Electrical Contracting News (ECN) May 2017 | Page 52

SPECIAL
FEATURE
WIRING ACCESSORIES
POWER TO THE OUTDOORS!
Peter Ratcliffe, sales director at GreenBrook Electrical, discusses the
growing demand for outdoor power products, the variety of solutions on the
market and the upselling opportunity for the wholesaler and contractor.
Y
ears ago, it was unlikely
that homeowners would
need to use electrical
power outdoors unless
they were mowing the
lawn or cutting the hedge
and then an extension
lead, perhaps with a
PowerBreaker adaptor, for the extra safety
conscious, would do the trick.
These days, our willingness to make our
gardens part of our living space and a venue
for our leisure time has led to a considerable
increase in the number of outdoor power
applications. Exterior lighting, water
features and hot tubs are all commonplace
52 | May 2017
and seasonal electrical requirements (such
as Christmas lights) have also meant that
consumers are looking for better outdoor
power solutions for their homes.
Similarly, demand for practical outdoor
power solutions is also growing in the
commercial market and in this scenario the
drive to ensure that outdoor power usage
is safe as well as practical is even stronger.
No longer is the need for outdoor power
confined to locations like building sites and
commercial areas – the smoking ban has
seen pubs, restaurants and public halls
invest in providing outdoor areas which are
not only often lit but also heated and wired
into the establishment’s audio visual system.
Demand for
practical outdoor
power solutions
is growing in the
commercial market.