MTD? AccountingWeb and system supplier Quickbooks undertook a survey of 271 accountants and the top concern, at 35% of responses, was client’s poor record of book keeping. The big danger with data being plugged straight through to an MTD return, with little opportunity for review, is that the proportion of wrong returns will soar, at least initially. Given that errors are likely to be in both directions, this is somewhat worrying. Businesses could either end up over-paying which is bad for cashflow or underpaying and then getting an unexpected catch up charge later which is also bad. How do tradespeople work with accountants? The critical thing in determining the way to address MTD is to start with the way that you currently work with your accountant (if at all) and how you want to work in the future. There are broadly two ways of working: You submit your own returns to HMRC. You pass information to your accountant and they do the returns for you. It’s likely that as each MTD deadline arrives you will continue to work in a similar way. The big difference is that your sales and supplier invoices and expenses must all be recorded digitally. It will be against the law to simply total up the amounts of VAT, sales and costs. They must be put into a system by either you or your accountant. That’s the big change. There is one important point to note which is that at the moment the detailed information can be entered onto a spreadsheet and then ‘bridging software’ can be used to submit it to MTD, at least for VAT returns. Complying with the law MTD requires at least one system and there are really only three ways of complying with the law: Run a system under your control that enables you to capture all the information you need for HMRC returns and submit it to MTD from your system. Use a system to capture all the necessary information and send it to the system used by your accountant or bookkeeper, then they send it to MTD. Send copies of all of your paperwork to your accountant or bookkeeper and they key it into their system and submit to MTD from there. This may come with a higher price tag and has the maximum danger of accountants being unable to cope. Making your choice At the moment, a minority of trade businesses use accounting software under their own control for their HMRC calculations. However, it may be possible to kill two birds with one stone as businesses that do not use a computer system to manage their business will find big benefits if they start to do so. MTD could be the reason for adopting such a system but the benefits might be the reason for being pleased about the initiative. The important point to consider is that a system can be implemented to make it easier to submit data to the accountant as an alternative to posting paperwork with the attendant inefficiency and expense. "Every trade business should be considering their plans for MTD,” says Ben. “If they do things themselves, they can turn to a specialist trade-based software company, such as Powered Now. Most such systems nowadays can also automate the feeds to accounting systems. If they already have an external accountant to submit their HMRC returns, they should be talking to them as soon as possible. My strongest advice would simply be this – don’t get caught out at the last minute, and plan early so that your finances are in check throughout the year".

Electrical Safety Roundtable Virtual Conference 2021

The Electrical Safety Roundtable’s first ever Virtual Conference, taking place on Wednesday 12th May between 09.30-16.00, will be Shining a Spotlight on the Initiatives Impacting Electrical Safety in Homes and Workplaces. This free to attend online conference, sponsored by Megger and NAPIT, will share key electrical industry updates from a range of influential speakers addressing the steps being taken within the industry and by the government to enhance the awareness of electrical safety for users, installers and the public. The conference will start at 09.30 with a focus on Competence and Enforcement with Clive Betts MP, Chair of the Housing Communities and Local Government Select Committee, discussing 'The potential impact of the Building Safety Bill on Electrical Safety and Competence', following the committees pre-legislative scrutiny of the Building Safety Bill. Then David Cowburn, Chief Operating Officer at NAPIT, will be outlining the industry initiatives that are set to impact electrical safety over the coming months. The virtual afternoon session will be split into three, with the first section focussing on electrical safety within the Social Rented Sector, where Lesley Rudd, Chief Executive Officer at Electrical Safety First will be discussing its recent consultation: 'Supporting the Social Rented Sector in improving electrical safety for tenants'. Joining this section will also be several professionals working within the social housing sector who will share their experiences on monitoring the safety of the electrical installations within socially rented properties. Paul Meenan, C2C Asset Manager and ESR in the Workplace Chair, will provide an insight into electrical safety in the workplace based on his own experiences and showcasing the award-winning infographic, created by the Roundtable to raise awareness of safe isolation. Finally, Luke Spanton from MHCLG will provide an overview of the recent legislation affecting the electrical safety of privately rented dwellings and receive an update from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service on its campaign to improve awareness amongst consumers on how to engage a competent and qualified electrician in Scotland. There will be the opportunity for attendees to submit questions to all the presenters, hosted by the Electrical Safety Roundtable Chairman Chris Bielby MBE. Commenting on the conference, Chris Bielby says: ‘This impressive line-up of contributors emphasises the importance of electrical safety in the UK and I am proud to be chairing this virtual event. I would urge anyone with an interest in electrical safety, and particularly professionals in this field, to attend to get a full and thorough picture of the current work ongoing within the industry to enhance electrical safety standards. It’s sure to be a very informative and interesting day. I’d like to thank our conference sponsors, Megger and NAPIT for enabling us to host this free to attend event so as many participants as possible can join us.’

