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Supplementary bonding

Supplementary bonding involves connecting together the metal parts
of electrical equipment (such as a heated towel rail) and the metal
parts of a non-electrical item (such as a pipe) to prevent a dangerous
voltage between them, if a fault happens.
• Supplementary bonding is often needed in the bathroom to reduce
the risk of electric shock. It can happen as a result of touching the
metal casing of electrical equipment (such as a light fitting or
heater) and at the same time touching a metal non-electrical item
(such as a pipe or radiator) when there is an electrical fault
anywhere in the premises.
• An electrician can carry out supplementary bonding by connecting
together the electrical and non-electrical items referred to above
with a suitable cable (having green and yellow insulation). You
may not normally be able to see existing supplementary bonding.
Supplementary bonding should only be installed by a registeredelectrician.

a solar-powered future

With the constant rise in energy bills, there has never been a better time to revolutionise the way you use energy and reduce bills by up to 50 per cent (you need a big roof, & its a theoretical value - depending on what sort of year we have, its more likely to be in the region of 15 - 20%, but that's still not bad).


Solar panels soak up the sun’s rays, creating 100 per cent free and fresh electricity for the home, while any excess electricity produced can be fed back into the National Grid, potentially earning you money.
The solar panels not only add value to your home but also produce one of the cleanest sources of power known to man.

The average family home with 12 solar panels on its roof could achieve a 50 per cent reduction in energy bills, and the new Government Feed In tariff scheme rewards people for producing clean electricity and pays 43.3p per kilowatt/hour produced as well as a further 3p for any excess which can be fed back into the grid. In real terms this means a return of around £1,200 per year or eight-10 per cent annual return on your investment.

scheme is guaranteed for 25 years

So if you go away on holiday, you could return to a tidy payout thanks to your new solar panels.


How it works
By converting light into electricity. We use a system called Photovoltaic (or PV for short), which generates electricity by using daylight on silicon solar cells normally located on your roof.
You can directly use the energy you generate and in turn reduce your electricity bill.
When the electricity generated by the silicon solar cells is not being used, it can be sold back to your energy supplier giving you a further financial benefit.
The best bit is that on top of these savings you also get paid for all the electricity you generate whether you use it or not, from the feed-in tariff scheme.

What is the ‘Feed In’ tariff?
The Feed In tariff is a new scheme which was announced by the Government on February 1 2010. It was introduced to reward home owners for generating clean renewable electricity, and home owners who have a PV solar panel (electric PV solar panels) installed from July 2009 onwards will benefit from the scheme.
The Feed In tariff works on the basis that you, the consumer, will be paid for each kilowatt hour of electricity your system generates. This also applies even when that electricity is used in your own home.
But that’s not all! There is also an additional payment for the electricity you don’t use, which is fed back into the National Grid.

need a survey???

