With just 5 days to go until Christmas Day, this is a third and final instalment of our blog post about electrical safety at Christmas.

We have covered the importance of checking your Christmas lights and when to use a registered electrician in St Albans, London or Hertfordshire like Fulcher Edwards Ltd. Another equally important thing to do over Christmas is testing your smoke alarm.

This is the time of year when you have more lights, candles, extensions leads and generally put your electrical system under more strain than normal. Your fire risk goes up unfortunately so therefore testing your smoke alarm has never been more important. The Fire and Rescue Service have very useful information on their website as below;

Maintaining your smoke alarm

To keep your smoke alarm in good working order, you should:

• test it once a month, by pressing the test button until the alarm sounds
• change the battery once a year (unless it’s a ten-year alarm)
• replace the whole unit every ten years
• clean your smoke alarm once every three months using the soft brush of your vacuum cleaner. This will ensure you remove any excess dust or insects.

You may see us use a hashtag on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook every Tuesday that says #testittuesday as we like to remind people like the rest of our industry of the importance of testing smoke alarms, fire alarms and emergency lighting. All of these things may help save a life! So a smoke alarm its not just for Christmas but something you should test all year round.

If you don’t have a smoke alarm or think you may need more than your local registered electrician can assist you with this. Fulcher Edwards Ltd installs Aico Alarms in our clients properties as they are one of the leading manufactuers.

We are NICEIC approved electrical contractors that cover St. Albans, Watford, Bushey, Radlett, Hemel Hempstead and most of Hertfordshire and even London, so why not get in touch with us for a free quotation by using the Contact Us form on our blog or website.

smoke detector of fire alarm in action, white background

This weeks blog post is following on from last weeks which was all about electrical safety at Christmas.

I think we can all agree that it is the prettiest time of the year with all the lights and decorations everywhere. However electrical safety is rarely thought about during the festivities and there is some scary statistics with christmas decorations and fires.

The NICEIC have shared a very helpful factsheet on their website which we are sharing with you on our blog. Last week was about Christmas lights and this weeks post is about outdoor lighting.

Outdoor Lighting

• Only purchase/use outside Christmas lights that have been specifically designed to be used outside. Always check the manufacturers instructions.
• All outside sockets that are used must have RCD protection for safety. An RCD (Residual Current Device) works by switching off the flow of electricity when a cable or flex is cut.
• Any fixed or permanent outside lighting should be installed by a registered electrician to ensure it complies with the appropriate safety standards.

Decorations

Fire and rescue services across the country regularly issue warnings about the increased potential for house fires around Christmas time.

Dry Christmas trees, cards, decorations and all candles are all potential hazards which provide a means of fire to spread in the home.

Keep decorations and cards away from fires and other heat sources such as light fittings, sockets and charging equipment.

We hope that you find some of these safety tips helpful to ensure you and your family have a safe Christmas.

If you are looking for a register electrician in St. Albans or anywhere in Herts or London then Fulcher Edwards can ensure the electrical safety of your home before Christmas. Or even if you just need the advice of electrician then Fulcher Edwards would be more than happy to help. Just give us a call or use the Contact Us Form.

You can also search for a registered electrical contractor in St Albans by visiting niceic.com or the electricalsafetyregsiter.com and typing in your postcode.

Believe it or not we are in December already! If you haven’t already, you may be thinking about getting your Christmas decorations down from the loft or out of the garage this weekend. We have already seen some lovely Christmas lights outside many homes and businesses in St. Albans. The Fulcher Edwards office is certainly ready! Without sounding like a Scrooge though, one thing that doesn’t always get taken into account with Christmas decorations is electrical safety.

The NICEIC have a Christmas Fact Sheet and safety information on their website which we are going to share with you over a few blog posts, as fires are most common this time of year due to electrical issues.

