How electric taxis are conquering our cities

Air pollution is one of the world’s biggest killers resulting in nearly 7 million deaths a year, just behind cancer. With more than 9,000 of these deaths in London, the city is committed to becoming carbon free by 2050, a bold goal!

Since the Great Smog of 1952, London has been on a mission to reduce air pollution to avoid thousands of preventable deaths and further “pea soupers”. In the aftermath of the smog an estimated 12,000 people died as the particles penetrated indoors and reduced visibility. The Clean Air Act 1956 was introduced to reduce air pollution as a direct result of the events in 1952 and was an important milestone in the development of a legal framework to protect the environment. The law introduced smoke control areas in some towns and cities in which only smokeless fuels could be used. Financial incentives were used to persuade homeowners to use cleaner coals, electricity and gas as alternative heat sources, reducing the amount of smoke pollution and sulphur dioxide from household fires. This act also required power stations to be situated away from cities into more uninhabited locations.

The introduction and major roll out of central heating means that houses are no longer the largest source of air pollution. Their successor is transportation producing four major pollutants.

  1. A car emits carbon monoxide when the carbon in fuel doesn’t burn completely.
  2. A car’s exhaust emits hydrocarbons, a toxic compound of hydrogen and carbon.
  3. When fuel burns, nitrogen and oxygen react with each other and form nitrogen oxides(NOx).
  4. Particulate matter – small particles of foreign substances – in the air contribute to atmospheric haze and can damage people’s lungs.

With 21,000 black cabs in London, it’s no wonder that TFL is encouraging taxi drivers to switch to a greener alternative. Believe it or not, electric taxis were a common sight on the streets of London between 1896 and 1899 before the introduction of the internal combustion engines. 80 cabs were built and operated by the London Electric Cab Co. and each cab could cover 40miles on one charge at a speed of 9mph.

In 2016 Geely secured $400 million dollars to build a new manufacturing plant in Coventry to produce 36,000 of the new LEVC TX electric hybrid hackney carriage a year. The LEVC TX drives in  full electric mode with a range of 80 miles, but can be recharged by either the petrol engine or plugged into a charger. The charger connectors located either side of the famous radiator grille are capable of 50kW DC or 22Kw AC, with an optional CHAdeMO connector. New rules introduced by the Transport for London in 2018 state that only zero emission vehicles were allowed to join the city’s fleet. As of Feb 2018 this was the only taxi that met these standards, making them a popular choice for new drivers.

This future-proof transportation is exempt from potential costs such as ULEZ and rising diesel costs. It is estimated that on average electric taxi drivers will save £110 per week in fuel costs and many will be able to recharge their battery for free to help against electricity costs. When you’re next in London keep your eyes peeled for these silent taxis.

How to choose an electrician

LED lighting: how to choose an electrician

Choosing any tradesperson can be a daunting prospect, especially if it’s for a large project. It’s important to find the person or company with the right approach and skills

Whether it’s an emergency or home improvement project, electrical can be very important works carried out in your home or business. Mistakes caused by inexperienced or unskilled electricians can have dangerous consequences. Here’s our guide on how best to select the perfect electrician for you.

  1. Do your research

Whilst it’s impossible to become an expert overnight, some background research can help you form a rough idea of the work that needs to be carried out. This will help you explain to the quoting electricians the works that needs to be carried out. If you are emailing an electrician for a quote you could attach some images of your proposed project to give them some background information before they attend site

At the same time, a fully qualified electrician has trained for over 4 years to work with electricity and they may have advice on how best to carry out the project. As electricians we constantly juggle cost vs disruption for the client. For example when running a new cable for an immersion tank it may be favourable to run the cable a longer route to prevent channelling walls and creating more repair work. Whilst this may cost more in time and cable, this will cause less disruption for the client as less “making good” will be required.

  1. Look up their qualifications

The electrical industry is run according to certain standards. All electrical work must be done in line with legal standards, and in some cases, such as larger jobs including new circuits, it must be either:

  • Approved by the Building Control department of your local authority
  • Carried out by tradesmen registered with a competent person scheme, who is qualified to self-certify their work

Each individual electrician will hold their own qualifications and accreditations, which should be available on request. If an electrician is accredited with one of the following competent person schemes you should be able to verify their details with the scheme either online or over the phone.

Alternatively websites such as Electrical Safety First collate all of the government-approved registered bodies, bringing together all accredited electricians on to one website. To join an accrediting body electricians will need to submit certificates proving their qualifications, insurances documents and complete a yearly assessment used to monitor their competence and ensure works are completed to the required standard.

