Issue 12

WIRED
THE LATEST NEWS AND ADVICE FROM THE ELECTRICAL INDUSTRY EXPERTS:
" A Fresh approach to Electrical Engineering "
WHAT’S IN STORE:
Has Christmas
come early?
Bright Spark:
Alessandro
Volta
LEE’S
LANDMARKS
Lee Johnson, Managing Director of
Advanced Electrical Services explains...
With Christmas around the corner it
seems some training centres have
been taking the saying ‘Christmas has
come early’ quite literally.
Basically you are given a book with
all the questions and answers before sitting
the test, you then need to get 38 correct
answers from 45 questions.
It’s was with sheer surprise and
astonishment that I got home one night
and sat down in front of the 6 o’clock news
to be greeted with a story about training
centres ‘rigging’ construction safety exams.
The following are genuine questions from
the ECS test paper. ECS is the electrical
equivalent of the CSCS – and remember,
get these correct and you’re safe to work
on a site.
Apparently the flagship CSCS
(Construction Skills Certification Scheme)
qualification has been called into question
because some test centres have been
guaranteeing a qualification for cash!
• W
hich of the following would you use
to replace the fuse in a plug if fuses
were NOT available?
The reason I was so surprised is because
you would have to be a complete imbecile
not to be able to pass it in the first place. I
have to question if it is even worth calling it
a qualification.
ISSUE 12 > DECEMBER 2015
a. A nail
03
Electrical facts about
famous landmarks 04
CASE STUDY:
b. A piece of silver paper
Charles F Stead
c. A bit of wire
d. None of the options listed
05
Continued on page 02 >
15 MINUTES OF FAME - DEBBIE FOSTER
Favourite holiday
destination:
Cyprus – the weather
and the local people
are amazing.
Favourite TV
show(s):
The X Factor and
Strictly Come
Dancing. I also enjoy
watching Don’t Tell
the Bride – we find it
very funny some of
the venues where they hold their weddings.
15 MINUTES OF FAME
Debbie Foster
01
Accreditations include:
Favourite film:
I enjoy true movies and thrillers. But my
favourite film has to be Titanic.
Jargon
Thermal Imaging
Best music gig you’ve ever been to – who,
where and why?:
Rhianna concert in Newcastle with Calvin
Harris as the support act.
Agony Santa
It was a birthday gift.
Answering electrical
questions no matter how
silly you think they are.
If you could drive any car, what
would it be?:
Probably a Porsche.
07
Continued on page 02 >
CASE STUDY
Charles F Stead
06
05
SNIPPETS
Worth a mention
08
WELCOME
Continued from page 01..
Has Christmas
come early?
WHAT’S
IN STORE:
01Lee’s Soapbox
Lee Johnson, Managing Director of
Advanced Electrical Services explains...
• W
hich of the following statements is true
with regard to the dangers of electricity?
a.Electricity is perfectly safe as long as you
wear cotton gloves
b.Electricity is only dangerous if you are not
wearing wellington boots
c. Electricity is only dangerous in wet weather
d.Electricity is dangerous at any time
because you cannot tell by looking at a
cable whether or not it is live
The funniest thing is that the above
questions are taken from a section with the
heading ‘Electro technical’ – I’m not too sure
about that!
Without a doubt my personal favourites are
the following, and surprisingly they’re not even
in the ‘Electro technical’ section.
• W
hen working in a confined space, such
as a sewer, what danger may occur?
a. Getting wet through
b.Boredom
c. Not enough time for the job to be done
d. Build-up of harmful gases
Has Christmas come early?
01 15 Minutes of Fame
Debbie Foster
• H
ow can you protect your eyesight
while working on site?
a. By squinting
b.By not looking directly at what you
are doing
03 Bright Spark
The achievements of
Alessandro Volta
c.By wearing the correct type of
eye protection
d. By wearing sunglasses
As you can see, it’s not exactly rocket
science! And before I get inundated with
complaints, yes, I have chosen the no
brainers and there are some more relevant
(and more difficult) questions than these, but
I’m sure you get my point. When the bar is so
low in the first place, I’m surprised someone
has manged to get it even lower!
On the subject of Christmas, I can’t believe
how quickly it has come around and I’d like
to thank all our customers for their work
over the last 12 months. I’d also like to wish
everyone a Happy Christmas and prosperous
New Year!
04 Lee’s Landmarks
How electricity is used
in some of the best
known landmarks.
05 Case Study
Charles F Stead
06 Jargon Buster
Thermal Imaging
15 MINUTES OF FAME - DEBBIE FOSTER
Best thing about Yorkshire:
Celebrity crush:
Yorkshire Puds.
