Electrical Contracting News (ECN) June 2016 | Page 26

WIRING ACCESSORIES

WIRED UP
Marie Parry of Scolmore takes a look at the current state of the wiring
accessories sector, the latest developments driving sales and what the future holds.

A

ccording to AMA
research, current
forecasts for the
wiring accessories
sector indicate
annual growth rates
of 5-6 per cent
from 2015 as the
economy improves and house building
activity increases. It is expected that the
market value will be around £1.8bn in
2018. However, this will depend on the
speed of economic recovery and any
fluctuations in raw material prices. The
current focus on solutions and systems
within the electrical products market
will continue to lead to demand for
integrated systems in both the domestic
and commercial sectors in the medium
term, as well as an increased use of prefabricated wiring and wireless switches.

Energy efficiency
The demand for environmentally friendly
products continues to be a major issue
and this is a factor which is likely to
be more influential in future years, as
homeowners and business operators
alike, use whatever means they can to
improve the environmental credentials
of their properties. This will lead to
increased use of individual and central
controls for lighting and other electrical
products, creating demand in the
electrical accessories sector. Even in the
domestic sector, where take up for new
technology is traditionally slower, controls
will become even more mainstream,
particularly with development of easy to
install RMI products.
Product development will continue to
focus on environmental efficiency, wireless
systems, integrated controls, reduced

space and impact, quick installation such
as prefabricated units and low installation
application such as plug and play
connections to reduce time on site and cut
down time during RMI situations. The skills
shortage within the market place will also
remain for some time and lead to greater
use of products that are quicker and easier
to install, requiring less skilled labour.

Smart homes
Home automation technology has been
available for many years but demand
for systems in the UK has until recently
been largely limited to luxury homes
and specialist projects. However, with
declining costs and complexity, plus
greater awareness of system b