Just what does a one-man-band sparkie get up to over the course of a year?


That's the question everyone wants answered I'm sure, so I decided at the end of 2014 to keep some statistics relating to my daily working activities throughout the course of a whole year.


Really though, I must stop having these ideas as, like my picture-a-day plan, this quickly became an admin overhead I could do without, therefore my New Year resolution for 2016 is to not keep track of anything superfluous. Still, it (kind of) makes interesting reading... at least for me if nobody else.


So, without further ado, except to say that if you're reading this on a phone you'll need to rotate to landscape to fit the table in, let's see what I've been getting up to over the course of a full twelve months....

 

Activity # Comment
     
Audio visual    
Hang flatscreen TV/monitor on wall 4  
TV aerial/satellite outlets installed 13  
Satellite dishes installed/adjusted/maintained 3  
TV aerials installed/adjusted/maintained 4  
Hidden HDMI/video cables installed 7  
RF/Satellite/video cable manufacture 16  
Custom installation of other audio/video hardware 5  
AV outlets installed 7  
Splitters/boosters installed 3  
     
Consumer unit/earthing    
Old fuse box/consumer unit replacement 9  
New build or secondary/additional consumer unit installed 9  
Main earthing upgraded/repaired 7  
Bonding/supplementary bonding upgraded/repaired 4  
Earth rods installed 3  
Burned out/faulty breaker/RCD issue rectified 5  
Breaker/RCD upgrade/downgrade 25 Where an MCB has been changed for an RCBO or a breaker/RCD has been changed as it was rated incorrectly
Nuisance tripping faults investigated & rectified 12  
Tail pairs replaced/upgraded 2  
     
Generic wiring    
Full/partial rewire 3  
New socket or lighting circuit 47 Brand new circuit for power or lighting
Dodgy DIY/cowboy wiring issues corrected 73 Fixing bad stuff installed by others
Non DIY/cowboy wiring issue traced/repaired 9 Wiring fault on a professional installation
L-N reversals corrected 8 Correcting stuff wired arse-about-tit
Broken CPC faults rectified 7 Correcting breaks in circuit protective conductors
Circuits/part circuits decommissioned/made safe 74 Disconnection/removal of old wiring
Broken accessories replaced 47  
Functional accessories replaced/upgraded 108 Working sockets/switches etc. replaced for new/decorative accessories
Plugtops/connectors (e.g. IEC) fitted/replaced 42 BS1363 plugs or other power connectors fitted
Single to twin outlet socket conversions 4 Converta sockets (i.e. no change of backbox)
New socket outlets/spurs/switches/isolators installed/relocated 399  
Exterior socket/FCU installed/relocated 16  
Armoured cable terminations 24  
Armoured cable feeds installed to outbuildings 8  
SWA cable splices 3  
Exposed cores repaired 31  
New flex installed to an appliance 3  
Custom conduit (plastic or steel) installations 7  
Loose accessories secured 8 Incorrect screws or not properly mechanically installed
     
Bathroom    
Shower feeds installed 4  
Shower/fan isolators installed/replaced/upgraded/relocated 15  
Electric showers installed/replaced 3  
Extractor fans installed/replaced 24  
Shaver sockets installed/replaced 7  
Whirlpool baths/hot tubs installed 1  
     
Kitchen    
New cooker/hob circuits installed 14  
Cookers, ovens or hobs connected 25  
Oven/cooker element replaced 1  
Cooker hoods/extractors installed/replaced 3  
     
Lighting    
Lighting occupancy sensors/PIRs installed/replaced 6  
All new downlights installed (with LED lamps) 287  
Exterior light replacements 21  
All new exterior lights installed & wired in 34  
Ceiling/wall lights hung/rehung/replaced 136  
All new (non downlight) lighting circuits installed 16 New ceiling pendants/wall light circuits
Tungsten/halogen/CFL lighting converted to LED 204  
Old downlight fittings replaced/converted to new LED 96 Conversion of MR11/MR16/R63/R80 fittings to Gu10 LED or similar
Faulty ELV SELV transformers/GU5.3 lampholders replaced 5  
LED strip lighting installed (m) 24 Flexi-strip LED custom cut to size
Fluorescent battens/2D lamps converted to LED 6  
Bespoke feature lighting designed/installed 8  
Like-for-like bulb/starter changes 60  
Old/faulty luminaires rewired/repaired 6  
Defunct luminaires removed 25  
Switch drops added/relocated on existing circuit 32 New or moved switch drops
     
Telephony/broadband/networking/comms    
Relocate/reterminate/repair telephone/broadband cabling 8  
New telephone outlet installed 6  
CAT 5e/CAT6 network cables/faceplates installed 2  
Cat 5e/6/telephony cables decommissioned 24  
     
Heating & water    
Electric radiators/storage heaters installed/replaced 9  
Damaged/faulty underfloor heat mats repaired 1  
Immersion/water heaters installed 1  
Heated towel rails installed 6  
Timer/boost controllers installed 9  
Thermostats/controllers rewired/relocated/replaced 4  
Instantaneous hot water solutions installed 1  
Electric fires repaired/maintained 1 i.e. new switch/element etc.
Pond pump/filter installations 1  
     
Safety, security & access    
PAT tests performed 295  
Full/partial EICR (periodic inspections) performed 27  
Mains linked smoke/heat/CO2 alarms installed/replaced 37  
Intruder alarm installation 2  
Intruder alarm maintenance 1  
PIR/contact sensors replaced/new sensors installed 13  
Intruder alarm false alarm investigation/rectification 2  
Doorbell/extension bell installed/replaced 7  
Emergency lighting bulkheads installed/replaced 4  
Full CCTV systems installed 2  
Individual CCTV cameras installed/replaced/repaired/maintained 13  
FP200 fire panel supplies installed 1 FP200 cable installation
     
Miscellaneous    
Mechanical works 4 Mechanical installation to prevent access/damage to electrical accessories
Solar PV maintenance 1  
Metering/monitoring installations 2  
Switch flicking! 11 Call-outs to non operative equipment that was just turned off
Blown fuse replacements 6  
     
Energy efficient lighting upgrade power savings (W): 15520.5 See below

Number of bookings logged in the calendar for 2015: 301


It's funny how things change year from year. For example in 2014 there were a lot of CAT-5 and CAT-6 installations, but no intruder alarms.


The number I'm most proud of is the lighting power saving where fifteen and a half kilowatts have been knocked off the grid since this time last year. This means that at the end of 2014 there was 15.52kW being used to drive energy inefficient lighting which is no longer sucking power from the grid. Those same homes and businesses still have nice, bright, clean lighting, but now that LED or fluorescent alternatives have been installed where halogen or tungsten used to be, they are saving pounds off their electricity bill and the grid doesn't have to work so hard to keep them a-glowing. Long may that trend continue!


I've expanded the number of trades I team up with, so the last twelve months have been my busiest to date and has seen me working six days a week on the tools for much of the year just to keep up. I intend to slow down a little and get my weekends back in 2016, so if you want my services, try to book early to avoid disappointment!

 
YTB
AFF6