Balfour Beatty joins Government Kickstart programme for young people

Balfour Beatty today joins the Government’s Kickstart scheme to offer over 70 work placements to 16 to 24-year-olds at risk of long-term unemployment. Today’s announcement further supports the company’s ongoing commitment to young people and inspiring a new generation of talent within the construction and infrastructure industry. In partnership with The Prince’s Trust – a youth charity helping young people get into jobs, education and training – Balfour Beatty will offer six-month work placements from April 2021.The programme is being delivered as part of The Prince’s Trust Coalition for the Built Environment scheme, comprised of six companies from the construction and infrastructure sector which aims to bridge the skills gap present within the industry. On completion, Balfour Beatty aims to transfer Kickstart participants to the Balfour Beatty Apprenticeship Scheme. Balfour Beatty has long been committed to youth employment, having joined The 5% Club- a dynamic movement of employers committed to ‘earn & learn’ roles as part of ensuring Britain’s social mobility and shared prosperity - in 2014. This commitment to social mobility is further demonstrated by the business’ support of The Social Mobility Pledge, to which it became a signatory in 2020. Most recently, Balfour Beatty made a pledge to further support young people by increasing the number of apprentices, graduates and trainees recruited across the business by 30% in 2020 and currently has over 6% of employees in Earn and Learn positions, up from 5.4% in 2019 and exceeding The 5% Club goal. Paul Raby, Balfour Beatty Group Human Resources Director, said: “As we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, there has never been a more critical time to open our doors to provide employment opportunities for young people - supporting them in building skilled careers is essential both for our industry and to help us to sustainably rebuild our economy and society. “As we support this new Government initiative, we are pleased to be working with The Prince’s Trust to expand opportunities to young people and leave a lasting, positive impact on those who work with us.” Ben Marson, Director of Partnerships at The Prince’s Trust, says: “The Prince’s Trust has 45 years of experience in supporting young people into jobs and we are delighted to be working with organisations such as Balfour Beatty to help ensure the Kickstart scheme sets young people up for success during this challenging time. “Right now, we need businesses, government and individuals to work with us to help those young people who need us most. By bringing together organisations in the built environment sector to create an innovative coalition we are opening up opportunities for young people and helping them to realise their potential.” Balfour Beatty’s commitment to attracting, developing and retaining talent forms part of its newly launched sustainability strategy, Building New Futures, in which it aims to positively impact more than one million people by 2040 through increased employment and training opportunities as well as social mobility.

