BlackThorne Building

Source:  http://www.pat-testing.info/wireaplug.htm (Accessed: 10 October 2009)

Wiring a Plug

A common cause of electrical faults is a poorly wired plug. Wiring a plug is not difficult however it is important to get it right.

Firstly strip off about 4cm of the outer cable sleeve. Slit the sleeve of the cable lengthways with a sharp knife, being careful not to cut into the coloured wires. Peel the outer sleeve away and cut it off.
Separate the wires and cut to length using wire cutters. Use the plug as a gauge to cut the wires to the correct length. Leaving the wires the same length usually results in the live and neutral wires becoming crushed when the plug cover is replaced.
Remove about 5mm of insulation from the end of each wire using wire strippers/cutters, be careful not to cut into the individual strands of wire. Now tightly twist the ends of the wires.
Connect each wire to the correct terminal. Slacken the screw push the bare wire into the hole and tighten the screw. Make sure the terminals are tight and that there is no bare wires or loose strands of wire showing. It is often easier to push the pins up slightly when connecting the wires. Brown - Live Blue - Neutral Yellow and green - Earth Older appliances may have different colours: Red - Live Black - Neutral Green - Earth
Tighten the cord clamp over the cable sleeving. Make sure the cord clamp is gripping the outer sleeve of the cable not the coloured wires.
Check that a correct rated fuse is fitted. There are three standard fuse ratings- 3A, 5A & 13A. For appliances up to 700W a 3A fuse is used. For those between 700W and 1200W a 5A fuse is used. For appliances over 1200W a 13A fuse is used. Modern electrical appliances will have a sticker or plate showing the maximum power consumption in WATTS (W).
Make sure there are no loose strands of wire in the plug and the wires are laying in the correct channels in the plug and will not become crushed when the cover is replaced. Double check that the wires are correct and replace the plug’s cover and tighten the screw
Some appliances will only have two wires - Live & Neutral. These are ‘Double Insulated’ and do not rely upon the Earth wire for protection. The plug is wired as above but there is no Earth wire to connect, however make sure that the screw on the Earth terminal is not loose.

Article posted by London Builders Blog:  www.BlackThorneBuilding.co.uk

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BPF Industry Calls for a New Housing Agenda

Source Date:  26 January 2009

A meeting on the 26 January 2009 at the British Property Federation’s London Annual Residential Conference discussed changes in the property industry to rental.  

Speakers include:

Sir Bob Kerslake, chief executive of the Homes and Communities Agency

Peter Marsh, chief executive of the Tenant Services Authority,
Fionnuala Earley, chief economist of Nationwide Building Society

Richard Blakeway, housing adviser to the Mayor of London.

With the current housing crisis leaving homes vacant due to lack of lending, and many facing repossession or negative equity, the BPF believe that long term rental provides the solution to these problems.

During the London Annual Residential Conference, items that were discussed included; changes to stamp duty, local housing allowance and a “planning system” to help the rental market and stimulate private company investment.

Changes put forward for stamp duty when buying multiple properties so that it is charged per purchases and not on the multiple amount.  This would reduce costs for large portfolio investments.

The BPF also want rental developments to be given a special financial model recognised through planning as opposed to the model used for owner occupied properties.

Direct payment of local housing allowance (LHA) was stopped in April 2008 which risks the financial management of social security tenants.  Direct payment will ensure landlords will continue to offer rental properties to financially exposed members of society.

Expert views are detailed on the BPF source article.  These views strongly vindicate changes to stamp duty, planning system, and local housing allowance, and support the view that stimulating the rental market will help to alleviate problems faced by investors caused by the current housing crisis.

Further reading on Source Article:

http://www.bpf.org.uk/newsroom/pressreleases/document/23564/industry-calls-for-new-housing-agenda