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Schneider Electric has announced the launch of a new partner program in the UK and Ireland.

The Contractor Program offers online resources and digital tools via the mySchneider portal to help contractors quickly and efficiently meet customer demands. It also offers opportunities to generate more business and training to support sales activities, as well as advice on sustainable solutions.

In addition to the above, it includes the following benefits depending on whether the contractor is a registered, premier or premier plus customer:

• Personalised news, information and promotions

• Advanced commercial and technical support

• Digital platforms and tools

• Training and education resources

• Invitations to local partner events

• Partner locator listing

• EcoXpert badge eligibility

• Hands-on training

The launch is part of Schneider Electric’s strategy to mitigate the energy crisis by calling on its customers, partners and suppliers to reduce the amount of energy used in their day-to-day operations and buildings, and to select more sustainable solutions.

David Williams, Vice President of Transactional Business at Schneider Electric, says, “As a global business, we understand the challenges our contractors and partners are facing around the world in light of the economic and political landscape and energy crisis. With the launch of the mySchneider Contractor Program, we are giving our partners priority access to our global partner ecosystem. We hope that by rewarding our contractors in this way that they will be empowered to stay ahead of the competition by offering the latest sustainable solutions to their customers.”

Schneider Electric, se.com

A new report has revealed that France is cutting carbon from heating buildings 10 times faster than the UK by deploying more than 10 times the number of heat pumps.

Last year, France sold 621,000 heat pumps, saving 15.6MT of CO2 emissions, while the UK sold just 55,000 heat pumps, saving 1.5MT of CO2 emissions, and had the lowest installation rate of 21 European countries.

The UK government has set a target of installing 600,000 heat pumps a year by 2028, meaning they must achieve a tenfold increase in deployment within five years to catch up with where France is at right now.

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The report by MCS Charitable Foundation assesses why the UK is lagging behind targets and sets out lessons the government must learn from France if it is to meet climate change goals.

It highlights how the French government seized opportunities when there was disruption in global energy markets to refocus attention away from gas and oil onto electrifying heat. In addition, France has had energy efficiency standards for new build homes for more than a decade.

By contrast, in the UK in 2019, after years of stop-start policies and inadequate funding, delays in regulations for new homes and insufficient consumer information, there were only 2,000 jobs supported by the heat pump industry and only a tenth of the number of heat pump installations seen in France.

The UK is now beginning to scale up heat pump deployment, seeing a 40% increase in the heat pump market in 2022 since the energy crisis began. But rather than a gradual rise in heat pump numbers, as France has achieved over 15 years, the UK government must now initiate an exponential increase in the heat pump market.

MCS Charitable Foundation, mcscharitablefoundation.org

Tradespeople are spending over £1,000 on tools each year on average, but the cost-of-living crisis is dramatically changing their buying habits, according to new research.

The study conducted by ElectricalDirect asked tradespeople about their outgoings on tools, maintenance and repairs, and found that the average total is £1,110 a year.

However, this figure should be even higher, as almost a fifth of workers (19%) say they need to purchase new tools but can’t afford to do so because of the current financial climate.

The amount spent on such costs varies significantly by trade. Caretakers and maintenance workers spend the most (£1,753 per year), followed by electricians (£1,546) and plasterers (£1,502).

Almost a quarter of these costs (22%) are spent on maintenance and repairs (£246), but the research suggests that an increasing number of tradespeople are tackling these jobs themselves to reduce outgoings.

Compared to before the cost-of-living crisis, around one in six (16%) are now more likely to repair their own tools, rather than paying to get them fixed.

Furthermore, more than a quarter of tradespeople (27%) now keep their tools for longer to avoid paying for new ones, and one in seven (13%) even continue using damaged tools because they can’t afford replacements.

Other cost cutting measures include reducing usage of power tools to lower fuel costs (30%) and buying second hand equipment instead of new (42%). ElectricalDirect, electricaldirect.co.uk

The eight SkillELECTRIC competitors who scored most highly across the recent national qualifying heats have been named as this year’s UK finalists. They are:

• Ben Gillin – Lloyd Morris Electrical/JTL Training

• Conor McDonnell – Nesbitt Electrical/Southern Regional College

• Danny McBean – Grants of Dufftown/SECTT

• Demi Mae Whitehead – William Davis Homes/JTL Training

• Jason Robinson – Neil Whicker Electrical Services/College of West Anglia

• Kevin Boone – Darke & Taylor/Training in Electrical

• Thomas Magee – Belfast Met College/SM Electrical

• Thomas Turner – Parker Technical Services/JTL Training

All will now take part in the UK Grand Final being held at Oldham College across the week of 13 November.