Tradespeople losing more than £1,000 per year from withheld payments

UK tradespeople are seeing over £1,000 of payments per year withheld by customers following a completed job. The research, conducted by IronmongeryDirect, found that an average £1,062 is owed to tradies across the UK. A third (33%) said they were waiting for over £1,000 from customers for completed jobs, whilst nearly one in 10 (7%) are owed over £3,000. Nearly two thirds (61%) of tradespeople have had payments withheld by customers, which occurs twice per year on average. More than one in 10 (12%) however, experience withheld payments more than five times a year. Only 6% of tradespeople say that the payment issues are resolved within a week, whilst more than one in five (22%) have had to wait more than a month to be paid for a job. Plumbers were found to be the most likely to have to deal with payment problems, experiencing withheld cash 2.6 times per year on average. Landscapers, meanwhile, experienced the fewest issues, with an annual average of only 1.2 times. Trades most likely to have payments withheld (times per year) Plumber: 2.6 Electrician: 2.4 Builder: 2.3 Bricklayer: 2.2 Carpenter: 1.9 Surveyor: 1.8 Joiner: 1.7 Painter and decorator: 1.6 Plasterer: 1.3 Landscaper: 1.2 Builders are owed the most, with an average of £1,375 withheld by customers, with nearly half (45%) saying they had over £1,000 of outstanding payments. Bricklayers (44%) and carpenters (40%) are experiencing similar rates of withheld cash. Plasterers were found to be owed the least, with an average of £535 outstanding, followed by landscapers (£615). Female tradies were found to receive payment quicker than their male counterparts, experiencing higher rates of payment within a week (8% vs 4%) and within a fortnight (34% vs 20%). However, women were also found to be owed higher sums of money, with an average of £1,168 outstanding, compared to £972 for men. When it comes to age, millennials (25-34 year olds) are more likely to experience withheld payments than older tradespeople, with an average of 2.5 payment issues per year, compared to 1.6 for 55–64-year-olds and 1.7 for over 65s. People in this age group were also more likely to be owed larger sums of money, with millennials owed the most at £1,258 compared to other generations. Despite this, invoice problems were solved quicker for younger generations, with 14% of millennials waiting more than a month for payment, compared to half (50%) of 55–64-year-olds. Alison Werner from the UK’s leading business coach for trades and construction industry, The Trades Coach, says: “Be sure to display your full terms and conditions in the original quote, as well as your website. This should include a full breakdown of costs and a clause for late payments. Regular communication will also help address any misunderstandings as they arise and will also be looked upon favourably in the rare event of legal proceedings. “There might be a reasonable reason why a customer is late paying, so it’s important not to assume the worst and firstly find out what the issue is. Having a telephone conversation is the best place to start and then follow this up with an email and regular email reminders. If payment is still not received after several months, you should consider hiring a debt recovery company who will take a small commission to recover payment on your behalf.” Dominick Sandford, Director and Head of Merchandising & Marketing at IronmongeryDirect, comments: “Withheld payments are an annoyance that every tradesperson has to deal with at some point or another, but when significant amounts are owed by customers it can become a serious threat to your financial security. “It’s shocking to see how much tradespeople are waiting on and how long they’re having to wait for their payment following a job. We hope our useful tips help tradies get paid quicker and without any hiccups along the way.”

Toolstation launches campaign to locate the nation's heroes

Toolstation has launched a competition to locate the nation’s unsung heroes and give tradespeople back the ‘credit’ they deserve, both through recognition and up to £5,000 worth of prizes. The COVID-19 pandemic has been a tough year for many, but tradespeople have continued to provide essential services and keep us safe and comfortable at home. To celebrate the trades and to show recognition of their incredible support, Toolstation is encouraging customers to nominate either themselves or a tradesperson they know who has gone above and beyond, whether that is through helping the community or going the extra mile in their working lives. The entry period opened on Wednesday 31st March and will be closing on Thursday 29th April 2021. Prizes for the winner includes £3,000 worth of DeWalt products – ranging from tools and accessories, and £2,000 credit if they are already a Toolstation Trade Credit Account holder. There will also be two runners up prizes of £1,000 of DeWalt kit with an extra £500 to Trade Credit Account holders. Trade customers can easily apply for a Trade Credit Account in three steps for easy application, and brings the solution its trade customers have been calling out for, offering added support with more efficient financial management, with up to 60 Days interest free credit, flexible credit limits and fully online account management. Signing up for a Trade Credit Account allows customers to buy now and pay later and get the tools and supplies needed for larger jobs. James Mackenzie Managing Director at Toolstation is pleased to be able to give the trade credit where credit's due and says: “We are committed to providing our customers with the tools they need to get the job done, but more than that, giving them the recognition they deserve. After a tough year, tradespeople continue to keep the nation moving and work hard to keep homes and businesses safe, warm, dry and secure. As lockdown restrictions start to ease, we want to recognise the tradespeople who have gone above and beyond in their work or in their community and give credit where it’s due.”