New research, commissioned by the UK’s leading regulatory body for electricians NICEIC and ELECSA has revealed some disturbing facts about the safety of UK homes at Christmas. As 90 percent of Brits admit to decorating their home and garden in the next few weeks, less than a quarter (23 percent) would consider the impact this might have on the electrics in their home. The study, which surveyed 2,000 UK tenants and homeowners, found that 42 percent of Brits paid more attention to aesthetics than safety, with 1 in 5 admitting to feeling they needed to compete with their friends and neighbours.

Inevitably, the increase in decorative lights require the use of multiple sockets and extension leads, yet less than 3 percent were concerned about the amount of lights they were using and whether they could be of danger to their family. Also these decorative lights put a lot of strain onto our electrical systems in our homes.

Christmas Lights

After being in the loft for 12 months, Christmas lights can become electrically unsafe. The following safety advice from the NICEIC Factsheet should ensure your lights are safe to use this Christmas.

• Check your Christmas lights are not broken or damaged before use and look out for loose wires.
• Use only replacement lamps of the same type and rating as those originally supplied with the lights.
• Always switch your lights off before you go to bed or go out.
• Keeps lights away from flammable decorations and materials can burn easily.
• Try to avoid using too many extensions leads or adapters.
• Never attempt to repair lights by using tape or joining with another set of lights.
• Check the wiring of the plug and make sure no bare wiring is visiable.

Did you know? 

Research carried out in 2011 by Home Accident Surveillance System 2012, estimated there to be 1,000 people visited A&E in the UK after home accidents involving Christmas trees and 350 people after home accidents involving Christmas Lights.

Carrying out these safety checks will certainly help reduce your risk of any accidents with your family or home do you get to enjoy Christmas the way it was intended.

If you have any queries then why not contact a registered electrician in St Albans, London or Hetforshire like Fulcher Edwards Ltd who should be able to assist with any queries you may have.

Next week we will cover outside Christmas Lighting from the NICEIC Christmas Factsheet. Until then we hope your days will be Merry and bright!

With winter truly on its way now, Fulcher Edwards Ltd have been installing more electric heaters for homes and businesses the last few weeks in St. Albans, London and surrounding areas. One thing we have had to make our customers aware is what type of heaters are now available, especially if they are replacing old ones.

From the 1^stJanuary 2018 the Lot 20 Regulations came into play which was one of the largest upheaval to the electric heating industry as it changed the amount of available products manufactures could sell. Under the new  Lot 20 legislation, all local space heaters for sale in the EU will have to adhere to these new rules or they can no longer be sold.

So, what does that Lot 20 mean for the consumer? Lot 20 was created so that all energy-using products would have a framework of basic requirements to make them as efficient and environmentally friendly as possible. When you consider the amount of energy we use on a daily basis, it’s easy to see why this legislation is so important.

Electric radiators, infrared heaters and panel heaters are all classed as ‘fixed electric local space heaters’, and they must have at least a 38% efficiency rating if they have a nominal heat output above 250W. Other electric heating solutions such as portable electric space heaters, storage heaters and heaters below 250W, have separate efficiency targets. Efficiency is determined by how many energy saving features a heater has now.

Which provided a helpful breakdown on their website with how compliance is now achieved with heaters available today under the new Regulations;

Portable heaters must have: Mechanic thermostat room temperature control as a minimum.

Optional additional energy saving features: Presence or open-window detection – the heater is equipped with an electronic device that automatically reduces the temperature when no person is detected in the room or if a window is open.

Remote control via an app – control temperature via a companion app on your phone or tablet  Adaptive start control.

This is not something our clients don’t need to worry about as our approved wholesalers and our electricians and staff at Fulcher Edwards know about Lot 20, therefore we can advise you of what is available now and what might be different from your existing heaters.

