Electrical Contracting News (ECN) August 2016 | Page 6

Who is putting what in where .

Top performing building services and electrical fi rms received major accolades at the 2016 ECA Gala Dinner and Awards . The event was attended by hundreds of industry leaders and held on 8th July at Celtic Manor in South Wales .

The award winners on the night , supported by headline sponsor LEDVANCE , were as follows :

• ECA Large Contractor of the Year Award ( sponsored by Schneider Electric ) Winner : W T Parker Group Services Ltd Highly commended : Imtech Engineering Services Central

• ECA Contractor of the Year Award – up to £ 20m turnover ( sponsored by Electrium ) Winner : Haydon Mechanical & Electrical Highly commended : Braham Electrical

• ECA Contractor of the Year Award – up to £ 5m turnover ( sponsored by Hager ) Winner : Amalgamated Ltd Highly commended : DES Electrical Contractors UK Ltd

• ECA Contractor of the Year Award – up to £ 1m turnover ( sponsored by Edmundson Electrical ) Winner : Power Electrics ( Bristol ) Ltd Highly commended : Panks Engineers Ltd and Elsym Installations Ltd

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• Best Client / Contractor Partnership Award ( sponsored by ECIC ) Winner : DES Electrical Contractors UK Ltd

• Innovation in Contracting Award ( sponsored by Eaton ) Winner : Marshall Land Systems Ltd

• Best Health and Safety Initiative Award ( sponsored by ABB ) Winner : Imtech Engineering Services Central Ltd Highly commended : Darke & Taylor Ltd

• Excellence in Training and Development Award ( sponsored by JTL ) Winner : Quartzelec Ltd Highly commended : Bebbington & Wilson Ltd and N Smith Electrical Ltd

ECA CEO Steve Bratt commented , ‘ On behalf of the ECA and our partners , congratulations to all eight ECA Annual Award winners , who managed to see off tough competition from dozens of high quality entries . At the same time , everyone involved would also like to acknowledge this year ’ s commended and other shortlisted candidates .’

A record breaking number of submissions were received for this year ’ s ECA ’ s Annual Awards . The entries were then assessed by independent judges including CEDIA ’ s Wendy Griffi ths , and Electrical Industries Charity MD Tessa Ogle .

SPECIAL FEATURE :

Three quarters of male electricians recently surveyed would be happy for their daughters to take up a career in the trade . However , a similar percentage feel old school attitudes towards women would actively discourage females from taking up a trade .

The survey of electrical contractors was carried out by NICEIC . Its Jobs for the Girls campaign was set up to encourage more women into the trade and to plug the increasing skills and gender gaps .

Emma Clancy , CEO of NICEIC , commented , ‘ Dads have an important role to play in shaping the career choices of their daughters – particularly in the trades sector where many children follow in their father ’ s footsteps .

‘ As part of National Women in Engineering Day we would encourage dads to talk about their trade to their daughters – particularly as up to 75 per cent of contractors would be happy to see their daughters become an electrician .

Since launching the Jobs for the Girls campaign in 2011 NICEIC is seeing a growing interest in women wanting to take up a trade . However , the numbers are still painfully low . As Emma added , ‘ It was interesting to note that many men feel certain attitudes from another era still exist today .

‘ That is something we all have a duty to eradicate . I would encourage dads who do come across such attitudes to take a stand and think about how they might feel if it was their daughter working in the industry .’

The survey of over 100 electrical contractors found that 90 per cent of fathers believe that it is their responsibility to advise their daughters on their career choices . However , only one in fi ve dads said their child had received any information from school or careers advice service about trade opportunities .

INDUSTRY NEWS

A new report on the UK smart heating market from MTW Research indicates that sales of IoT heating devices have grown by 3,000 per cent since 2010 , with volumes set to rise by a massive 40 per cent in 2016 .

Led by smart heating controls , the report suggests that sales in the IoT ( Internet of Things ) heating market is offering healthy opportunities for manufacturers and distributors in 2016 boosted by product development and growing consumer demand . MTW points to ‘ explosive growth ’ for this sector in recent years , with demand rising for smart boilers , connected TRVs , smart controls and a host of heating related IoT devices and applications .

Discussing the fi ndings , MTW ’ s director Mark Waddy , noted , ‘ We are seeing unprecedented growth for smart heating across a range of products in 2016 . Every month we are seeing more manufacturers and distributors expanding their range and grabbing the opportunities that smart heating is offering .’ Reviewing the size and trends for several smart heating sectors ,

Newey & Eyre has confi rmed its full support to fi rmer penalties that have been introduced to promote a safer environment for those working with electricity , to ultimately reduce the number of electricity related injuries and fatalities in the workplace .

Having come into effect this February ( 2016 ), the reformed Electricity at Work Regulations have brought in stiffer penalties for health and safety violations for those working in the electrical industry ; including electricians , utility workers and other related occupations . What ’ s more , these penalties are higher for larger organisations and companies that have been recognised as high risk for the potential for health and safety hazards and could be fi ned as much as £ 10m . The reforms also mean any directors , managers or employees that are aware of a breach that could cause death or disability could now face jail time of up to 18 months .

Mark McCall , product marketing manager at Newey & Eyre , commented , ‘ We are pleased to see that the government is seeking to encourage a higher level of electrical safety compliance in the workplace and to help elevate the potential risks for electricians .

‘ As an industry , health and safety best practice has come a long way over the last decade . However , the reality is over 2.5 million people receive a mains voltage electric shock per year , with 350,000 of those receiving a serious injury . This is why the new regulations have been introduced in order to reduce the number of accidents and ensure that workers are not exposed to any danger whilst working .’ the 120 page report suggests that the market is set to become characterised by rising sophistication and connectivity as end users demand greater monitoring and control of their heating . Features such as geofencing , remote operation and enhanced effi ciencies are identifi ed by MTW as key benefi ts of smart heating which are driving demand growth in 2016 .

Commenting on future growth , Waddy said , ‘ Our fi ndings suggest that 50 per cent of consumers are likely to install smart heating products in their homes in the next fi ve years , highlighting a market with massive growth potential in the near term .’

The report also reviews the total UK IoT market , pointing to almost 900 million IoT devices in use in the UK in 2016 . The fi ndings indicate that growth in connected devices is rising by 13 per cent in 2016 , refl ecting a market which is outpacing the overall heating market by a factor of four .

The full report is available to purchase from www . marketresearchreports . co . uk .

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Evolt , the electric vehicle ( EV ) charge point supplier , has been selected by the Energy Saving Trust ( EST ) as one of the companies to provide EV charging solutions on a new Scotland-wide framework agreement .

The University of South Wales ( USW ) and the Lighting Industry Association ( LIA ) have agreed a formal partnership , cementing a relationship which will see the development of a range of specialist lighting courses .

Aura Light has been awarded the 2016 Global Lighting Growth Excellence Leadership Award based on the recent analysis of the lighting market made by Frost & Sullivan .

The British Approvals Service for Cables ( BASEC ) has launched its large scale vertical ladder fi re test used for Construction Products Regulation ( CPR ), EN50399 , and the full range of vertical ladder tests to the IEC60332-3- 21 / 25 series to the cable industry . This coincides with the offi cial launch of the European Union ’ s CPR for cables used in construction , which was announced on 10th June 2016 .

Newey & Eyre ’ s Shirley branch in the West Midlands celebrated reaching its 30th birthday this June .