Shayne Ward – I went to his concert a few
years ago.
Last book you read:
Fifty Shades of Grey
and I also went to see
the movie with friends
(although surely no one
has that amount of libido
constantly?).
Best thing about Yorkshire:
The Yorkshire Dales with its stunning scenery.
Describe your perfect meal:
Fillet steak with chips and all the trimmings.
Earliest memory:
Starting school at the age of five and hating it.
I threw tantrums crying and not wanting
to stay. I even kicked the teacher so my mum
tells me!
Favourite subject at school:
English. In later years I enjoyed playing in the
netball team.
02
Do you have any pets?:
No but we used to keep
marine and tropical fish –
an expensive hobby, but
they were good relaxation
therapy.
If you were an animal,
what would you be
and why?:
Probably a bird so I could spread my wings
and fly to all the hot countries when the
weather is rubbish here.
When not at work, most likely to
be found…?:
I could be anywhere as I am either out getting
some retail therapy or socialising with family
and friends.
Greatest achievement in life:
Firstly having a son who I am so proud of, and
secondly passing my driving test first time
when I was 21.
07 Agony Santa
Answering electrical
questions no matter how
silly you think they are
08Worth A Mention
The Apprentice
Baby No2
Our Latest Member
08Word Search
Test your brain and are
you our word search
winner from the last edition.
BRIGHT SPARK
Bright Sparks -
Alessandro
Volta
The modern world would look very different
without the contributions of those who helped
us harness electricity and develop electrical
equipment. Here, we focus on some of the
pioneers of the electrical world and their
remarkable achievements.
NAME:
Alessandro Volta
(Conte Alessandro Giuseppe
Antonio Anastasio Volta)
DATES:
18 February 1745 (Como, Italy)
– 5 March 1827 (Como, Italy)
EARLY LIFE:
One of nine children (with four
brothers and four sisters),
Volta was the son of an
Italian noble. He excelled at
the Jesuit-run schools he
attended, mastering foreign
languages and showing great
interest in chemistry.
At the Benzi Royal Seminary,
he met cleric Giulio Cesare
who became his patron.
Then, aged 18, he began
exchanging letters with
French physicist Abbé JeanAntoine Nollet, in which he put
forward the idea that electrical
attraction followed Newton’s
laws of gravity.
FIRST INVENTION:
Improvements to the
electrophorus, a generator
of static electricity.
MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS:
A physicist, chemist and
pioneer of electrical science,
Volta is best known for
inventing the electric battery
– the first source of continual
current.
The Voltaic Pile
3 THINGS YOU MIGHT
NOT KNOW:
1.Napoleon made Volta a
count in 1810.
1700s
• 1775 improved the
electrophorus.
• 1776-7 discovered and
isolated methane gas;
found that methane mixed
with air could be exploded
using an electric spark –
the basis of the internal
combustion engine. Also
studied what’s now known
as capacitance.
• 1777 pioneered the
development of the
eudiometer through
his “Volta Pistol”, used
for testing air and the
flammability of gases
and for demonstrating
the chemical effects of
electricity.
• 1779 appointed Professor
of Experimental Physics at
the University of Pavia.
2.Volta preferred to live a
quiet life and keep out of
the public eye, especially in
his later years.
Early 1800s
• 1800 invented the “voltaic
pile” – effectively the first
electric battery –which
proved that electricity could
be generated chemically –
and reported this invention
in a letter to the Royal
Society.
• 1801 demonstrated the
voltaic pile to Napoleon at
the Institute of France
in Paris.
• 1815 became Director of
the Philosophical Faculty at
the University of Padua.
3. Volta is buried at his old
estate in Camnago, where
a museum and a memorial,
the Tempio Voltiano, have
been built in his memory.
Legacy: In 1881, more than
50 years after Volta’s death,
the volt was named in his
honour, following his work on
Volta’s Law of Capacitance,
which found that the electric
potential in a capacitor is
directly proportional to its
electric charge.
The Voltian Foundation, which
promotes scientific activities, is
based at the Villa Olmo, close
to the Tempio Voltiano.
03
LEE’S LANDMARKS
If you find that organising electrical jobs at your workplace
can be hard work at times, imagine the challenges that those
running major landmarks have to face. Here, we look at
some of the awe-inspiring stats of three familiar landmarks.
Meadowhall
Queen Elizabeth
Olympic Park
The largest shopping centre in Yorkshire
and the 10th largest in the UK, Sheffield’s
Meadowhall is this year celebrating its
25th anniversary, having opened on 4
September 1990.
