The editor of Professional Electrician, in his recent viewpoint column, waxed lyrical about the “emperors new clothes” and why Solar PV isn’t going to be the cash cow (he refers to udders as well!) that the readers of Professional Electrician have been lead to believe.
You know what……….we have always said that if you want to be in it, you have got to do it properly or not at all. And for those of you out there that choose to get involved and get the right training, and get MCS certified with a MCS scheme provider, then yes there is an honest profit to be made…………… and in fairness, the article in Professional Electrician does say that but not until the end of what at first seems to be a luddites charter!
The article seems to suggest that Solar PV will have a small impact on global warming….it isn’t just about polar bears you know…..it is about all of us making small contributions to saving energy and in the case of solar PV, harnessing the energy from the sun to generate electricity……… wasn’t it John Heywood who said, “Many hands make light work”…..well in this case many Solar PV panels save energy.
I rest my case
As part of a key strategy to develop the skills of UK electricians in the installation of sustainable energy, Total Electrical Training has gained approval to run the City & Guilds 2372-0001/002 in Solar Photovoltaic.For many electrical contractors and domestic electricains, opting for a nationally recognised qualification is not only important, it is a seen as a must have by many certification bodies.
Total Electrical Training succesfully applied for City and Guilds 2372 scheme approval, and has taken the view that as City and Guilds has widespread recognition, that anyone holding the qualification, is clearly demonstrating that they have been on a training course, which will in turn strike a chord with private or commercial clients seeking tenders for the installation of solar power.
For us at Total Electrical Training, We are really excited about offering this 5-day course, which is part of our commitment to be at the heart of renewable technology, and at the same time, making a contribution to reductions in carbon emmessions. Total Electrical Training really believes that by offering this course, We will be able to give electricians the best possible chance of securing their share of this rapidly growing sector – and as we ahve said, it gives us all an opportunity to contribute, and benefit, from doing something positive to help the envirnoment – a win-win situation all round!
So whats the course all about?
The course has been developed to specifically address the underpinning knowledge and specialist skills required for domestic PV installations. It encompasses information on the types of panels available, how to ensure maximum benefit from an installation – in terms of both energy and financial reward; Building Regulations, MCS certification and inspection and testing.
What about the future?
In addition, TET plans to develop and evolve its sustainable energy training programmes to include certification in domestic and commercial installations in other types of renewable energy sources. We say,Solar PV systems are seen as an essential part of the Coalition Government’s green energy policy. The recently introduced Feed-In Tariff is now a real incentive for consumers, and electricians need to be ready with the knowledge, skills and qualifications to embrace this technology’.
Want to book a course…..click here
In a recent issue of consumer magazine Which?, a report highlighted the significant increase in electrical safety problems with electrical equipment hired from a number of well known high street outlets. Electrical contractors and electricians in general, let alone members of the public, are apparently being exposed to potentially dangerous electrical equipment. Which? went on to say “hirers of power tools and other ancillary equipment have been warned that hired electrical and other equipment may not meet the correct safety standards”.
These serious electrical safety issues came to light in a recent wide and sweeping survey by Which? magazine, covering DIY tools and equipment, which had ostensibly been hired from some of the UK’s major hire companies. Shockingly, as many as half of the items were said to have failed laboratory tests, with a significant number having potentially dangerous electrical problems, such as un-earthed plugs and damaged wires.
There were also concerns over the advice provided by some counter staff about the safety equipment provided with the tools being hired. The article noted that twenty-six tools were tested from different branches of Brandon Hire, HireStation, HSS, Jewson, Speedy, Travis Perkins, plus four independent shops; and HSS was the only company whose tools showed no faults.
At Total Electrical Training, we have long taken the view that any electrical equipment, that is not part of the fixed wiring installation, must be tested, in accordance with the IEE Code of Practice for In service Testing of Electrical Equipment. Total Electrical Training has always advised that any electrical testing on equipment should only be carried out by those who have been trained and have achieved the City and Guilds 2377 qualification, which includes a full “hands-on” training element, as well as a practical examination. As a result of these alarming statistics, the HSE itself have now started to carry out unannounced inspections at numerous construction sites across the UK.
