Special Report
A wholesale view of Amendment 3
MK Electric’s Emma Segelov.
comprehensively reflect on the impact of the 17th Edition Amendment 3:2015. With this in mind, the broadest perspective
T Q
surely belongs to electrical wholesalers. As the gateway between customers and manufacturers, wholesalers interact with contractors on a daily basis and have the greatest insight into what items are most in demand, and what the big questions are around regulations. To get an overview of how Amendment 3 has
affected the industry, Phil Webb of BEW spoke to MK Electric.
Since changes outlined in the 17th Edition Amendment 3
relating to single phase circuit protection consumer units, what have been the most common customer requests? Stacking options for consumer units are one of our most frequently requested products. Having more circuits in any house is a safer option, so bigger domestic units are required more often than not. Lockable solutions are available as an additional item, and are also frequently requested by customers.
Q
Have the 17th Edition Amendment 3 changes affected
the types of consumer units your customers are asking for? It absolutely has. We’ve found that most electrical contractors have erred on the side of caution in the wake of the changes, and almost
www.ewnews.co.uk Sockets incorporating USB ports now cater for our increasing reliance on smart devices.
all opted to specify metal consumer units pretty much immediately after the regulations came into effect. Although BEW continued to sell plastic units for some time after the publication of Amendment 3 – for suitable situations, when asked for – we have seen a significant drop in sales of these. In our experience, electrical contractors will
always go for a responsible ‘belt and braces’ approach when confronted with directives which may be open to misinterpretation. Therefore, it’s unsurprising that we’ve seen an almost exclusive demand for non-combustible consumer units.
Q
Have the 17th Edition changes affected how you put together
bespoke circuit protection solutions for customers? Most of our customers in the new build sector come to us with their own specification, and we stock these products to service their needs. Otherwise, we’ve had great success the 16way and 21way metal boards populated with MCBs, two RCDs, isolator and spare ways.
●Continued over June 2017 electrical wholesaler | 37
We’re all aware of the implications of the third amendment to the 17th Edition, but how has it made an impact in real world terms? Emma Segelovfrom MK Electric spoke to Phil Webb, Joint Company Chairman for electrical distributor BEW, to find out how Amendment 3:2015 has affected wholesalers and their customers as we look towards the release of the 18th Edition, IET Wiring Regulations.
wo years on from its publication, and with the 18th Edition due to publish in July 2018, the industry can now
Phil Webb, Joint Chairman of BEW.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64
