Electricians and Electrical Work During COVID-19 / Coronavirus Pandemic (Public Weekly Thread)

[Dan]

Electricians and Electrical Work During COVID-19 / Coronavirus Pandemic (Public Weekly Thread)

Firstly, Hi lads and ladies. Apologies it has been a while posting here. @Lou and I have been checking in every now and again to catch up with some things. I have 101 unread messages and 1,160 notifications yet to read (I wont get to read those).

WHY I'M POSTING THIS THREAD ABOUT ELECTRICIANS FORUMS, ELECTRICIANS IN GENERAL. AND OF COURSE THE ELECTRICAL INDUSTRY - when it comes to this COVID lark which is starting to get annoying. Partly because investment in sites has come down a lot. Partly private customers still worrying (or quarantining / shielding etc) so I thought I'd make a weekly mid-week email to the one same thread and each week add to it the latest (from a trade point of view) as to what's being recommended, ways to convince customers it's okay to visit their premisis, be it a homeowner or sitework etc.

And even help with some selling points and pointers for your website (changing the very top image on all your pages to you in a mask and gloves is an example just off the top of my head).

But also, for those in quarantine or out of work etc, we can all contribute to it and let us know how you're getting on and if you need a chat, we're always here.

So please do let us know when your business is doing better than it was, and perhaps why, so others can copy your techniques maybe.

Please do let us know if you hear of suppliers doing offers.

Please do let us know if this is putting strain on family, friends, colleagues etc etc.

I will do a thread for public forums so we can help newbies and encourage readers to register. And I will do one in the Arms if the usual lads and ladies want to have a shoulder to cry on out of the eyes of the public.

Going to try and get some scientist to do a Q and A with us down the line. So let this thread evolve into whatever helps. But let's all try contribute positive things. But also your struggles and let us all help you out.

Thanks for reading.

First off, if you could let us know how you are actually doing right now for this week, and what 1 or 2 issues you're finding troublesome somehow, then next week I will try and come up with a post in the thread that helps those people.

 

[SJD]

Not sure there is the right option to describe now my business is doing, but I don't understand the phrase "Business is going bump".

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

This week I have fitted smoke alarms, some outdoor lights.
Done a day of remedials following an Eicr.
Got to fit some soffit lights,
A few quotes to attend to tomorrow for board changes and a partial rewire
End of week start a. Nice commercial job splitting supply and replacing 2 DBs in a warehouse.
EV charging is growing all the time and takes up most of my time these days.
I have over 10k of work booked in between now and mid August with more in the pipeline, finalising paperwork on a few kitchen refits and a rewire for January.. Sadly not all the 10k is labour or profit but am doing okay. Turning some work away at moment as I can't fit more in as moving house end of month so packing to do!
The Eicr changes have been good for filling quiet days as 9 times out of 10 the property is empty when testing and I do all the tests for a local agent.

 

[Dan]

Not sure there is the right option to describe now my business is doing, but I don't understand the phrase "Business is going bump".

About to fold. Go into liquidation or admistration. Basically not doing well.

I'm finding it's the case for some tradesmen on all our forums, so if people need help with that, we can help with advice etc. And perhaps save the odd business even.

 

[James]

It seems to be a bit of a black and white picture out there, either you are doing well and can't keep up with the workload or you are on your knees wondering how you can fuel the van with only £9.80 left on the overdraft.

I am doing ok, agreed at the start of pandemic to do 2 days a week for a regular customer at half my normal rate. tied in with a verbal agreement for 4 months.
at the time, when i thought my order book could fall to zero in 2 days flat it was the best way to ensure i had some income. (2 days at half rate is better than 5 days earning zero)

however, almost as soon as i had made that agreement, every single customer on my books seems to want me for more time than i have available.

hope most of you are managing to make ends meet.

 

[Dan]

I'm always really pleased when I hear somebody is doing well.

Gas Plumbing and Electrics, I dare say, are quite protected and will always be needed.

But the poor bathroom fitters and tilers I know, who's trade is a finishing one that is often aesthetics rather than a requirement, are really getting hit hard. Can see some small tile outlets going down the pan once this furlough and grants thing has fully backed off.

Nice contact you have there @James

Do you work differently at all? Hand gel and mask, wash clothes daily etc? - If I remember rightly you're not working around other people close contact so much?

 

[James]

I have one of these that I use when in an area that i cant avoid people coming near me.

CAE602-941-100 | JSP PowerCap Active IP Series Powered Respirator, 2 Filters, Impact Protection | RS

uk.rs-online.com

my van is full of hand wipes, anti bac gel etc.
generally I am taking it seriously and have turned down some jobs because there H & S was not good enough for me.
edit, I wear a new shirt every day, regardless of the public health situation!!

 

[SJD]

About to fold. Go into liquidation or administration. Basically not doing well.

Ah OK, no that doesn't apply to me. Having to turn work down, too busy, partly because every customer who has a rental property is panicking about the new rules for EICRs that came in from July. But I have worked throughout pandemic, April was the only really slow month (about 50% busy).

 

[Andy welch]

Worked through most of the lockdown, had too many calls where people being at home doing there own electrics and getting it so wrong. Since we have had some sort of normality (whatever normal is) I've been snowed under, seems lots of people not going away want to spend money on improvements round here. (bedfordshire)

 

[OnlQQker]

I've switched trades completely and am farming now. Got a bad feeling about winter...

But did right from the start of all this and that's why I switched..

Can always go back to it if everything pans back out though

 

[radiohead]

Late april and through may was busy. But it's just stopped. Like the phones been disconnected. Barely getting a couple of days a week in bits and pieces. Spoke to the guys at our CEF today and they said most of the busy ones are with bigger projects which they were on before lockdown and are continuing now. Small outfits like ours are just scratching around, it's not just us.
If it doesn't improve then we'll go down, inevitable.
I'm fast approaching 60 so yes, it's a worry, been employed for nearly 40 years and would prefer to stay that way. But I suspect at my age another employed position isn't going to be easy.

 

[NateCreekside]

My main trade is still landscaping, while looking for work as an electrical improver.
I was in full time education January/February, finished in march. Started sending out CVs during lockdown haha.
Landscaping is proper busy for all, as far as I can tell, although there's delay in getting some materials. I'm booked through until early winter, even though that wasn't the plan when I started this year.
Luckily it's easy to socially distance when you're working in a garden.

 

[mattg4321]

Flat out and can’t keep up.

Be nice if I could defer some of it till winter as who knows what will be happening then.

Re comment about tilers above. I need a bathroom tiled and can’t get hold of both tilers I know. One has said they would do it but he’s avoiding me I think!! Can’t even get a price off him! He’s usually flat out busy so I’m sure that’s what it is.

 

[Moley]

Most of our work is on LV/HV at power stations working on switchgear and transformers. We just can't keep up and have been busy all through. At the moment we just don't have enough manpower to cope.

 

[nicebutdim]

But the poor bathroom fitters and tilers I know, who's trade is a finishing one that is often aesthetics rather than a requirement, are really getting hit hard. Can see some small tile outlets going down the pan once this furlough and grants thing has fully backed off.

Reminds me that I need to find a local tiler.

Hall has been stacked with tiles since just before lockdown began and the other half would be over the moon to see them placed where they're intended to be.