If you need any advise on a new electric heater installation or would like a free quotation then please get in touch via our online contact form on the website or on 01923 616985. If preferred our email address is info@fulcheredwards.co.uk

Fulcher Edwards Ltd carry out a lot of Electrical Installation Condition Reports aka EICR’s, EIC Report, Home Buyers Certificate, Landlords Test, Periodic Inspections in St. Albans & surrounding areas and usually after we send the EIC Report we have a lot of questions especially if it reads Unsatisfactory.

Depending on the size of the property will depend how big the report is but some can be quite a few pages long, especially for commercial premises. within your EIC Report there is an Observations and Recommendations Page, sometimes more than 1, that basically lists the items, descriptions and codes. Each observation has been allocated as appropriate a code which indicates to the person(s) responsible for the installation, the degree of urgency for remedial action.

At the bottom of each of these pages there is a description of codes which are as follows;

C1 – Danger Present – Risk of injury. Immediate remedial action required.

C2 – Potentially Dangerous – Urgent remedial action required.

C3 – Improvement Recommended.

FI – Further Investigation Required Without Delay.

If your EIC Report is deemed as Unsatisfactory then your chosen electrician in St Albans, London and Herfordshire will also send you a quotation for the remedial works for your consideration. Fulcher Edwards Ltd usually breaks the quote down into the relevant coding for ease for our customers.

We usually go through the recommended remedial works with our customers so they know what to expect so they can plan appropriately and they get us booked in as soon as they can.

We always advise our customers not to panic when they see a C1 or C2 on their EIC Report but to take it seriously and aim to get it rectified ASAP.

If you are considering an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) and want to know more about what is involved with having one, or maybe you want to discuss an Report you have had carried out, then why not get in touch on 01923 616985 or info@fulcheredwards.co.uk and we can advise accordingly.

When looking for an electrician in St. Albans, people look for good reviews, recommendations, costs and sometimes check they are registered, but do you consider using a Company that is SafeContractor accredited?

SafeContractor is an accreditation which demonstrates to potential customers that your Company meets specific standards of health and safety. SafeContractor reviews and audits health and safety policies, procedures and documentation and only when they are satisfied do you received your accreditation.

Fulcher Edwards Ltd has been SafeContractor accredited for many years and prides its self on being health and safety compliant in all of our works, big or small. Each year we are audited and have to prove our competence by showing all our Health and Safety documents such as our Policies, our Method Statements and Risk Assessments and proving our electricians are fully qualified and trained on things such as step ladder use and access equipment.

Customers usually expect Health and Safety to come as standard but unfortunately there are many electricians out there that are not carrying out safe working practises and putting you and your property at risk. The horror stories you read about tradespeople are usually companies or sole traders that don’t follow simple Health and Safety guidelines or believe in qualifications. Both of these are fundamental in providing a safe working environment for staff and customers as well as providing a job well done.

This accreditation isn’t just for electricians but for all trades and covers all sectors and industries, so it is worth checking the electricians or builders you are considering have the SafeContractor badge on their website, letterheads or vans. We have our Certificate on the office on our wall to show that we are accredited and often forward a copy to prospective customers to give them peace of mind when giving us electrical or maintenance works.

Next time you are looking for a electrician then why not ask the question if they are SafeContractor approved as well as all the other questions you have when making a decision on which Company to use.

Safe Contractor Approved Electrician in St Albans, London and Hertfordshire

If you have any queries about our SafeContractor accreditation or would like to discuss any electrical works you are considering, then feel free to call us on 01923 616985, email us at info@fulcheredwards.coSC Certificate – 18102018SC Certificate – 18102018.uk or you can use our Contact Us Form via our website.

With electric cars becoming more and more popular, we have noticed that a lot more businesses are now considering having electric car chargers installed on their premises.

This week one of our fully qualified electricians in St albans installed an electric car charger at a commercial premises in Wimbledon that we carry out planned preventative maintenance for.  We installed a Rolec SecuriCharge:EV Wall Unit as this unit is robust, heavy duty, vandal resistant EV charging unit specifically manufactured for exposed locations. Ideal locations include hotels, car parks, offices, factories, warehouses, restaurants, stadiums, leisure centres and retail and commercial premises.