  1. Ask for references

If your electrician hasn’t come from a personal recommendation from someone you know or even if they have, it is always best to ask the electrician for a reference or review from previous clients. A good electrician will have a portfolio of their work to show potential customers including before and after images. In exchange make sure you leave a review of your own for the next potential client.

  1. Obtain three written quotes

Ensure each quote contains a summary of the works required, then you can compare the prices. Don’t disregard the most expensive quote, a major difference in quotes may mean a major issue in service. If the quote contains confusing language, don’t be afraid to ask for a revised quote. Be aware of guarantees on the work and materials.

  1. Agree payment terms

Your electrician may ask for a part payment up front to cover the materials required. This could be around 40% of the quote depending on the work. Once work is complete the final invoice should show the deducted amount that has already been paid. If your job requires a certificate you can expect to receive this once the final invoice has been paid. Do not pay any tradesperson in full up front, alternatively make sure the invoice is paid in a timely manner and in keeping with the terms on the final invoice.

In summary here’s our quick checklist for how to choose an electrician:

  • Be clear about the work you want
  • Obtain three written quotes
  • Ask to view the electrician qualifications or JIB card
  • Check that the electrician is registered with a government approved scheme
  • Ask for references
  • Ensure the electrician has a minimum of £2 million of public liability insurance
  • When you agree a quote with an electrician, ask them to sign the bottom of the summary as confirmation of what has been agreed
  • Verify the warranty on any works and materials
  • Discuss and agree payment terms before the work starts

 

 

 

Ask an Electrician: the History of the National Grid

The second in our ‘Ask an electrician‘ series, written by the experienced electrician team at Opulous, looks at the history of something we all take for granted – the National Grid.

The National Grid is something every electrician needs to know about! It’s the high voltage transmission networks that covers Great Britain connecting power stations and major substations to your home and workplace. You may know it from the pylons and power plants situated across the country.

The history of the National Grid

The first evolution of the ‘grid’ was founded in Newcastle in 1901 by Charles Merz powered by his Neptune Power Bank Station. Whilst this only covered Newcastle, by 1912 it was the largest integrated power system in Europe. In 1926 the introduction of the Electricity (Supply) Act recommended that a ‘national gridiron’ system should be created to solve the problem of Britain’s poor electricity supply. This first National Grid linked 122 power stations using over 4000 miles of overhead cables. During the blitz this national system proved to be invaluable when power stations in South Wales could provide emergency power to London when Battersea and Fulham power stations where damaged through airstrikes.

The UK Grid is connected to adjacent European electrical grids that are used to feed demand and supply across our neighbouring countries such as France, the Netherlands and Irelands. The Grid is constantly being upgraded and maintained to prevent power cuts and faults. Due to the supergrid infrastructure it is estimated that a power cut due to lack of generate power occurs in 9 out of 100 winters. In the last 20 years there has only been one power cut due to a higher demand than available supply.

How is electricity delivered to your house?

  1. The national grid provides the electricity generation and transmission across the supergrid.
  2. Your local distributor or DNO is responsible for delivering electricity safely to your home via towers, cables and meters.
  3. Your supplier such as the Big Six or Social Energy sell you electricity by monitoring your usage and setting a tariff.

In case of a power cut you should contact your DNO or phone 105 for an up-to-date status of any supply problems in your area.

What energy sources supply the National Grid?

UK Electricity National Grid Demand and Output per Production TypeWebsites like Gridwatch produce a live report of which energy sources are feeding in to the National Grid. Currently the UK’s primary source of electricity production is CCGT. Combined Cycle Gas Turbines use Natural Gas to power a turbine which turns a generator, a second system uses the heat to produce steam which is also used to turn a turbine and power a generator. Whilst this generation method is particularly efficient, is relies on a natural gas of which the UK can only produce around 44% of its demand. The majority of the additional 54% comes via pipelines from Europe and with 36% of Europe’s gas coming from Russia. As the amount of gas that can be extracted from the North Sea declining and relationships with Russia becoming ever more tenuous, it is more important that ever that we continue as a country to invest and implement more renewable energy solutions on a commercial and domestic scale. In 2017 the UK was the only EU country to reduce power usage. Overall electricity demand has fallen by 9% in the past seven years.

The future of the National Grid

A recent report by the Committee on Climate Change is looking to ban gas hobs and boilers so the way newbuilds are designed will in turn shape the Grid’s future. With changes in consumer behaviour such as future uptake on high efficient heating methods like heat pumps and the further adoption of electric vehicles, our demand on electricity will only grow. How the National Grid develops its renewable resources and how the architects of tomorrow begin to design our houses will have an impact of price and how we use electricity day-to-day.