It can’t be stressed highly enough that the employer has a direct care of duty for all employees whilst they are in attendance at the workplace; and thoroughly training those who have a direct responsibility for testing electrical equipment to ensure it is totally safe for themselves and others to use, and ultimately securing the workplace is safe, surely makes good sense.
‘Fail to prepare, prepare to fail’; it’s an old adage, but it still rings true.
This recently caught our eye as we were ambling along through the highways of the internet:
“With No Previous Experience You Can Re-Train And Enter The Renewable Energy Industry Potentially Earning Between £22,187 And £50,747 pa.” The script then goes on to say “Cash in on the Green Revolution and become a Domestic Green Engineer. Anyone looking for solar and other renewable energy courses must check out this brand new opportunity in the world of green plumbing and heating”
Without being to unkind to whoever has penned this piece of copy, nothing is further from the truth -
So here we put the record straight and yes, you heard it before….. it is about regulations and in this case, protecting the consumer.
So lets look at the Microgeneration scheme or MCS and the feed in tariff side of things.
Firstly, MCS is a certification scheme – it certifies the product or ensures that products meet a minimum standard and it also certifies the installer or installation company – why ? ….well for the consumer to then benefit from the generous feed in tariff (41.3 p per Kwh), the system must have MCS certified product and the products like the inverter must be G83/1 compliant and the installer must be part of a MCS certification scheme – the NICEIC, Elecsa and Napit all have MCS certification schemes…..why not check out our comprehensive section here on our web site click here >>>>
Our main concern here though is that as we saw with Part P, the charlatans and the get rich quick merchants are coming out in force promising the earth and probably delivering an invoice which you will have to pay pronto – so as ever, and I know its boring advice, but once again, buyer beware!
So. the solar photovoltaic market in the UK is about to really take off…..but wait……inverters are in short supply….. !!!!!
In the not so distant past, inverters were just another part of the PV installation – and probably because of the relatively small number that we in the UK were installing, and let’s be honest; the tiny proportion that they accounted for globally, it really didn’t matter if the UK didn’t get its delivery quota for any one month. That’s is until now…….
With that recent announcement by HM government on feed in tariffs, and with reliable predictions of the market growing by well over 90 % each year for the next 5 years, inverters have now become the “must have” piece of kit…in short they are of critical importance to installers and customers alike – however, due to the severe lack of G83 compliant inverters, this will lead to delayed connection of hundreds of Solar PV installations.
So the news that householders have been waiting for….and as always, there is disappointment for some and rewards for others..
In announcing the new feed in tariffs, the government has reneged on its original plan to radically alter the landscape for renewable energy. Instead, what most commentators see is in its proposed levels of support scheme for small-scale renewable energy schemes, is a distinct lack of ambition to tackle climate change.
Unveiling the new so-called feed-in tariffs (FITs) paid to people, communities or businesses who generate electricity from solar PV panels, wind turbines or other renewable sources, the governments energy secretary Ed Miliband said the government still only intends that this sector would eventually supply only 2% of the country’s electricity by 2020 – incredibly, and in spite of mounting evidence for rampant climate change, that’s the same figure he proposed in mid 2009.
But the sweeteners are that Some new technologies, such as solar photovoltaic panels on household roofs will get a higher feed-in tariff, and, importantly, all tariffs will be continually updated to adjust for inflation each year. But large-scale community wind turbines will now get a lower feed in tariff than proposed last year, leaving the overall level of support to the industry little changed.
And as with everything, this could all change after the election with the Conservative Party pledging to introduce a much higher rate of feed in tariff to match those in Germany. Either way, the time has come for renewables and for those of you who need to gain insight into PV, we will be offering the NIC Certification PV Installers course, from Mid April onwards – for more details on this, check out our courses section on the main web site www.totalelectricaltraining.com
Dazed and Confused………
This is a tale of two (or several) “august” bodies.
We had an interesting series of events recently which we feel you might be interested in, and yes, it’s that hoary old chestnut; when do you need to be qualified to the 17th edition.
