Electricity Meters Wired Backwards ‘Causing Grid Chaos’ ⚠️

Electricity meters which have been fitted backwards are causing chaos on the network, say grid chiefs…

…an electrician suffers a serious leg injury after a fall at a nuclear power plant…

…and the government warns the trade about an exploding hammer drill that’s hit the market…

Welcome to Electrical News Weekly in association with Shelly, helping electricians offer smarter buildings and better energy management

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Show Notes:

Catch all the stories, links, and product info from this episode - it’s all waiting for you in the show notes at 👉 http://www.efixx.co.uk/electricity-meters-wired-backwards-causing-grid-chaos

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Thanks to our premium partners:
Ledvance 👉 https://hub.efixx.co.uk/LedvanceDirectEasy
CHUMPTools 👉https://hub.efixx.co.uk/ChumpfixENW
Doncaster Cables 👉 http://hub.efixx.co.uk/doncastercables-enw
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Time Stamps ⏱️
00:00 Electrical News Weekly 10/08/2026
01:02 Electricity Meters Wired Backwards ‘Causing Grid Chaos’ 
02:41 Electrician Seriously Injured In Nuclear Plant Fall
03:31 Trade Warned About An Exploding Hammer Drill
04:28 MCS Announce 6 Month Grace Period
05:44 Win a Complete Home Energy Management System
06:20 Greencable Now Services The Whole Of London
07:29 Congratulations To Cucumber Lighting
07:59 Paul Russells Lamp of The Week
08:27 Learner of The Week
09:24 Tea Break With Quickwire
11:15 eFIXX Weather Report
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#enw #electricians #electricalnews