To speak to an experienced electrician about any aspect of your home’s electricity supply please get in touch, we’re a friendly bunch!

 

Opulous’s 2018 Christmas Gift Guide

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! It might not have snowed yet but the days are shorter and we’re all going home in the dark. We’ve made a handy Christmas present guide for those that are cost conscious when it comes to the electric bill and keen to do your bit to live a bit greener. Our gifts are the useful presents you never thought of buying for yourself, but you’d wish you’d kept instead of giving them away.

  1. Minim+ Electricity Monitor– £37.95

electrician Christmas gift guideFor those that are still yet to receive their smart meters, this clever device gives a simplistic view into your home’s energy habits. You can view your live energy usage view a speedometer-like display to help you keep track of costs. This self-install device uses a CT clip or LED reader to transmit the data wirelessly to your device.

 

  1. Nest 3rd Generation Learning Thermostat – £220.00

electrician christmas gift guideThis sleek thermostat will help slash your heating bills and boost your smart home credentials. Perfect for any parent who constantly adjusts the heating. A cunning bit of kit that learns your households’ routine and adjusts the temperature around it. Furthermore, you can also change the temperature and boost the hot water from your phone, perfect for after the work’s Christmas do. Available in four different colours – Copper, Silver, Black & White. Our team of NEST pro installers can get your device up and running and saving you money!

 

  1. Wifi plugs – £15.00 – £25.00

electrician Christmas gift guideSmart plugs are a great way to connect your home electronics with your Wifi network, giving you full control to turn the device on and off from your phone. For those of you that already have Alexa, Amazon offers a smart plug that you can turn on and off using voice control.

 

  1. Philips Hue Lighting – Starting at £128.08 – Starter kit

electrician christmas gift guideNever come home to a dark house with Philips Hue. Automate your lighting experience and control your lighting from home or away with this amazing device. You can connect up to 50 lights to a Hue bridge and with up to 12 accessories such as switches and dimmers to choose from choosing your configuration can be ever-changing. Also compatible with voice controls systems like Amazon’s Alexa, Google Home and Apple’s Homekit you’ll never need to get out of bed to turn a light off again.

 

  1. Wiser from Drayton – £52.79

electrician christmas giftsNow we may not be plumbers, but we still think that this is a good idea especially for older houses. Instead of controlling your house’s temperature in one zone, this device gives you the capability to control each individual radiator individually. These battery-powered valves can control the time and temperature of each associated radiator via the Wiser Heat app or via your Amazon Echo. The internal batteries have a two year battery life and include open window detection to prevent heat from being wasted.

Opulous is running for Solar Sister

Opulous Innovation’s contracts manager Charlotte Casey is running the 2019 Colchester Half Marathon to raise money for the Solar Sister charity. Keep up with her training and learn more about how you can support this fantastic charity via her regular blogs.

Our Charity Solar Sister

Solar Sister trains and supports women to deliver clean energy directly to off-grid homes in rural African communities. They provide essential services and training that enable women entrepreneurs to build sustainable businesses in their own communities. Since 2010 Solar Sister has helped over 1.4million across Africa with solar energy and clean cookstoves and has kickstarted over 3,400 clean energy entrepreneurs.

 

Opulous electrician running for Solar Sister

For an £80 donation 20 solar lights can be provided replacing expensive kerosene lamps. The value of these solar lights to a community comes at a much higher price than we can imagine. A Ugandan woman used a single solar light to help her chickens feed better, which in turn helped them lay more eggs that she could sell, boosting her income, allowing her to grow her farm, and eventually found a school where she teaches children how to read, write, and farm. Whilst we in the UK work to stop climate change by recycling and driving electric cars, these really small green acts can change somebody’s life immediately, allowing mothers to spend more time with their children instead of walking for six hours to collect fuel.

Let the training begin!

With 150 days to go until the race I completed my first training run last night. I haven’t completed a proper run since the 5k Race for Life in July so I knew it was going to be hard. But running shoes on and off I went!

I was aiming to run 5k for my first run and set a time to improve on over the coming months. Building up to 22k is going to take sometime, but with a proper training schedule I remain confident. My plan is to do one short run 5k and a one long run a week. For the 5k shorter run I will be building up my speed, aiming to increase my time each week, whilst my longer runs will increase in distance over time eventually reaching the 22k goal.  I will be using my Apple watch to track my heart rate and pace etc. Despite a very cold wind my first run went better than expected.