According to the document that is in the public domain, otherwise known as the Electrotechnical assessment specification (EAS) published by the IET. Amongst other things, it provides useful guidance on things like scope and responsibilities as well as information on test equipment. Bedtime reading it isn’t but, in the sub text and on page 9, paragraph 11.11 (sorry if we are sounding like Judge John Deed!), it highlights the requirements relating to a Qualified Supervisor, and in particular, the requirements to have adequate knowledge, and to quote directly from the document, paragraph 11.11 states very clearly:
“A proposed Qualified Supervisor shall be required to hold an appropriate BS 7671: 2008 qualification awarded by a body regulated by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority or the Scottish Qualifications Authority within 12 months of acceptance by the Certification or Registration Body”…….and here it get interesting, because paragraph 11.12 goes onto to say “Registered Qualified Supervisors shall be required to hold an appropriate BS 7671: 2008 qualification awarded by a body regulated by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority or the Scottish Qualifications Authority by the first surveillance visit after 31 December 2010, but by no later than 31 December 2011″…….
And it gets even better!. To quote Alan Wells, head of the electrotechnical business unit at the NICEIC, he says in the very latest issue of Electrical Engineering, “we should all maintain continuous professional development and keep abreast of changes to regulations whilst striving to improve and raise standards of fixed electrical installation work.”. But that wasn’t all. Hew went on to say something else which was a critical comment, it may have slipped under the radar so to speak; what he confirmed was that as we had suspected all along, that the NICEIC requires that all qualified supervisors will have to undertaken and achieved (passed!) a qualification that shows that the person concerned has a good understanding of the 17th edition.
So there you have it………and please don’t shoot the messenger….we are only here to try and clarify what is at the very least a confusing picture.
We will be back next month with another gem, no doubt!
It’s a simple fact of life that we humans always take the least line of resistance……..
We have a cautionary tale for you and yes, it may sound a bit like eggs and suck but please heed our advice!
It goes a bit like this………
A guy calls us……he asks us “how much do we charge for just sitting a City and Guilds 2382-10 examination – that’s the full certificate for the 17th edition no less…..we tell him, “that’s £120.00 plus VAT”….he then says….”that’s a bit steep, I only paid £14.00 for the whole course!”….we say…”what…a full course for £14.00….where is absolute bargain of a course?”…..”Oh….I downloaded it from a really good internet site called www xxxx !”…(we wont name names here, really to protect any embarrassment)………..he carries on “So, is that it….I got through the exam on the download and passed with flying colours”………so we asked him a few basic questions about the number of parts in the 17th…you know the sort of thing….what is a TT system…nothing to heavy mind you……..after that little discussion, it dawned on us and more importantly on him….he really didn’t know his way around the 17th edition – whets more, the questions that he said the download contained were not only badly worded, the answers to 4 questions, that this so called programme gave him, were just plain wrong!
Now I am not here to say, come to us and you will get through the exam……no, and for the record, there is absolutely no such thing as a 100 % pass mark for any training provider….but if you go to a reputable City and Guilds approved centre, then you will be thoroughly prepared for the exam and hopefully pass…….
So, if you are someone that really wants to pass the 17th edition, please, please be wary of downloaded “17th edition” exam questions……you may be wasting a lot of your time………
We has a good time at the annual Elex exhbition, held at Sandown during the early part of Dec 2009. We had a chance to meet clients and customers, both old and new and of course, we had a chance to catch up with Tony Cable and the crew from the NICEIC.
As 2009 draws to a close, we would like to thank everyone who has attended a course with us over the last decade and we look forward to entering into the second decade of the 21st. Century with perhaps a much improved business atmosphere.
A global switch to efficient lighting systems would trim the world’s electricity bill by nearly one-tenth.
That is the conclusion of a study from the International Energy Agency (IEA), which it says is the first global survey of lighting uses and costs.
The carbon dioxide emissions saved by such a switch would, it concludes, dwarf cuts so far achieved by adopting wind and solar power.
And so fellow electricians, this is the next big thing and my guess is, the one true (forgive the pun) light at the end of the tunnel.
With the updated “part L” of the building regulations, place emphasis on energy saving and effeciencies, the massive savings offered by changing lighting in the home and office to new LED lighting technologies could pave the way to more installations and more profit.
We are introducing a new course on energy effeciency in buildings soon………..watch this space and web site !