Editor’s Note / Contents


EDITOR Deborah Eales Email: deales@datateam.co.uk Tel: 01354 461430


DIVISIONALMANAGER Mike Gammon Email: mgammon@datateam.co.uk Tel: 01622 699142


SALESMANAGER John Wilson Email: jwilson@datateam.co.uk Tel: 01622 699127


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NEWS


5 INDUSTRY NEWS Market and industry update


12 INSTALLATION NEWS Case studies from around the industry


17 EW AWARDS 2017 Madame Tussauds here we come! Book your table.


34 SPECIAL REPORT Tamlite marks its 50th anniversary


38 PEOPLE NEWS News from ESP, LG, Sprue and more


REGULARS


MARCH VOLUME 56 NUMBER 03 Electrical Wholesaler is


www.ewnews.co.uk


proud to support the Electrical Industries Charity


11 COVER STORY 19 INDUSTRY COMMENT 20 INDUSTRY COMMENT 37 ELECTRICAL INDUSTRIES CHARITY 37 BUSINESS SOFTWARE 41 COMPETITION 42 PRODUCT FINDER 46 RECRUITMENT 48 BUYERS GUIDE


FEATURES


22 FIRE & CO ALARMS Latest guidance on locating smoke, heat and CO alarms


25 BUILDING AUTOMATION A business opportunity not to be missed


26 ENERGY MANAGEMENT Lot 20: Face the facts


28 UNDERFLOOR HEATING The hidden facts that wholesalers should know


32 TOOLS Next generation profits


36 TRAINING I really want to be an electrical wholesaler!


March 2017 electrical wholesaler | 3


Connected technology and the awareness gap S


ome interesting stats have emerged in a joint survey by the Electrical Contractors’


Association, Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers and the Scottish electrical trade body, SELECT. It appears that there is still some way to go


before end-user clients fully grasp the Internet of Things. The survey revealed that more than half of


the respondents felt that the lack of clear advice and knowledge was a barrier to installing connected technology.


Now I am not suggesting that electrical wholesalers should take on the mantle of educators in this complex area. But I can’t help feeling that somewhere along the line, someone is missing a trick – in terms of marketing the benefits of IoT connected technology to both commercial and domestic property electrical installers. Interestingly, six out of 10 respondents said that they had no plans to evaluate or install connected technology. Connected technology is undoubtedly a fantastic salvo in the battle to reduce energy bills and create more efficient buildings. And electrical wholesalers can only benefit from the expected evolution in this kind of technology. But with consultants, engineers, end clients, local authorities and facilities managers citing


25


lack of awareness/knowledge as a barrier, clearly work needs to be done. One useful pointer for electrical wholesalers is that over the next five years, respondents said the technologies most likely to be installed in buildings will be CCTV and security (78 per cent), heating (74 per cent), fire systems (69 per cent), and BEMS (67 per cent). Steve Martin, Head of Specialist Groups at the ECA said: “The survey findings show that clients rightly recognise that a smart technology revolution in buildings is on the horizon, but are generally unprepared and lack the knowledge at present to make this a success.” The ECA intends to work with the wider


industry to help building clients develop and implement plans to take advantage of these commercial and technological opportunities.” And electrical wholesalers will have a role in maintaining that dialogue and awareness of connected technology with their customers. If this is to be an annual survey, I look forward


to seeing how the stats stack up next year! Have a good month.


Deborah Eales Editor


deales@datateam.co.uk 26 32


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