 

electrician running for charity

To find out how I’m getting on please keep checking back for my training updates. And to sponsor this electrician running for Solar Sister, please check out my Just Giving page!

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook to keep up with the training and learn more about the fantastic work of Solar Sister.

New models worth installing an electric car charger for

Since our last blog in June about electric cars and installing an electric car charger at home, a whole host of manufacturers have released details with their upcoming fully electric vehicles. With UK grants to PHEV (plug-in hybrids) due to end in November, the car giants are racing to bring out EV’s with the newest battery technology ensuring a longer journey time and avoiding the dreaded range anxiety.

One of the most regular complaints we hear about electric cars is how they always look different to the standard petrol or diesel models. Cars such as BMW i3 and Nissan Leaf are reviewed as quirky and futuristic, whilst consumers are screaming out for vehicles that look normal. It appears that manufacturers have listened and the new releases on to the market look, well, like normal cars!

electric car charger for audi eTron

Trying to compete with Tesla, Audi have released their first standalone electric model the Audi e-Tron. With two motor’s jointly producing 300kW of power, this full sized SUV is capable of 0-62mph in less than 6 seconds. This car can go the distance as well with a range of up to 248 miles per charge. The model debuts Audi’s virtual wing mirrors, replacing traditional glass mirrors with a camera that streams onto a display mounted into the front doors.  And this isn’t the last of its innovative technology – the e-Tron route planner calculates your route showing electric car charger stations and incorporates the estimated charge time into the traffic data to calculate your arrival time. The e-Tron is currently available for pre-order, we anticipate this car being very popular so placing a deposit is advised.

Also debuting its first fully electric performance SUV, Jaguar has released the I-Pace. A bold move by an established premium car manufacturer, Jaguar have produced the first car in the market that can rival Tesla’s premium EV dominance. Containing two motors this SUV can manage 0-60mph in a swift 4.5 seconds and claims a mammoth 298 mile range. A sportier alternative to the Tesla model X, this car is definitely worth a look if you’re after a high tech family SUV that’s packed with futuristic features.

Tesla’s model 3 due to be released into the UK in 2019, is the brand’s first sensibly priced fully electric car. Smaller than the Model S and Model X, there are already half a million paid deposits. The Model 3 is designed to be the safest car in its class. With a range of up to 310 miles per charge and 0-60mph in 5.6 seconds, a price of $35,000 makes it one of the most affordable cars for its range on the market. Unfortunately, you cannot use the Tesla Superchargers (Tesla’s own electric car charger) for free, unlike the other models. But this well engineered car will definitely persuade more people to switch to EV’s.

For details of how to install electric chargers at home if any of these models have prompted you to make the switch to electric get in touch!

 

 

 

Ask an electrician: a brief history of UK wiring regs

The IET wiring regulations or the Wiring Rules as they were first known have been around since 1882, quickly becoming the standard for electrical installations across the UK.  But let’s take a step back in time to look at the evolution of ‘The Regs’ and what any electrician working in your home should know.

1882 – With the world’s first public electricity supply installed into Goldaming, Surrey; replacing the gas based streetlights with electric versions. In 1882 the Rules and regulations for the prevention of Fire Risks Arising from Electric Light was published. Commonly know as the Wiring Rules, this document was circulated across government departments. It featured just 21 items, with advice to the electrician such as “Fuses are the very essence of safety. They should always be encased in incombustible cases. Even if the wires become warmed by the ordinary current, it’s a proof that they are too small for the work they have to do and ought to be replaced by larger wires”.

1887 – After the success of the First Edition, a 2nd Edition was released in 1887 with a number of new rules.

1889 – The Society for Telegraph Engineers and Electricians became the Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE) and the IEE Wiring Regulations was created.

1897 – The 3rd Edition released in 1897 was renamed General Rules Recommended for Wiring for the Supply of Electrical Energy.

1903 – This year saw the first transatlantic radio broadcast between the United Stated and Great Britain. The 4th Edition published in the same year was the first to introduce some definitions and certification. The regulations stated that any electrician should produced a signed declaration confirming that an installation was compliant with current rules. Whilst regulation 48 stated “Fuses may be considered too large if they are not warm to the touch on full load and too small if they hiss when moistened”

1907-1916 – The 5th, 6th and 7th Editions were published in quick succession as more homes and workplaces had electricity installed. These editions were release in an attempt to keep up with the large quantity of new electrical products reaching the market.