Occupying a former steelworks site, the
centre is clearly visible from the M1 and is lit
up at night by thousands of bulbs that trace
the shape of the building.
Essential stats:
• Floor area: around 140,000 m2
(approx. 1.5m sq ft)
• Number of stores: around 290, plus
eateries and cinema screens
• Number of visitors a year: more than
25 million
• Number of free parking spaces: 12,000
• Amount of waste recycled: 97%
(Meadowhall has its own recycling centre)
Leeds Bradford Airport
The fastest growing regional airport in
the UK for several years, Leeds Bradford
Airport is situated north-west of Leeds near
the village of Yeadon in West Yorkshire.
Winner of Best UK Airport at the Travel
Weekly Globe Awards 2014, the airport has
direct flights to more than 70 destinations
worldwide and saw an £11m development
in its passenger terminal in 2012.
Essential stats:
•Number of passengers: 3.3 million (in the
five years between 2008-2013)
•Number of staff: more than 2,700
Electric facts:
• Meadowhall was the first UK shopping
centre to install electric car-charging
points
• The annual Meadowhall Christmas Light
Switch On in partnership with Capital
FM, this year took place on 4 November
with bands including Nick Brewer, Philip
George and Sigala.
• In 2013, the Christmas decorations
included 875,283 LED bulbs – along with
3,600 crystal icicles and 8kg of glitter!
04
•Number of businesses within the
airport: 50
Electric facts:
•There are currently proposals for a
new railway station to serve the
airport, if the Northern Electrification
Task Force award funding for the
electrification of the Leeds-HarrogateYork line goes ahead.
•In 1959, permanent airfield lighting
was installed.
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is 560-acre
site in Stratford, east London. It comprises
a multi-use stadium, along with other
sporting venues, walking trails, woodland
and waterways, plus new homes.
The stadium was originally built for the
London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics
and is now used for major sporting events
and as the new ground of West Ham
United FC. Leading rooflight manufacturer
Brett Martin has created a 25,000 m2
transparent roof to bring natural daylight
into the stadium.
The park is also home to Britain’s tallest
sculpture, the ArcelorMittal Orbit: a 114.5m
(375ft) looping red steel tower designed by
Anish Kapoor and Cecil Balmond. Visitors
can ascend by lift for a panoramic view of
London.
Essential stats:
•Size of stadium’s tensile roof: 45,000 m2
(147,638ft)
•Stadium roof width (at deepest point):
84m (275ft)
•Number of spectator seats: 54,000,
including up to 428 wheelchair user
accessible viewing spaces
•Number of people working on the
stadium’s transformation: 5,000
Electric facts:
•14 new floodlight paddles, each weighing
45 tonnes and housing more than 540
lamps, have been used for the stadium’s
new roof
•The new Desso pitch will have
under-soil heating
•A new floodlit 400m (1,312ft) community
athletics track is being built next to the
main stadium
•Copper Box Arena, London’s third
largest sporting arena, has 88 light pipes
incorporated into the roof to draw in
natural light, helping to save 40% energy.
CASE STUDY
Case Study
Charles F Stead
Company
Charles F Stead is one of the most
respected tanners of suede leather in
the world today. They specialise in the
tanning, dyeing and finishing of highgrade suedes and speciality leathers with
interesting grains.
A well-established and world respected
tanner of suede and leather, the company
roots date back to 1895, and the company
is now a prominent member of the
Yorkshire business community.
The Customer
With more than 100 years experience
in the leather industry, Charles F Stead
combine English tradition with the
expertise of a family run leather tannery in
Leeds to provide unique and distinctive
products.
Their customer base includes a variety of
highly prestigious brands such as Clarks,
Timberland, Tods and Merrell to name only
a few.
Charles F Stead are also proud winners
of the Queen’s Award for Export
Achievement, the most dignified accolade
for UK exporters.
quality manufacturers and offering a
unique and distinctive benefit.
Reliability and unobtrusiveness was also
paramount in their selection.
The Solution
Having scoured the available energy
efficiency technologies on the market,
we helped Charles F Stead in identifying
voltage optimisation as an ideal solution
due to the wealth of documented
installations and savings results available.
The UK-manufactured voltage optimisation
system is provided with guaranteed
savings and clear warranty periods,
which gave reassurance to Charles F
Stead that the proposed results would
be achieved.
The project-led, engineering approach
outlined by the Advanced Electrical team
also demonstrated to Charles F Stead
that we are were committed to providing
the best solution for their business.
The Results
The installation of voltage optimisation at
Charles F Stead in Leeds, Yorkshire, took
place on the 24th November 2012.