To be crowned champion, competitors will have to excel in a complicated two-day practical installation task set to a strict timescale and against a rigorous marking criteria. In a first for this year, the event will also include a solar PV-related task to reflect that the core competence of a qualified electrician is the foundation from which to upskill and train in solar installation.

“We are very proud to continue to play a key role in the SkillELECTRIC competition,” says Jake Green, Head of Technical Engagement at Scolmore Group. “It takes a lot of confidence from the contestants to put themselves forward for the competition, so I commend them. It is this confidence and determination that we need to see in the electricians of the future. The skillset we have amongst this year’s finalists is brilliant, I am looking forward to seeing what they can all demonstrate at the final in November.”

SkillELECTRIC, skillelectric.org.uk

The Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA) and Unite the Union have agreed on a new two-year wage deal from January 2024, for the electrical contracting industry under the JIB collective agreement. Some of the key changes to be implemented include:

First year (from 2024)

• 7% increase to rates

• £20 increase to weekly sick pay for all grades during weeks 3 to 24, therefore providing,

• £210 p/w for a technician

• £200 p/w for an approved electrician

• £190 p/w for an electrician

• £180 p/w for others as defined in clause 1.3 note(a) in section 9 of the JIB Handbook

• £10 increase to weekly sick pay for all grades (as above) during weeks 25 to 52

Second year (from 2025)

• 5% increase to rates

• £10,000 increase to death in service benefit, therefore up from £30,000 to £40,000

• A ‘recoupment’ arrangement for sick pay – an arrangement to reimburse the second week of absence after an employee has been off sick for eight weeks

• 50p-£2 responsibility money, increased from 10p-£1

ECA Chief Negotiator, Andrew Hutchins, says, “I am pleased with the outcome of the negotiations. The last few years have been difficult, and it is beneficial to have some certainty at a time when the wider economy is unpredictable. This agreement gives us an opportunity to work with Unite on longer term ambitions to update and modernise the industry to improve skills for a low carbon economy.”

JIB, jib.org.uk

Electrical Contracting News is delighted to announce that Webro Cables & Connectors has been confirmed as the latest sponsor of the ECN Awards.

Webro will sponsor the Training Category at the ECN Awards, which will be held at the Heart of England Conference and Events Centre in Coventry on 30 November 2023.

Webro’s purpose is to build a better-connected world to bring people closer.

The company has enjoyed continuous growth throughout its 40-year history. This is driven by a strong reputation for providing quality product solutions that conform to the highest standards, attentive customer service, and a dependable logistics operation. An extensive range of copper and fibre cable and connectivity solutions are available across a wide line-up of applications, primarily the smart building, power, fibre and telecoms, data network, fire and security, control and instrumentation, TV and satellite, and future energy sectors. Webro remains at the forefront of industry with focused investment in product development, and the relentless pursuit of emerging markets and technologies.

Commenting on the sponsorship, Webro’s Head of Marketing, Chris Mellor-Dolman, says, “We’re both proud and excited to sponsor the Training Category at the ECN Awards. We’re passionate about training and development. From apprentices to qualified professionals, it’s the proven route to a fulfilling career.”

You can enter your product, project or company for an award and purchase tickets at electricalcontractingnews.com/awards.

Webro, webro.com

‘Lights, camera, action!’ took on a new meaning when specially trained ‘energy champions’ helped nearly 200 Surrey residents spot where energy was leaking from their homes and take steps to save money.

Thanks to funding from UK Power Networks , the Leaky Homes project, run by Zero Carbon Guildford and Energy Action Redhill & Reigate, was able to buy several infrared cameras and train 36 Surrey residents to carry out home energy surveys during the cost-of-living crisis.

The thermal imaging cameras revealed where residents could make significant energy efficiency improvements. They were then sent a written report with helpful recommendations and vital signposting to the financial support they needed to make their homes more energy efficient.

Ben McCallan from Zero Carbon Guildford, says, “We were thrilled to receive the funding from UK Power Networks that allowed our volunteers to get trained up and start conducting valuable energy audits, especially given the struggle so many of us were facing with bills with winter energy costs after the price cap rise.”