1924 – With the UK’s first Labour prime minister in power, the 8th Edition – Regulations for the Electrical Equipment of Buildings featured different cable sizes for the first time. The National Register of Electrical Installations Contractors (NREIC) was also formed in this year, later becoming the NICEIC.

1927 – The 9th Edition was published.

Does your electrician know his wiring regs?

1934 – The 10th Edition saw the first use of separate sections, this helped electrical contractors navigate this ever growing document.

1937 – The new Electricity Supply Regulations allowed suppliers to inspect electrical connections before they were connected to public supply. Whilst the only statutory requirement of an electrician was a insulation test, this was to confirm that the installation was safe.

1939 – The beginning of World War One saw the release of the 11th Edition, with a revised issue in 1943, a reprint with amendments in 1946 and a revised section in 1948. This period saw the introduction of the ring circuit.

1950 – 12th Edition was released followed by a supplement called The Regulations for the Electrical Equipment of Building in 1954.

1955 – The 13th Edition was a major step in the world of electrical contracting as electricity supply companies began to take more of an interest in installation practices. This edition included non-mandatory recommendations on good practice for any electrician. This edition was reprinted in 1958, 1961, 1962 and 1964 mentioning PVC cables for the first time.

1966 – the 14th Edition saw the first mention of the word ‘bonding’ and was reprinted over seven times.

1970 – The 14th Edition was reprinted with metric units for the first time.

1981 – The Regulations for Electrical Installation or 15th Edition allowed for a greater level of harmonisation with the rest of Europe, following the UK joining the European Economic Community in 1973. Practices such as supplementary bonding were expanded on – regulation 413-7 required the bonding of all metallic items. This lead to the installation of supplementary bonding of baths, hand rails and boils.

This was also the first year that the coloured cover was agreed. With a cover price of £50 each reprint would be released in one of five colours – red, green, yellow, blue and brown.

Electrician: 17th Edition Wiring Regs

17th Edition of Wiring Regulations

1991 – The introduction of the 16th Edition also brought with it the first certificates including test results and an inspection schedule for electricians. This edition was reprinted 4 times.

2004 – the Part P of Building regulations came into operations and the 16th Edition was renamed the BS 7671:2001 requirements for electrical installation, The IEE Wiring Regulations. This made is a legal requirement for all domestic installation to comply with a set standard.

2006 – The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) was created by the IEE and Institution of Incorporated Engineers joined.

2007 – The 17th Edition was released after a committee of delegates representing the electrical industry reviewed the previous edition. They also welcomed comments from members of the industry to input on future regulations. This edition provided engineers with more detailed regulations surrounding the use of residual current devices or RCD’s.

2013 – The 17th Edition was amended to included a new section on electric car charging.

2015 – The last amendment made to the 17th Edition was to include information of switchgear assemblies. This led to plastic consumer units becoming obsolete due to fire risk and their metal version being installed.

2018 – This year saw the introduction of the 18th Edition, which will see all practicing electricians retrain to follow the new regulations. Issued on the 2nd July 2018, a six-month grace period allows both the 17th and 18th Editions to be practiced until 31December 2018.

We will be publishing a series of blogs on how the 18th Edition will effect your home and what to look out for when booking a electrical contractor. Keep an eye out for our blogs!

 

The Sound of Sonos

Want to listen to your music anywhere at home? And control it from your smartphone at the touch of a button? Leading-edge wireless Sonos system may be just what you need. It’s products are designed to fill every room of your home with music, and it’s flexibility has made the company a household name. Here’s a few things you may not know about this incredible sound solution:

#1 Sonos was founded in California in 2002 with one aim: to transform your home sound system for the digital age. They’ve waved goodbye to the days when your music or hi-fi system was restricted to one room in the house and tethered there by a mass of complicated cables.

#2 The Sonos wireless sound system works by first connecting one single speaker to your home wifi network, then you can add more Sonos units (up to a maximum of 32, placed around the house) using a dedicated secure wireless mesh network known as Sonosnet.

Sonos Smart Home Solution

Sonos wireless speakers and components

#3 Key to the whole system is the the Sonos Controller app (both Android and iOS) which walks you through the set-up. It’s really simple and actually involves not much more than just pressing the speaker’s sync button (to link it to your network and any other Sonos speakers), finding the connected speaker on the app and then entering your wi-fi password. The Controller app then makes actually managing and playing your music really easy.

