Day February 19, 2026

Do you remember September 2021? Queues at petrol stations stretching around the block. Drivers panic-buying. The phrase "fuel crisis" appearing on every news site, every hour, for about two weeks. Right in the middle of it, searches for electric vehicles shot up by an estimated 1,600%. People were asking a very obvious question: why am I still dependent on a petrol forecourt? If you are asking the same question now and want to understand what your options look like on the training and employment side, our frequently asked training questions page covers the most common things people want to know before committing to a course. 

The Private Rented Sector regulations that came into force in 2020 transformed electrical inspection from a recommendation into a criminal law requirement. The 8.6 million homes in England's private rented sector (20% of housing stock) now require Electrical Installation Condition Reports every five years. From November 2025, social housing joined the mandatory cycle, creating what contractors are calling a "substantial increase" in compliance demand. 

Domestic burglary in England and Wales fell 20% to around 342,000 incidents in the year ending September 2025, contributing to a long-term decline of over 70% since the early 2000s. Despite this downward trend, burglary remains a high-impact crime for the households it affects. Smart home device ownership has surged, with 80 to 86% of UK households now having at least one connected product. 

The photovoltaic effect was discovered in 1839, but it took over a century before Bell Labs created practical silicon cells in 1954. This history matters for electricians because it reminds us that solar PV is fundamentally electrical engineering applying established DC and AC principles, not mysterious new technology. The 2025 record of 257,000 new solar installations represents substantial opportunity for electricians with proper qualifications. Employers report the main barrier isn't finding workers, it's finding workers with both electrical competence and renewable energy knowledge. That combination commands premium rates.