Electrical Jargon Buster

Jargon Buster / Electrical Definitions, Guides and Advice

17TH Edition - The 17th edition wiring regulations (BS7671 2008) were published can came into effect in January 2008 and the previous 16th edition regulations (BS7671 2004) cease to be valid from July 2008. New installations may be installed to either edition between these dates. Any installation completed and compliant with the March 2004 amendment of 16th edition regulations up to and including 30 June 2008 will likely be non-compliant from 1st July 2008 to some degree. This does not necessarily imply that the installation is unsafe and requires improving, although consideration to upgrading should be given.
BS 7671 - The UK national safety standard for electrical installation work.
Certificate / Certification - Any electrician installing a new electrical installation (including a single circuit), altering, extending or adapting an existing circuit should issue the homeowner with electrical installation certificate, or minor electrical installation works certificate, to confirm the work complies with the requirements of BS 7671.
Consumer Unit (Fuseboard) - A consumer unit is the same as a Fuseboard and is used to control and distribute electricity around your home. It usually contains a main switch, fuses or circuit breakers and one or more residual current devices (see RCD).
Electrical Safety Regulations - A new electrical safety law, often referred to as Part P of the Building Regulations, has further enhanced the protection of homeowners and reduced the risk of electric shock when using electricity. The law, which applies to England and Wales aims to improve electrical safety in the home and prevent the number of accidents, which are caused by faulty electrical work. The law requires an electrician registered with a government-approved scheme, such as NICEIC, to carry out most electrical work in the home. After completion of any work your NICEIC registered electrician will issue you with a Building Regulations Compliance Certificate to prove it meets the required standards of Part P. You can only carry out electrical work yourself if you can inspect and test that it is safe for use. To comply with the law you must notify your local building control office before you begin any work and pay the appropriate fee for them to inspect the work.
IEE Regulations - All new electrical work within a domestic setting must comply with Part P of the Building Regulations in England and Wales introduced on 1 January 2005, which are legally enforceable. One way of achieving this is to apply British Standard BS7671 (the "Wiring Regulations"), including carrying out adequate inspection and testing to this standard of the completed works. Although it must be stated that the British Standard BS 7671 (the "Wiring Regulations") are not statutory thus someone doing electrical work is allowed to deviate from the wiring regulations to some degree but it is generally accepted that it is best to follow the wiring regulations to the highest standard possible.
Some of the restrictions introduced with Part P were controversial, especially the rules surrounding work carried out by unregistered people such as DIY-ers. Under the new regulations, commencement of any work other than simple changes becomes notifiable to the local building control authority; "other than simple" in this context means any work in a kitchen or bathroom other than like-for-like replacement, work in other areas more than just adding extra lights or sockets to an existing circuit or meeting certain other criteria, such as outdoor wiring.
Landlord Certificate - As it stands, unlike gas regulations, there is no law that says you must have a landlord electrical safety certificate. However, landlords are obligated to ensure that all electrical appliances and fittings within the property are safe and in good working order. Failure to comply with the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994 and the Consumer Protection Act 1987 is a criminal offence, may invalidate some insurance policies and also puts your tenants life at risk which may also result in manslaughter charges in the event of deaths.
NICEIC - NICEIC has been assessing the technical competence of electricians for over 50 years. Their aim is to protect everyone who uses electricity from unsafe electrical installations anywhere. To achieve this, they maintain a register of qualified, competent electricians.
Part P - The specific section of the Building Regulations for England and Wales, which relates to electrical installations in domestic properties.
Periodic Inspection Report (PIR) - A report on the condition of your electrical wiring, containing an overall assessment of the safety of the wiring, observations on its condition, and a number of recommendations (in order of priority) for action (if any is required) to restore the wiring to a satisfactory condition for continued safe use.
RCD - Residual Current Device. This is a sensitive switching device that trips a circuit when an earth fault is detected. RCD protection is particularly important for socket circuits that may be used to supply portable equipment for use outdoors.

Carbon sponge - like a supercapacitor

For a while now, people have been worried about how companies can store the energy that they make. This is a big problem with renewable energy. There are going to be times when the wind is blowing a lot more than what can be used. This extra energy should be stored to be used at a time when the wind is not blowing as much.
Well researchers at the University of Texas have now invented a new kind of carbon that actually acts like a sponge that can absorb energy. The truth of the matter is that this so-called “energy sponge” contains tiny nanometer-sized pores. They also feature curved atom-thick walls.
Overall, this means that it can hold a charge very similar to that of a battery. It can absorb and release energy in real-time. The lifespan of these charge sponges would be about 10,000 charges. This makes them ideal for use in a common storage device like a “supercapacitor.”
For those that do not know, a supercapacitor is an electric double layer capacitor that stores more charges. This is all thanks to the double layer created at an electrolyte electrode interface when a voltage is applied.
Alright, some of this information may be lost in translation to common folk, but what people should note about this is the simple fact that this carbon sponge opens the door to better energy storage. Leading researchers said that they are looking to further improve this new carbon. In order to do this, however, they will have to receive further funding so that they can continue their research on the material.

Bright young sparks

Bright young sparks

Peter (Kipling) Hall has just been taken on as our next budding apprentice.
Peter will benefit from the best training possible.

D A Woolgar provides young electricians with the confidence and assurance to go into the industry with the best knowledge around.

'bio-batteries'

British scientists say they've found how cells transfer electrical charge, bringing bacterial fuel cells or "bio-batteries" a step closer.

Researchers at the University of East Anglia have demonstrated for the first time the exact molecular structure of the proteins that enable bacterial cells to transfer electrical charge, a university release said Monday.

The discovery could lead to techniques to "tether" bacteria directly to electrodes, creating efficient microbial fuel cells or "bio-batteries."

"This is an exciting advance in our understanding of how some bacterial species move electrons from the inside to the outside of a cell," UEA researcher Tom Clarke said. "Identifying the precise molecular structure of the key proteins involved in this process is a crucial step towards tapping into microbes as a viable future source of electricity."