 

Sonos Smart Home Solution

Sonos Playbar

#4 In the Controller app, you can assign each speaker to a particular room of your house, and add your favourite streaming services such as Spotify, as well as play any tracks, playlists and albums stored on your smartphone. The Controller intelligently recognises which speaker you’re using, and which room you’re using it in. Adding other speakers is via a tap in the app to add, press the sync button on the back of the speaker and  – it’s done. You can also pair single speakers in one room to work as a group in stereo together.

#5 The current Sonos products include the Play:1, Play:3 and Play:5 speakers, the Playbar, Playbase and Sub, the Sonos One smart speaker with Alexa voice control and the new Sonos Beam soundbar, all perfect additions to any smart home.

Contact us to find out more about Sonos and how we can get it working for you and have your music flowing from every room in your house!

Air conditioning, a pretty cool invention

With a potential 3-month heat wave looming, one advance in technology I think we can all be grateful for is air conditioning. Keeping many of us cool at work, the artificial breeze has been around much longer than you think. This American invention wasn’t created as a result of seeking improved comfort, but was the result of a paper stock problem in New York.

The Sackett and Wilhelms Lithography and Printing Company (S&W) based in Brooklyn, was having problems with its paper shrinking and expanding due to the varied humidity with in the different print rooms. This became a major issue for the company as they were trying to print multi coloured documents. At the time colour printing required each colour to be layered one as a time, so small changes in the dimension of the paper could misalign the image, causing a misprint. The comprise in quality was leading the factory to having huge levels of wastage and a back log of production.

S&W commissioned upstate company Buffalo Forge Works to come up with a solution. A young Cornell University graduate called Willis Carrier was sent to the factory to engineer what would become recognised as the world’s first modern air conditioning system. Existing technology at the time allowed engineers to control air temperature and alter humidity, but this was not precise enough for S&W requirements.

Carrier developed a system that could carry out four basic functions

  • Control temperature
  • Control humidity
  • Control air circulation and ventilation
  • Cleanse the air

The precision heating and cooling coils were capable of regulating the air temperature more precisely, therefore helping control the moisture in the air. The drawings detailing this plans are dated 17th July 1902 and resulted in the production of the worlds first electrical air conditioning system. Installed and fully operational in early 1903, the system kept the factory at a steady 55% humidity, resolving the paper issues.

In the last 100 years air conditioning technology has improved and the units producing magical cool air are become smaller and more energy efficient. Advances in filters mean that AC filters can ward off some allergies and asthma attacks, as they are capable of filtering out airborne pollen from circulating internal air. With our dependence of keeping us and our computer cool it is more important than ever to look after your system. By regularly maintaining your air condition system you can increase its lifespan by 5-8 years. Contact us to find out more!

How does GDPR impact CCTV installation?

The highly anticipated General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was introduced on 25th May 2018. This new European Union privacy law aims to bring all EU members states under one umbrella by enforcing a single data protection law. The law is intended to provide guidelines and regulate how data is processed, used, stored or exchanged. It applies to any organisation which sells goods or services to citizens of the EU and process or monitor the personal data of EU residents. Whilst we all received a mountain of emails from companies want us to confirm we’re happy with their correspondence, there seems to be a knowledge gap surrounding the CCTV aspect of GDPR.

With harmful penalties such as 4% global annual turnover fee being enforced, businesses need to ensure they are cooperating with the new ruling. The GDPR introduction means that building/business owners now require a valid reason for the placement of cameras. Employers are not allowed to use CCTV to watch their employees, but can use it to protect employees when it comes to health and safety. The law protects an employees’ right to privacy meaning that your staff have to be comfortable with the placement of cameras and can object to CCTV being fitted into certain areas. However, if the camera is minimising a potential security risk, this can be used as a valid reason to carry out the installation.

CCTV installation: GDPRIf you currently have CCTV installed into your work place or home is it important to inform those who operate in and around your location that cameras are in use. The most common resolution is to display clear signs declaring “CCTV is in operation”.

Whist your DVR may have the capacity to record more, GDPR now means that captured footage can only be held for a maximum of 30 days. A risk assessment would need to be carried out if you need to hold the footage for longer. Some locations such as pubs and hotels maybe required to hold their footage for longer by the local council as part of their premises license. The storage of this footage should also be considered. Screens displaying the footage should only be visible by authorised individuals and not by members of the public. Regardless of format all CCTV should be encrypted and locked away.

Overall GDPR does not discourage CCTV installation, but instead encourages companies to use it for protection and monitoring whilst avoiding an invasion of privacy.

If you want to find out more about installing and maintaining CCTV systems, please get in touch!