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Editorial THE JOURNAL OF THE ECA JANUARY 2012 ISSUE 9


NEW YEAR, NEW OPPORTUNITIES


2012 WHY THE GREEN AGENDA IS GOOD FOR BUSINESS TURNING UP THE HEAT Have you switched on to the RHI? CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE


How ECA members helped deliver the International Broadcast Centre for London 2012


www.eca.co.uk ECA Jan12 pp01 Cover.indd 1 www.eca.co.uk


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Editor: Phil Lattimore Tel: 07802 870008 Email: phil.lattimore@ecatoday.co.uk


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For ECA Managing editor: Stefan Hay Tel: 020 7313 4860 Email: stefan.hay@eca.co.uk


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The opinions expressed in editorial material do not necessarily represent the views of the Electrical Contractors’ Association. Unless specifi cally stated, goods or services mentioned in editorial or advertisements are not formally endorsed by the ECA, which does not guarantee or endorse or accept any liability for any goods and/or services featured in this publication.


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oday would like to give a special acknowledgement to our launch partners and thank them for their continued support.


January 2012 ECA Today 3


Phil Lattimore Editor


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22/12/11 11:40:25


PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE From training to marketing and more


From the editor... W


elcome to the fi rst ECA Today of 2012. This is traditionally the time of year when we refl ect on the good and bad times of the past 12 months and look ahead to a more positive New Year to come.


Naturally, much of the focus over the past couple of months since ECA Today last appeared has been on the proposed slashing of the level of Feed-In Tariffs (FITs). While 2011 was another diffi cult year for the electrical industry, the solar photovoltaic (PV) installation market was one area of the sector that was booming, and the timing and level of the cuts was bound to hit one of the brighter areas of the UK economy hard. As we went to press, two parliamentary committees, the Environmental Audit Committee and Energy and Climate Change Committee, had criticised the ‘clumsy’ handling of the FITs changes, saying that they could have a ‘devastating effect’ on the solar industry, while a separate legal challenge to the changes was underway in the High Court. A cut in subsidies may have been on the cards – as costs of solar PV installations have fallen signifi cantly, and the demand on funds allocated for the scheme has soared – but the abrupt imposition gave businesses little time to adjust. Furthermore, while returns on solar PV installations may still be good, the message to potential customers has been negative – adding a level of unwelcome uncertainty to this growth sector.


Looking ahead


As we move ahead into 2012, there are some more positive signals emerging. Among these is the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), which offers electrical contractors opportunities in renewable heating; you can read a detailed update on this scheme in our feature Turning up the heat on pages 42-45 of this issue. The RHI is just one of the areas of potential growth emerging from the government’s carbon reduction targets – and the pressing need to meet them. The Green Deal, which is due to be introduced in the autumn, brings with it a promise of more opportunities for switched- on contractors to benefi t from the government’s green agenda. As the ECA keeps saying, electrical contractors have precisely the skills and knowledge required to implement energy effi cient technologies, and to become the energy solutions provider for customers, both domestic and business. We have an overview of some of the opportunities in our article New year: new future? on pages 20-23. In announcing a range of infrastructure projects, the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement also offered a few much-needed positives for the hard-pressed construction sector, albeit among the general air of economic doom and gloom. One major bright spot for the year promises to be the London 2012 Olympic and


Paralympic Games. We’ve previously covered some of the prestigious projects at the Olympic Park with which ECA members have been involved, and in this issue we look at the complex demands of the International Broadcast Centre, which will be beaming the Games to the world. You can read all about it in Centre of excellence on pages 30-35. There’s plenty more in this issue, too, from articles on home entertainment and marketing advice to fi re and security training and cloud computing for electrical contractors. We hope you fi nd it interesting and useful. Finally, everyone at ECA Today would like to wish all our readers a very happy and prosperous New Year. See you again soon.


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