The installation was seamless and caused
minimal disruption to business operations.
Post install, electrical equipment at
Charles F Stead is running more efficiently
and impressive savings have been
achieved.
Analysis of savings was carried out on the
7th March 2013.
Year on year savings present a 20.74%
kWh energy reduction.
Another Happy Customer:
“We saw voltage optimisation as a major
step in our continual need for improvement
on our environmental performance. We are
very pleased with this energy reduction,
which not only help our targets, but has a
significant impact on our costs too.”
Colin Hodgson - Operations Director
SAVINGS ANALYSIS
The award was achieved for having
consistently exported more than 65% of
their products to North America, Europe
and Japan.
The Challenge
Charles F Stead are strong ambassadors
of sustainability and are committed
to improving their environmental
performance.
As part of their overall environmental
management system, Charles F Stead
sought to reduce their carbon emissions
and cut their impact on the environment
without reducing operational capabilities.
An important factor in the selection
of a technology to assist with their
environmental performance, was a
solution that matched with the same
traditions as their being British, high-
Pre-Installation
Pre-Average
Figure 1: Total daily consumption (kWh) pre and
post-voltage optimisation installation
The above graph shows the total daily
consumption pre and post-voltage optimisation
installation one year apart at Charles F Stead.
Post-Installation
Post-Average
The blue line represents the average
consumption pre-voltage optimisation installation
and the green represents average consumption
post-voltage optimisation install.
The 20.7% energy saving is clear to see.
05
JARGON BUSTER
Jargon
The electrical world can be confusing and we’ve all come across some terms
that don’t make much sense. That’s why in each issue of Wired we unravel a
piece of industry gobbledygook and tell you what it means – In plain old English.
Thermal Imaging
what is it and how does it work?
One of the tricky things about
electrical systems is that often
you can’t see faults without
taking things apart. Not only is
this time consuming, but it can
also cost businesses money
in paying for the electrical
engineer’s time and for
downtime in production.
This is why a thermal imager or
thermal camera is a useful item
in an electrician’s tool box.
What is thermal imaging and what
has it got to do with badgers?
In short, thermal imaging is a non-intrusive,
no-contact method of detecting electrical
faults that are hidden to the naked eye.
If you’ve ever watched a nature
documentary filming nocturnal creatures
such as badgers, they may well have used
thermal imaging for night-vision.
What are the benefits of
thermal imaging?
Thermal imaging can be used as a faultfinding measure in a failed system or
machine, or as preventative maintenance,
as it can indicate faults that you may be
completely unaware of.
When you think of the amount of electrical
circuits likely to be in your workplace, it
wouldn’t be a huge surprise to find that
some of them are damaged or have
become worn over time. But because
electrical systems are largely hidden from
view, these faults may not be obvious until
you have a major breakdown.
known as its heat signature.
In the interim, you may be paying out a lot
of unnecessary money in wasted energy
while your machinery is not working at its
optimum level - plus any faults could be
potentially dangerous if left as they are.
What do thermal images
look like?
What sort of problems can
thermal imaging detect?
Thermal imaging can detect a range of
problems such as loose connections
and the poor working of a motor. Dirt in
a system can also cause components
to overheat, risking power failure or
even an electrical fire. If machinery has
been incorrectly installed – or the wrong
machinery is being used – thermal imaging
can detect any overheating that could lead
to machine failure.
Does thermal imaging
measure heat?
Sort of. As a general rule, the warmer an
object gets, the more radiation it emits.
Thermal imaging detects this infrared
radiation and, based on the amount
of energy detected, works out the
temperature. This is translated into an
electronic picture, or thermograph, which
will highlight a warm object against the
cooler area around it.
The infrared energy that an object emits is
Call us today if you’re still itching to understand the
techie aspects a little bit more, we’d love to talk to you!
06
Thermal images can be grayscale, with
cold objects depicted as black, warmer
ones in tones of grey and hot ones as
white, or the thermal camera can add
colour, with reds, yellows and oranges
showing the warmer objects and greens,
blues, purples and black showing the
cooler ones.
Are thermal cameras easy
to use?
Yes, in that they are essentially point-andshoot tools. However, the skill comes in the
electrical engineer knowing how to analyse
the images produced by the camera and
take remedial action.
Where can thermal imaging
be used?
Pretty much anywhere that has an electrical
system – so anything from manufacturing
plants to office buildings.
If you’d like to know more about
thermal imaging or to book a visit from
one of our electrical engineers, give us
a call or drop us an email.
