The Government is continuing to speculate major sums to drive act as housing associations strive to meet the new 2010/2011 deadline of The Decent Homes Standard. Contractors and specifiers can capitalise around the opportunities this bit of legislation presents by being aware of the top wiring accessory products available.
Altogether the us government has allocated ?11.5bn to housing, this includes ?550m brought forward from 2010/11 and is also mainly determined by the ‘Decent Homes Standard’ that has been announced in 2002 with a target to ‘ensure that all social housing meets set standards of decency’. The conventional covers all aspects of your home so that as an inherently innovative industry, the electrical market has responded with an array of products to aid specifiers and installers working in the affordable housing sector. From wiring accessories and lighting through to cable management, leading manufacturers have developed methods to satisfy the key public sector aims of energy saving, electrical safety, security and meeting legislation.
Social Housing Wants Quality & Durable Wiring Accessories
Looking specifically on the wiring accessory market, there has been a definitive shift towards goods that offer greater quality and safety than ever before. And the lifecycle of apparatus is also now a major consideration as goods that can stand the test of your time will contribute to lower maintenance costs. In the present economic climate, some organisations could be trying to find the lowest prices but local authorities recognise this can be a false economy as items will certainly break more regularly as a result of faults or breakages. Within social housing development investment the main focus remains on quality, durable solutions.
2008 saw the creation of the 17th Edition from the Wiring Regulations, which required the increased usage of 30mA RCDs and effectively means every socket outlet in the home, has to be covered. In reaction manufacturers have launched ranges of new consumer units which allow individual RCBO overcurrent protection and residual current protection of each and every circuit, thereby providing added protection and safety. This means that should an RCBO trip, other circuits will be unaffected, resulting in not just improved tenant safety but also decreasing the number call-outs.
Durable Products Save Labour Costs
Additionally, some units are available pre-wired and pre-tested, which can significantly reduce labour costs, and lots of feature lockable covers to shield from damage and make certain durability, an integral requirement in the sector when tenants can change over a frequent basis. Whether it is accidental damage, vandalism or abuse, a broken wiring accessory may become a safety hazard, as well as requiring an organized or emergency call out. Polycarbonate accessories are virtually unbreakable and will prevent damage as well as the need to be replaced. Using reliable, proven solutions will reduce lifetime costs, and so will ensuring they may be sourced from reputable manufacturers to make sure there are no on-site or long run failure risks.
Helping Special Needs & The Environment
The Disability Discrimination Act and Part M of the Building Regulations, has additionally inspired further changes, making sure devices such as wiring accessories meet diverse tenants’ needs. Many ranges have been specifically made to aid this legislation, including sockets and switches that visually contrast with their background for easy detection, as well as wide rocker switches to aid people that have limited dexterity. To assist the visually impaired, some wiring accessories incorporate red flashes in the switch rocker to obviously indicate whether or not they are ‘on’ or ‘off’. Sockets and switches can also be found with neon indicators which makes them particularly useful through the night or in low-light conditions.
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