'Depend On Us' says TREND Networks, as IDEAL Networks rebrands

As of the 31st March 2021, the company and brand name has changed to TREND Networks, heralding the start of a new chapter for the business, which was acquired by the incumbent management team and CBPE Capital more than two years ago. ‘Depend On Us’ confirms the company’s new vision, mission, and goals separate to the IDEAL name. “We recognise that our customers need to be confident that our test equipment provides fast, accurate results in all circumstances – even the most difficult ones,” says Paul Walsh, CEO for TREND Networks. “That’s why we have a deeply engrained ‘Depend On Us’ philosophy giving customers the reassurance that we will always provide the performance and support they need.” The ‘Depend On Us’ philosophy means that with TREND Networks, customers can always rely on Dependable Equipment, Dependable Data, and Dependable Support. For this reason, the dedicated team providing service and support remains unchanged following the rebrand and the company continues to provide a ‘Rapid Resolution’ service. This means that if the team cannot answer a Technical Support call immediately, it aims to return it within two business hours (terms and conditions apply). The full range of reliable and robust test equipment, such as LanTEK cable certifiers, is also unchanged following the rebrand and is protected by a ‘Lifetime Support Promise’. This means that TREND Networks will continue to calibrate and repair equipment for as long as it is in use. Should replacement parts for an older product become unavailable, users are offered a discount up to 30% off the latest tester as an alternative (terms and conditions apply). “Our key commitment throughout this change is to ensure installers can depend on us to simplify, demystify and educate in order to help them become ever-more productive,” says Paul. “But understandably, a lot of people have also asked us ‘What’s next?’ for TREND Networks.” “We are continuing to work on bringing a number of innovative and reliable new products and solutions to market and our initial focus is on transforming and modernising the way installers and technicians work, thanks to our cloud-based platform,” he continues. TREND AnyWARE Cloud, formerly IDEAL AnyWARE Cloud, was launched last year to support the company’s LanTEK IV cable certifier and SignalTEK 10G Ethernet tester and makes managing, editing, and sharing reports easier than ever. As part of TREND Network’s ‘Depend On Our Data’ promise, the AnyWARE Cloud ecosystem provides a unique capability for cable certification, active network troubleshooting and bandwidth testing, keeping installers’ requirements covered as their business grows or technologies change. Two million tests have been uploaded from LanTEK IV and the SignalTEK 10G to the platform. The user-friendly system helps boost productivity, enabling Project Managers to pre-configure all project information, eliminating potentially costly mistakes. It also facilitates enhanced collaboration through unique ‘Remote Troubleshooter’ technology, which enables instant remote access to the tester anywhere in the world to resolve problems fast, maximising workforce productivity. “TREND AnyWARE Cloud is uniquely designed to keep you covered even as technology changes and your business grows,” says Paul. “The next wave of development for the TREND AnyWARE Cloud will bring a range of these benefits to users of other TREND Networks testers, helping to increase efficiency and profitability.” The name TREND Networks is inspired by ‘Trend Communications’, a business which was previously part of IDEAL Networks, and had a reputation for innovating industry-first solutions for the test and measurement industry. “This closely echoes TREND Networks’ dedication to innovation in the future, alongside helping customers to get the fast, accurate data they need, even in tough circumstances,” says Paul.

Government allocates £560m to decarbonise housing

More than £560million has been set aside by the UK Government to boost the energy efficiency of 50,000 homes. The Government has issued £500m from the Green Homes Grant and £62m from a Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund to be shared by 300 local authorities in England and Scotland to fund upgrades to some of the fuel-poorest and least energy efficiency homes. The funding will go towards measures including insulation and replacing gas boilers with low-carbon alternatives such as heat pumps. The Government claims it will also support more than 8,000 energy sector jobs such as plumbers and builders. An estimated 25% of the UK’s emissions are thought to come from the country’s housing stock and the Government believes the new cash allocation will cut more than 70,000 tonnes of carbon a year – the equivalent of direct and indirect emissions from 9,000 households. UK Business and Energy Secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, says: ‘We are ensuring households across the country enjoy warmer homes that are cheaper to heat and emit fewer emissions – all while creating new work for local plumbers, builders and tradespeople. ‘This is an initial down payment on the UK Government’s plan to invest over £9bn into eradicating fuel poverty, improving the lives and homes of low-income households. This is yet another important step we are taking to eliminate our contribution to climate change and build back greener from the pandemic.’ The funding consists of the £500m Local Authority Delivery (LAD) Fund, a component of the Green Homes Grant, and a further £62 million Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Demonstrator. The Green Homes Grant, launched by Chancellor Rishi Sunak last summer, can be used by householders to cover two thirds of the cost of energy-saving home improvements – or 100% for those in the poorest households. It is due to run until March next year.