COVER ILLUSTRATION: IAN WHADCOCK
Contents Summer 2010 | Issue 174
Regulars View from the top Riches from renewables News New catalogue packed with special deals
Features
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SECTOR FOCUS: 20 SITES FOR SORE EYES In the construction sector, contractors have felt the downturn keenly, but now the worst may be over
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6
NG Bailey registers for microgeneration
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First Peugeot customer gets motoring
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NICEIC Direct offers football history prize
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TechTalks tackle hot topics around the UK
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COVER STORIES: 22 EFFICIENCY DRIVE Demand for energy-efficient installations presents opportunities GREEN PIECE 26 Contractors need to ensure they can exploit the growing renewables market 26
Product news 15 Seaward’s in-service tester Advice 17 Duncan Snook looks at the implications of the right to extra paternity leave 30 Opinion 18 Use of substandard cables can have dire consequences, warns Michael Simms
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BEHIND THE SCENES 30 Choosing a cablemanagement system involves striking a balance NORTH OF THE BORDER 34 Important changes are looming for contractors in Scotland CONTRACTOR PROFILE: 38 W Churches & Son
Standards 40 Hylton Reid explains petrol filling station precautions
Technical Star-delta starting:
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Ask the experts 43 We provide answers to some of the NICEIC technical helpline’s more frequently asked questions
Snags and solutions:
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Thermosetting cables:
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Fire alarm sound levels:
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Armoured cables:
58
Fire risk assessment:
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Current Affairs 66 Dead mice and live microbes www.niceic.com
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NICEIC Connections Summer 2010 3