Ben adds that the project was so successful that they now plan to boost it in September by purchasing more cameras and training community groups in all Surrey’s districts and boroughs. The new programme will also include a summer component, so that they can deliver energy advice all year round.

UK Power Networks, ukpowernetworks.co.uk

Logic4training has launched a new course, covering the added extras that will ensure plumbing, heating and domestic electrical installers complete works to a high standard, leaving customers’ homes in a tidy and ‘finished’ state.

The five day Basic Site Skills course is ideal for small businesses who want to bring an apprentice or trainee up to speed on common tasks, and experienced plumbers, heating engineers or domestic electrical installers looking to provide a more complete customer service. The course delivers practical site-based skills that enable tradespeople to complete all aspects of a job to a high quality standard, including the finishing touches such as tiling, plastering and carpentry. Available as an add on to its new entrants’ courses for plumbing and heating engineers, the course can also be taken by candidates already working in building services trades.

Hager UK is hitting the road this summer and travelling the length and breadth of the country to celebrate its local communities of electrical installers and contractors.

Hager explains, “Our summer tour of the UK will provide our team with a unique opportunity to say a personal thank you to our local communities for their continued loyalty, passion and commitment to excellence.”

Over the past 30 years, Hager has built a strong community of over 20,000 installers and contractors across the UK. This tour will allow the team to meet the HagerGang and offer customers the chance to bag themselves a range of #HagerGang merchandise.

Until 6 September, the HagerGang is going on tour in a fully branded truck. The merch store will be visiting 40 different wholesalers in 40 different locations. Hager is inviting electricians, installers and contractors from across those regions and beyond to come along.

In exchange for any Hager products purchased in store, customers will qualify for free HagerGang merchandise, including t-shirts, hoodies, water bottles and its famous blue screwdrivers.

Hager says, “Our customers are absolutely integral to our business. We’re fully committed to providing the best possible service to them and seeing how we can evolve and enhance our product offering to better fulfil their needs. The HagerGang tour is a fantastic opportunity for us to connect with our customers face to face and develop our already well-established community relationships.”

Hager UK, hager.co.uk

Trainees will develop competence in problem solving alongside specific building and construction techniques, correct use of power tools and site safety. Installers who complete the course will be able to ‘make good’ on any disruption caused by core business activities, such as lifting floorboards or damaging plasterwork, without the need for supporting trades.

Specific skills are taught by experts and include:

• Safe site working (locating cables and pipes)

• Building structures, materials, components and fixings

• Building regulations (altering, drilling and notching structural areas)

• Safe use of hand and power tools

• Basic wall fixing methods and materials

• Basic carpentry (lifting floorboards, creating access hatches in floors and ceilings, drilling and notching timber joists)

• Chasing solid brick and block walls for pipes and cables

• Plasterboard wall repair and access

• Ceramic tile repair, cutting around electrical sockets and switches Logic4training, logic4training.co.uk

The Kensa Group has announced the appointment of Tamsin Lishman as its new Chief Executive Officer from the beginning of October, and the planned departure of Dr Matthew Trewhella, current CEO. Tamsin’s appointment as CEO designate has been confirmed by the company’s Chairman, Lord Taylor, following a rigorous selection process. Tamsin will go through a transition period from the start of September.

Certsure has announced the appointment of Harvinder Sondh (Harvey) as its new Commercial Director. Having joined the organisation on 3 July 2023, Harvey heads up the company’s certification, training and business development divisions.

Paul Marsden, Technical Specification Manager at Baxi, has been appointed as the new chair of the Society of Public Health Engineers’ Industry Working Group (SoPHE IWG). The group aims to provide a higher profile and focus for public health engineers within the Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) as well as within the building services industry.

A stable and safe environment for the engineer to fit and repair external Smart Meters and EV charging points.

• Work not lost due to the ‘British weather‘

• Circa 2 minutes to inflate and deflate

• Industry feedback pays for itself after three rescheduled jobs

As seen on eFIXX!

Specification

Material

• Full flame retardant fabric – adhering to EN5912 safety standard

• Durable 210 denier material

• Waterproof and water resistant – flysheet and groundsheet are factory taped, providing water tight seal

• Full UV protection

• Non conductive

• Passed by Trade Union

Features and Benefits

• Light and portable

• Tough, stable and reliable

• Waterproof material and construction

• Move onto the next job without costly delays

• Help speed the transition to Net Zero

• Manufactured and supported by Vango

• The inventors of AirBeam®

• Over 50 years experience in design, manufacturing and support

• Quality Assured