Electrical Connection Spring 2016

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10 E L EC TR I C AL CONNEC T I ON S PR I NG 20 1 6
EDITORIAL
Paul Skelton
A (NOT AT ALL)
SELF-SERVING RANT
O ver the past four months, I
have attended nine NECA Tech
Advantage Roadshow events all
around regional Victoria. It’s involved a lot
of driving but since April I have met some
very interesting members of the industry.
There have been plenty of questions
from contractors about stories we’ve
run and some good suggestions for
future stories they’d like us to research.
Undoubtedly it has been a very valuable
exercise, to talk to the people who
actually read the magazine and get an
understanding of what we’re doing right
and where we could improve.
I have also handed out several hundred
magazines (Electrical Connection,
Connected Home+Business and ManSpace
Magazine) to members of the industry
who are taking an active interest in the
industry in which they work.
To many, it’s surprising that not
every electrician gets to read Electrical
Connection . Fortunately, NECA had the
foresight to arrange a bulk subscription
for its members. Beyond that, we have
amassed a hefty database of contractors
around the country over the past 20-odd
years who subscribe to the mag.
But I was surprised by how many
contractors had never heard of us, or any
trade publication for that matter.
On a number of occasions I was asked
why the licensing organisations no longer
distribute Electrical Connection as a service
to the industry – a good point if ever I’ve
heard one.
In truth, we get very little support from
such organisations (groups that you might
think would see this magazine as a pretty
effective and simple way of providing a
recognisable form of CPD!)
Alas, we’re not politically correct enough
and we carry adverts to help pay for the
writing, producing, printing and mailing
the magazine. (This is commonly called a
‘business model’, but people in the public
sector don’t have to worry about.)
There was a time (dare I say nearly 15
years ago) when all contractors around
Australia received Electrical Connection as
part of their licence. It would be great if
this was to occur again.
Knowledge has a significant value for
this industry – but licensing authorities
these days choose to keep you in the dark!
HOTANDSTEAMY
The story on page 50 gives you an in-
depth look at three-in-one heat, light and
ventilation systems for bathrooms and
laundries. We sourced this information
from Sampford IXL, an Australian supplier
(which makes a nice change), that is based
in Geelong, Victoria. The article points out
a few common issues that electricians may
be unaware of, so make sure you bone up
on the subject.
PINKBATTS 2.0
Columnist Wes McKnight puts forward
the suggestion that LEDs might soon be
the next home insulation stuff up. Let’s
hope we don’t lose any lives over this
technology or associated poor practice.
At best the LED market is out of control
and from there only worse things can
unfortunately occur.
Until next time,
MANAGINGDIRECTOR
Jeff Patchell
GENERALMANAGER
Jeremy Sweet
EDITOR
Paul Skelton
03 9542 9016
EDITOR –
ACROSS THE TRADES
Jacob Harris
STAFFWRITERS
Jacob Harris, Joe Young
GRAPHICDESIGNER
Elizabeta Todorova
PRODUCTIONTEAM
Sam Elliott, Gail Dwyer
CONTRIBUTORS
Phil Kreveld, Rebecca Mair, Wes McKnight,
George Georgevits, Gary Busbridge,
Steve Arthur, Brian Seymour
ADVERTISING 1800063371
Simon Clark
0428 733 248
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AUSTRALIA
ISSN 1839-2288
Disclaimer:
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not necessarily reflect those of the publisher.
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