We know that budgets can vary from project to project, but what doesn’t change is the need to deliver quality and safety from the wiring devices fitted right across the install.
Emma Segelov, MK Electric’s EMEA marketing operations manager, looks at how can professionals working with electrics can uphold standards even when the budget available is more prudent.
1: Opt for the widest testing
The pandemic has heightened our awareness of the many touch points we encounter throughout the day, making hygiene now of greater importance when planning sockets and switches for a project.
In a recent study commissioned by Honeywell and carried out by Wakefield Research of workers’ perceptions on the health and safety of their workplace, a staggering majority of the surveyed workforce in the UK (71%) does not feel completely safe working in their employer’s buildings. This number is even higher for those working remotely (78%), who are especially sceptical about the safety of work sites. In the UK, half of the participants interviewed are equally concerned with transmission of COVID-19 through touching a surface (51%) and through the air (49%). In fact, their level of worry for surface transfer is significantly higher compared to other surveyed workers around the world (44%).
As part of making long-term improvements to create a healthier environment overall, consideration should be given to minimising the spread of contaminants via touchpoints. Electrical wiring devices such as switches and sockets are just one of many touchpoints around a building that can provide opportunities for contagions to spread. As such, products with inherent anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties tested in line with the latest industry standards are in great demand and deliver extra peace of mind for clients and building occupants.
To provide customer reassurance, when selecting antimicrobial products check to see if the test claims are to the latest standards. Here, it is important to look out for sockets and switches that have been tested in line with ISO 22196:2011, the latest standard for antibacterial measurement for plastics. This is available even for projects with cost-conscious budgets.
Secondly, it is worth considering the product material itself. Sockets and switches made using urea formaldehyde, a high-grade thermoset material with anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties inherent to the actual compound of the product, means health and safety don’t have to be compromised even when finances are limited.
Offering value for money without lowering standards, MK’s new, cost-focused offering, MK Base, is made using urea formaldehyde to provide built-in safeguarding properties and sits alongside Logic Plus as the most widely tested wiring device ranges available, with testing carried out by an independent accredited laboratory to the latest standard, ISO 22196:2011.
MK Base has been tested for its ability to kill bacteria and viruses, not just inhibit their growth. As such, the range has been proven to have a kill rate of 99% on the Phi-X174 virus,2 an internationally recognised standard in anti-viral testing and one of the smallest known non-enveloped viruses, making it harder to detect and destroy. Non-enveloped viruses are much harder to kill because they carry the proteins used to infect cells in an inner layer which is less susceptible to disinfectants. This is in contrast to their enveloped
counterparts which have an outer membrane. The membrane contains the proteins used by the virus to enter its victim’s cell and is sensitive to chemical and physical treatments. Because non-enveloped viruses are harder to disinfect, it is one of the reasons why protection against Phi-X174 is used as a standard for evaluating anti-viral performance and is also used when analysing the resistance of critical PPE and air filtration systems to blood-borne viruses.
Equally, MK Base has effective kill rates on MRSA (99.98%), E. coli (99.99%), salmonella (99.98%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (99.78%) and Staphylococcus Aureus 6538p, (99.99%) which can be resistant to antibiotics, plus Listeria (99.97%).
2: Go for experience
Choosing a value range from a well-respected manufacturer is a great way to meet more cost-conscious budgets and not worry about the quality of the products you are recommending.
MK Base, for example, is backed by a 20-year guarantee.3 It also has the reassurance that the range is 100% electrically and visually tested at the point of manufacture, as you expect from a renowned brand like MK, enabling users to spend cautiously without compromising on trusted reliability.
3: Complete range of solutions
Providing the same quality, health and safety assurances across a project is important, but installers may have found that by selecting a value offering they have been restricted by a limited product set.
Taking this on board there are ranges designed to provide a broad selection of practical products that installers need to meet the needs of building owners and occupants are currently looking for. MK Base includes one and two gang USB integrated sockets and trailing edge LED dimmers, through to grid frontplates and Euro frontplates that are compatible with MK Electric’s Grid Plus and Euro range of modules, to further extend the range.
Aesthetics are another feature that can sometimes suffer as budgets lower. Stylish design features, such as the curved edges seen on MK Base, can help elevate the quality look and feel of the finish and complement any interior.
There are always projects where some areas will be ‘on show.’ An alternative way to reduce costs is to select more premium products, like Logic Plus or the matte black MK Dimensions range, to furnish priority areas of a building and use more affordable options for back-of-house areas that aren’t as visible to customers or occupants but maintains the quality and functionality customers need and expect.
4: Insist on easy install features
As well as meeting budgets, a value range should also help installers and contractors meet build schedules and customer expectations to ensure margins can be maximised and avoid a project overrunning, inevitably costing time and money.
Often lower quality wiring devices may mean compromising on features that allow for ease of installation and an attractive final appearance. Check to make sure the cost-effective products you select include features such as backed out and captive terminal screws, both of which can be seen in the new MK Base range for ease and convenience.
Having a limited budget doesn’t mean you have to lower customer expectations or the end result. It’s important to find a range that can help your project stay on budget without having to compromise on quality or key product solutions and with the backup and reassurance that goes with choosing an established brand – making for a smoother job all round.
For more information on the MK Base range of wiring devices, visit www.hwll.co/MKBase. Please link to – https://buildings.honeywell.com/us/en/brands/our-brands/mk-electric/mk-base?utm_source=Installer&utm_medium=PR&utm_campaign=MK%20Base