Email: info@advancedelectrical.org.uk
Telephone: 01924 283 737
ADVICE CORNER
Agony Santa
Unplugged
Here at AES HQ, we know how easy it is for people to get their wires
crossed. Us Yorkshire folk are known for handing out down-to-earth
advice – whether you ask for it or not. So send us your questions, queries
and quandaries and our resident expert, Richard Dent - Estimating &
Design Engineer, will do his best to answer them. Even the daft ones.
Dear Santa
Last Christmas I gave you my
heart, but the very next day you
gave it away. What should I do
this year?
Heartbroken from Holmfirth
Um, give it to someone special?
Dear Santa
Any electrical tips for an
environmentally friendly
Christmas?
Green from Gomersal
There’s a big difference between someone
who eats salad on Christmas Day because
cooking a turkey consumes too much
energy and the person who causes a dip in
the national grid when they switch on their
Christmas lights. Most of us are somewhere in
between.
One way to improve your carbon footprint
at Christmas and all year round would be
to switch to a ‘green’ energy provider that
supplies power from renewable sources. You
could also invest in Christmas lights with LED
bulbs – they are more efficient and will last
longer than traditional bulbs.
Buying electrical goods? Choose those with an
Energy Saving Trust Recommended label and
get rechargeable batteries for any battery-run
toys.
If you’re particularly handy, you could make
your own Origami Solar Powered Santa
(see http://www.instructables.com/id/SolarPowered-Santa/ for instructions – you really
can find anything and everything on the
internet…).
Dear Santa
My last girlfriend, Holly, was a bit
prickly and the one before, Carol,
wouldn’t stop singing. Now my
friend wants to introduce me to
his cousin, Angel, but she sounds
too good to be true. Any advice?
Noel from Nottingham
First check she’s not Robbie Williams’ ex
– he has a history of loving Angels instead
(although instead of what I’m not quite sure).
Second, does she look like an angel, talk like
an angel and walk like an angel? She might
still be the devil in disguise. If you can fool the
King of Rock’n’Roll, you can fool anyone.
Dear Santa
What can you tell
me about PAT?
Worried from Woolley
He has a black and white
cat and delivers the
mail, which means he’s
probably rather busy
right now with Christmas
coming up.
Unless you mean Portable Appliance
Testing, the safety examination of electrical
appliances and equipment.
While PAT testing isn’t itself compulsory, every
employer that has electrical equipment on the
premises – which, let’s face it, is pretty much
every employer – must keep it maintained to
ensure staff safety. Don’t presume that you’re
exempt if you don’t run large machines. If
a member of staff beats Usain Bolt’s 100m
record – backwards – after plugging in a faulty
kettle, you’ll be held responsible.
PAT testing includes both a visual examination
and functional testing. Some appliances can
be checked over by a responsible member
of staff but other equipment may require the
services of a qualified electrical engineer.
If in doubt, it’s always worth talking to a
professional. An electrical professional that
is – you won’t get much help on PAT from a
golf professional. Although you may get some
advice on how to improve your handicap.
There’s more guidance on the government’s
Heath & Safety website: http://www.hse.gov.uk.
Dear Santa
My son loves superheroes
and boiled eggs, can you
suggest a suitable Christmas
present for him?
Stuck from Shepley
Na-nah na-nah nanah na-nah na-nah
na-nah na-nah nanah, BATMAN! And
bat toast. Present
sorted. Might just
order one for myself
while I’m at it.
That’s it for this year – have
a very Merry Christmas and
see you in 2016.
tion relevant
If you want to ask Richard a ques
big, small
how
er
matt
no
ers
matt
to electrical
by email:
or silly it may seem, contact him
info@advancedelectrical.org.uk
Subject title: Dear Richard
the
Your question could be featured in
next issue of WIRED.
07
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MEADOWHALL
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SANTA
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POWER
OLYMPIC
SNOW
STEEL
ALESSANDRO
APPRENTICE
PIONEER
NAME:COMPANY:
WORTH A MENTION
What else has been
happening in the
world of AES?
The
Apprentice
Our new ‘fresh out of
the wrapper’ apprentice
Callum Kemp started
this week.
Baby No2
Congratulations to Mark
Tomlinson one of our senior electricians
on the great news he is going to be a dad
for the second time.
Our Latest Member
We’d like to welcome
Janet Madden to the
company, Janet’s new
role in marketing is to
help the business to
continue to grow and
expand our client base.
FREE
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" A Fresh
approach to
Electrical
WORD SEARCH WINNER
Were you king of the word search?
Wow, you all certainly had your thinking caps on. We had a great
response from last edition’s word search competition.
Congratulations to:
Graham Fletcher from Reed Boardall Cold Storage
To find out more about Advanced Electrical Visit
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