The Government offers Grant Schemes for businesses so if this something you are considering it may be good to take a look at GOV.UK website to see if your Company could benefit at all.

If you would like to discuss your requirements or any queries you have on electric car chargers with one of our electricians then please do not hesitate to contact us on 01923 616985 or info@fulcheredwards.co.uk.

Though we are St. Albans based electricians, we install car chargers all over London, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire so please let us know if you would like a free quotation.

You may have heard of Aico who are known for providing the highest quality smoke and Carbon Monoxide alarms but did you know Fulcher Edwards is an Aico Expert Installer in St Albans, Hertfordshire and London?

This means we have been trained by Aico personally. During the training, they went through the latest Regulations and Legislation. This ensures that we know which alarms to install and where. We were also trained in their latest technologies to ensure that we know what will best suit your needs. Finally, all Aico installers are trained in how to correctly install our alarms, providing you with a professional installation.

If you are looking for Smoke, Heat or Carbon Monoxide alarms to be installed at your property, then why not look for your local Aico Expert Installer on their website where they have a search function. You can find Fulcher Edwards when looking for an Aico Installer in St. Albans and surrounding areas.

Who better to install your alarms than someone who has undergone specific training in how to do so.Please contact us on 01923 616985 if you need advice on what you require or drop us an email at info@fulcheredwards.co.uk and a member of our team will be happy to assist you.

Fulcher Edwards is proud to have a few accreditations against our name and one logo you may have noticed on our website is for TrustMark, but do you know what this logo stands for exactly?

TrustMark is a Government Endorsed Quality Scheme which covers work that consumers choose to have carried out in their home. This can be any trade but in our case it is electrical services.

TrustMark approved electricians like us have been thoroughly vetted to meet required standards set by the Government. This includes good customer service, technical competence and trading practices.

As a consumer you are always at risk of not getting what you asked for with trades people unfortunately and this scheme gives consumers increased confidence and choice. Also in the event that a problem did arise, you can get in touch with TrustMark who offers a range of remedies to give consumers further protection.

As an additional bonus you can find local TrustMark approved tradespeople on their website. You can find Fulcher Edwards on there to just by putting in our name and if you are based in St. Albans for example, you would put that in the address search.

If you are a St. Albans consumer looking for an approved electrician in St Albans, then why not get in touch today for a free quotation. We are not only TrustMark approved but also NICEIC and SafeContractor for added peace of mind.

Some of you may be aware that though our Managing Director Mr F lives in St. Albans, Fulcher Edwards Ltd has only been based here for 4 years. Before we had our St. Albans office we were based in Waterloo in London SE1, our office was based in the old Eurostar terminal in Waterloo Station and we were there in the region of 25 years. We looked after all the electrical maintenance in the the building for Eurostar and then the landlords once Eurostar moved to St. Pancras.

We left Waterloo due to planned works in the old terminal and you may know that trains now leave from the old Eurostar platforms which was all part of these works. Anyway as much as the reduced commute to the office was a joy to St. Albans, Waterloo has always had a special place in our hearts as that is where Fulcher Edwards Ltd grew to be the established electrical services company it is today and some of our electricians are back at Waterloo to carry out emergency lighting testing.

We love being in our St. Albans office and having fields with horses rather than smog (though London is equally as special to be in!) we are continuing to grow our customer base in Hertfordshire but there is something very nostalgic when talking or going back to Waterloo, a bit like when you go back to a childhood memory/place, so we are very happy to have been asked to return by one of our clients. Repeat business can come in all different forms!

If you are looking for an NICEIC approved family run electrical services company in St. Albans, Hertfordshire or London then please bear us in mind. We offer a quality, friendly service and free quotations so contact us on 01923 616985 or email us at info@fulcheredwards.co.uk