Transcript

Coming up on this week's news, electricity meters which have been fitted backwards are causing chaos on the network, says grid chiefs. An electrician suffers a serious leg injury after a fall at a nuclear power plant. And the government warns the trade about an exploding hammer drill that's hit the market. Welcome to Electrical News Weekly in association with Shelly, helping electricians offer smarter buildings and better energy management. Shelly's range of smart relay, sensors, and control devices makes it easy to add automation without the cost and disruption of rewiring. Whether you're listening in the van on site or down at the wholesale counter. I'm Joe Robinson and I've been through the best of the electrical industry news to save you the trouble. And if you think you've spotted the two words that I've been challenged to slip into this week's show, comment with them below for the chance to win this exclusive cap branded with friends of the show Quickwire and Chump Tools. And while you're there, click the links in the show notes to check out what our sponsors offer. On the show notes web page, you'll also find our bonus story section covering a wide range of subjects. It's definitely worth a read. And stay tuned to the end of the show to catch up on our regular features, including the weather from Fox ESS, learner of the week with excess training, and the lighter side of the news from Quickwire. Electricity meters, which have been fitted backwards, are causing chaos on the network. Grid chiefs estimate that the incorrectly installed devices are costing the nation a staggering 100 million pounds a year. They say that the reverse polarity units are telling the system they are generating power when they're actually consuming it, or they're generating, not consuming. This makes it harder to operate the grid within safe limits. The Times newspaper reports a whistleblower saying that the engineers in the grid control room are increasingly like a short-sighted Sparrow hawk or flying blind over what's happening on the network. We added the metaphor in the last sentence. It says a major issue with the misreporting meters is on offshore wind farms. It's believed that the devices on 416 turbine installations across up to 45 sites could be faulty. There are also reversed meters in a further 402 unidentified installations onshore. These could be anything from batteries or solar arrays to power management tools and substations. Energy consultant Andrew Larkins told the newspaper that the issue may have arisen in some cases because the installers involved are accustomed to fitting meters on households or businesses rather than power sources such as batteries or substations. A spokesman for energy watchdog says that the national energy system operator has tools to manage issues related to meter polarity. However, it accepts that these need to be improved given the changes in the energy system. A government spokesman says it's reversing decades of underinvestment in upgrading and building out the grid. And if you're looking for devices that only spin backwards when you want them to, then take a look at the latest range of power tools from DeWalt with tools created specifically for the electrical industry. They're tested on site and in the hardest possible ways. Dropped, covered in dust, abused, and driven to the absolute limits so they'll keep working exactly when you need them to. In other news, an electrician who is replacing a light fitting at a nuclear power station has sustained serious leg injuries following a fall. The accident occurred at Torness Nuclear Power Station in Scotland. The installer, who isn't being named, plunged from portable steps. He's employed by Dalia Facilities, which has the contract to provide technical services to the power station. Following the incident, the industry watchdog has issued an improvement notice. The Office for Nuclear Regulation found that Dalkia Facilities Limited had not made appropriate arrangements to ensure that work at height was properly planned and supervised to protect the safety of its workers. It's taken enforcement action against Dalkia Facilities Limited under the work at height regulations 2005. The company is now required to have suitable arrangements to ensure work at height is properly planned, appropriately supervised, and the right equipment is used to ensure worker safety. It must comply with the notice by the 27th of October. Another watchdog, this time the product safety office is in the news this week. It's warning the trade about a brushless hammer drill from SundpeyPRO. The Chinese-made power tool represents a high risk of fire because the supplied plug has insufficient granular filler and is considered counterfeit. The filler is needed to make sure that the fuse operates properly under fault conditions. Its absence could lead to the plug overheating or exploding, says the watchdog. The drill does not meet the requirements of the relevant safety standards or the plugs and socket regulations of 1994. It's been rejected at the border and the listing on Amazon has been removed. I've put some more information about model numbers as well as a link to the Office for Product Safety and Standards report in the show notes. And if you're looking for equipment you know you can rely on, you'll want to fit the range of high quality smoke alarms from Kidde. From battery powered to hardwired, there's an easy to install solution that suits your customers with the latest sensing technologies to detect potential fire hazards and comply with strict European standards. Our very own Joe Hammonds made a great video on the new range with one very surprising feature. You know where to find the link. The micro generation certification scheme has announced a six-month grace period for solar products to comply with its new standards. While four standard revisions kicked in in August, as well as solar PV, there are updates for solar heating, wind turbines, and integrated photovoltaics. Only solar PV products will benefit from the extension. The MCS said it made the decision to reduce disruption for the trade and ensure that products already on the shelves can be used up like yesterday's gel. Again, the metaphor is the presenter zone. The organisation is emphasising that the withdrawal of the previous certification is not due to any identified safety concerns with the products. However, it warns manufacturers not to use the grace period as an opportunity to continue producing or selling affected products. To help keep your PV installations resilient and stable, have a look at the range of PV testers from Metrel. Whether you're testing your first domestic solar installation or commissioning an entire PV system, they've got a tester for the job. The range starts with the streamlined, easy to use MI3114 for essential photovoltaic checks, then steps all the way up to advanced analysers capable of IV curve tracing, efficiency measurements, insulation testing, and the radiance logging in the form of the MI3116 with a neat option in the middle ground in the form of the MI3115. So whether you need the essentials or the all singing all dancing solution, there's a Metrel PV tester built around the way you work. In promotion news, Sync Energy has unveiled a competition that set the trade ad buzz. And that's because the top prize, wait for it, is a complete home energy management system. It includes the complete Sync Energy Flow all-in-one system. There's a hybrid inverter, three stackable 5.12 kWh battery modules, an EV charger, a solar power diverter, and circuit protection. It all works together as one intelligent system. The prize is worth a total of over £7,000. Entering is super easy. Simply fill in the entry form on Sync Energy's website. It's open until the end of August and you'll need to be MCS registered. I've popped a link in the show notes. Now, some news from friend of the channel, Greencable. If you're not familiar with the scheme, it's a mobile scrapyard that comes to you. The company gives you a green wheelie bin. There's no contract or service charge. You simply put in your offcuts of Twin and Earth and other non-ferris metal. They collect it, they give you money, and that's it. The news is that Greencable