Perry Norman is supervisor electrician at Hollywell – the registered electrical contracting firm for Trenitalia c2c Limited, which operates the Essex Thameside railway franchise.
Hollywell has been installing Schneider Electric’s Acti9 Isobar P range of distribution boards on the line. The range allows for split neutral cabling and a neutral phase plug-on system for quick RCBO installation.
We caught up with Perry to find out what he thinks of the range.
What is your favourite feature of the Acti9 Isobar P?
Definitely how the RCBOs sit in – no fly leads and no neutral fly leads.
How user-friendly is the range?
Very friendly – it’s fast, it’s quick to install, it looks presentable. It’s user-friendly for anybody, it’s so simple to use – it’s just a click and play system. No fly leads, no re-terminating of cables; it’s just so much easier and faster.
Was it easy to install?
Yes, definitely. The reliability has been fine – we haven’t had any that have felt loose or anything yet. I can’t fault it.
Its plug-on RCBO capability is designed to reduce installation time by up to half – have you found this to be the case?
And the rest. Because you haven’t got a fly lead to dress for the earths, you haven’t got a fly lead to dress for the neutrals, no cutting them back to make them neat in the fuse board – more than half, personally. I’d say it’s 75 per cent easier – you literally open the box, click it into place, pull the latch, clip it in and done. No messing around with cables or fly leads; it’s so much quicker.
There’s time saved on the actual cabling into the box too, because you just haven’t got the mess. It’s so much easier when you’re trying to dress the fuse board as well. Where usually you’d end up having the blue neutral fly lead pinging up in your way, with this, when you want to dress it presentation-wise, you don’t get any of that.
Using fewer connections, it is intended to reduce the potential for cabling errors – how important is this for projects like c2c?
It’s definitely important. With the pins in the back it’s a secure fixing straight into the busbar. It’s reducing cable faults as – thanks to the plug and play system – there’s two fewer fly leads and two fewer terminal connections.
Installer safety was a big consideration in the development of the range – did you feel confident and safe in its use?
Definitely. If you’re working on a live fuse board, you’ve got the worry of fly leads dangling down and possibly touching a live connection in the terminal. Whereas, with the click and play, it’s just in and done. The practicalities are superb for working on a live installation.
The devices have been designed to be easily removed and replaced should the need arise. If you had to make any changes to the installation, was this ease noticeable?
It’s easy to move stuff around, yes, all you do is release the clamp and it comes out – happy days!
Isobar P works with connected devices, such as the PowerTag sensor that fastens easily to the plug-on RCBO to enable easy asset management. What can you say about the PowerTag?
With the PowerTags we’re installing, all you need to do is log on to the system and it instantly picks up a fault. We had one at Upminster station – we didn’t realise that panel heaters in the toilets were coming on at 1am and using 80% of the load capacity. We were getting emails to say there was a fault – 80% overload – which was impossible as the station was closed. When we looked at all the data, we saw the heaters were coming on when they shouldn’t have been. We wouldn’t have known that if it wasn’t for these PowerTags, it’s a slick system. People want to know what energy they’re using and, with this, it’s easy to show them.
Would you be happy to use the Acti9 Isobar P again for future projects and would you recommend the range to others?
Definitely. I’ve actually been working alongside some other electricians on contracts elsewhere and I’ve been showing them the kit – it’s like a new toy for them! So yes, I would recommend it and I already have.
What would you say to anyone else thinking of installing the product?
It’s quicker and easier to install, you’ve got less terminations and less connections. It’s just more practical to use – I prefer to use them.