As an electrician in Chatham I am seeing a large increase in the amount of households who use portable electric heaters. Used correctly, electric heaters can be a useful source of heating or additional heating for households who might only wish to heat certain rooms in their home.

Keeping young children safe from the dangers of electricity can be a stressful time. From ensuring that appliances are kept out of reach to ensuring that nothing gets poked into plug sockets, the fear of electrocution of our children is one of the biggest electrical fears that face householders.

Avoid electrical DIY

Many house holders in Medway and Maidstone often call me to ask if there is a problem with their electrical supply. Understandably they are not sure if it is safe to continue to use their electrical appliances at home or if they should call an electrician.

Electrical safety in the home is an important issue whether you are a home owner or rent your home.

What you should do if you suspect an electrical problem

In all my posts, I always recommend using a qualified and registered electrician to carry out electrical work in your home. However, whilst there are many registers out there – there has not been one single register that lists all fully qualified and registered electricians.

Registered Competent Person

Registered Competent Person was launched on the 2^nd July 2014 and is the only register of electricians that lists all electricians registered to work in householders in England and Wales.

Counterfeit electrical products are yet again in the headlines, this time in the form of counterfeit chargers – which can include phone, tablet, Ipod and other MP3 chargers.

Counterfeit chargers of all types are causing a huge problem at the moment across the UK as cash strapped householders are opting for cut price or even knowingly purchasing counterfeit phone chargers in a bid to safe money when a charger needs replacement.

The true cost of a counterfeit charger

I have been hearing several reports from my customers in Medway and Maidstone recently that a large ‘well known’ maintenance company are telling them that their fuse-board is dangerous and needs replacing. I have seen cases where a sticker has been placed on the fuse-board saying that it is unsafe to use.

Thankfully, not all my clients went ahead with the work and requested a second opinion. It is just as well as they did, as they didn’t waste money on needless work.

Research carried out by YouGov recently revealed that 1 in 5 private rented properties do not have a working fire alarm. Despite a 90% uptake in fire alarms after a successful decade of campaigning for homes to have a working fire alarm, it is tenants who privately rent their homes that have mostly been found to have no smoke alarm.

In and around my local area of Medway and Maidstone, I am finding increasing awareness of the need to employ a registered electrician. Most people who have this awareness have heard of the NICEIC. Using a registered electrician registered with the NICEIC or other scheme provider is your safety blanket that the electrical work will be completed to a high standard, certified and guaranteed.