has expanded right across London. That's right, all of it. every postcode, even the ones with hipsters. In fact, the green cable bins are already out in the capital collecting tons of copper and other non-ferris materials. Even better, those materials are being turned into real value for electricians. If you've signed up, they'll be in touch to advise the next steps for receiving your bin. If you're not signed up already, this is your opportunity to do good for the planet and earn more extra cash. If you work on large jobs, remember they'll collect from site and issue legally compliant documentation to prove responsible disposal of waste materials. The link, as ever, is in the show notes. Speaking of branching out into new areas, why not try the seriously flexible and smoothly illuminated neonled lighting from Ultra LED. Perfect for extremely tight spaces with a dot-free seamless glow in a huge range of colours and effects. Perfect for both outdoor and indoor applications. All this and it's incredibly quick to install with their quick connect system. You know where to find the link. In product news, a big congratulations go out this week to Cucumber. The vegetable monikered controls and sensor company has been nominated for not one but two products in the build back better awards. It's the only manufacturer who can make that claim this year. The first shortlisted bit of kit is an innovative card made from bamboo. When it's tapped against a mobile phone, the Q remote turns it into a remote control. Its second development is the Q connect, a lighting control module that's been designed to be installed faster, more efficiently, and with lower environmental impact. All the best, folks. Now, how about this for a bright idea? It's the Paul Russell's lamp of the week. This week we've got one of the less usual shapes, the T45. It's like a regular lamp that's been on a diet. This one has an Edison screw base and it's been given a twist with a helix LED filament and tinted glass. It has a really cozy color temperature of,800 Kelvin and it's dimmable, so it's perfect for hospitality and retail projects. It gives out 250 lumens and has a rated lifetime of 15,000 hours. You can see the full range of lamps at paulrussellles.com. Now, it's that great moment where we get to celebrate the sterling work being done by the next generation. Our learner of the week slot is brought to you by XS Training with their online electrical courses for beginners and experienced Sparks covering inspection and testing, solar, battery storage, EV charging, and their specialism, NVQs, and AM2 online prep. Our learner of the week this week is Jack Woolley from Chesterfield College. Jack is currently studying for his level three. What's really impressed is his presence on LinkedIn. Not only has he documented his own two-year journey at the college, but he also regularly shares content from across the electrical industry. This demonstrates that he's fully embraced the platform and shows anyone viewing his profile that he is genuinely invested in building a career in the industry. Jack has also showcased the additional qualifications he's achieved through the eFIXX CPD library. It's exactly the kind of proactive approach that employers are looking for when searching for apprentices and young electricians. Congratulations, Jack, on being today's eFIXX learner of the week in association with XS Training. We wish you well in your career. And now to the light side of the electrical news. Yes, it's time for a tea break with Quickwire in its range of incredibly rapid electrical connectors. An electrician has struck gold for England in the Commonwealth Games. Devon based installer Sam Tolchard swapped back boxes for bowls and powered his way to victory in the men's singles, beating Malaysia's Izzat Dzulkeple in the final. It was his fifth attempt at the top spot on the podium. It's great to see an electrician winning something other than an argument with a plaster. and my sincerest apologies to the entire nation of Malaysia for mangling the pronunciation of ISAT's surname. That's the lighter side of the news in our tea break with QuickWire and their range of incredibly rapid electrical connectors. Click the link in the show notes to check them out for yourself. Now, just before we get to your favourite bit of the show where I reveal last week's challenge words and winners, we want to thank our premium partners. We couldn't make the news without you. First up, Ledvance, your vision, their lights. Celebrating 10 years and 100 years experience. One of our favourite new innovations here at eFIXX, especially now it's in sexy new packaging for rock solid fixings in flimsier materials. Don't just fix it when you can chump fix it. And the best thing to come out of Yorkshire since stainless steel, the home of EV Ultra and other groundbreaking and quality products, it's Doncaster Cables. Click the links in the show notes to find out more about these great brands. If you think you know the words that I've smuggled into this week's show, pop your guess into the comments. We'll take all the correct guesses and select one at random to be the winner of an EIX goodie bag prize. Answers submitted after midnight on the Wednesday after release will not be entered into the draw. Now, let's reveal the winners of last week's challenge word competition. Last week's words were squeegee and stairlift. And kudos to those in our audience who pointed out that it's unlikely stair lifts will get stuck in a power cut as they're usually battery operated. Let's just say that particular challenge word was challenging. Anyway, the first person to come out of electronic hat was stage hits. So, well done to you, Stage. Make sure you click the get involved link in the show notes to claim your prize. And now it's time for this week's weather from Joe 3PO and Fox CSS. I'm back in the studio this week, but judging by the forecast, the sunglasses may be getting more use than the umbrella, at least to begin with. High pressure is still in control, but can it hold on until the weekend and deliver a full week of strong solar generation. More on that shortly. For this week's Fox ESS premier partner, it is Paddock Electrical Based on the Powers Shropshire Border. This local family run contractor provides solar PV, battery storage, and a complete range of domestic and commercial electrical services. For this week's solar barometer, we're staying close to Paddock Electrical, and heading to Grog Hill in Welsh Pool. There's a good mixture of detached and semi- detached homes, plenty of useful pitch roof space, and with some strong solar conditions arriving early this week. Local installers, it may be worth taking a closer look. Okay, Tuesday starts mainly dry and bright across the UK. Although a few scattered showers may develop in western areas, temperatures will reach the low 20s in Scotland and Northern Ireland, climbing into the upper 20s across Wales and Southern England. Wednesday looks like the standout solar day. Most places will remain dry with long, bright spells, while temperatures could reach 32° in London and the Southeast. Even northern areas should see some useful sunshine and temperatures well into the 20s. Uh by Thursday, a north south split begins to develop. Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Northern England become more cloudier and more changeable with a growing chance of showers. Southern and eastern England remain mostly dry, bright, and potentially very hot. Uh Friday and the weekend look increasingly unsettled in the north and west, bringing showers, cloudier skies, and a stronger breeze. Southern Britain should hold on to the best of the dry and bright weather, although the risk of showers may spread further south and east by Sunday. Thanks for that update, Joe, and thanks for listening to this episode of Electrical News Weekly in association with Shelly, helping electricians offer smarter buildings and better energy management. Shelly's range of smart relays, sensors, and control devices makes it easy to add automation without the cost and disruption of rewiring. Thanks for listening, and until next time, have a great week. Stay safe out there and remember there's no such thing as a torque calibrated arm.