An appliance company has instigated a new apprentice program to increase the skill levels of electrical service technicians.

In order to accelerate the uptake of LED lighting, the world’s lighting industry initiated a program to coordinate and promote the technology at a global level.

The recent Auditor-General report into the Home Insulation Program has been positively received by the electrical industry.

Verbatim Australia has lauched a range of retrofit LED lamps in Australia. The LED range is made up of lamps that are direct replacements for conventional incandescent bulbs, halogen spotlights, downlights and compact fluorescent lamps.

There are smart grid pilot projects worth $200 million either in operation or about to start in Australia with most focusing on the potential for smart meters and demand management.

VSS Monitoring has announced it has secured its first institutional round of financing from Battery Ventures, a multistage investment firm focused on technology and innovation worldwide. VSS Monitoring is a technology leader in intelligent distributed traffic capture, the industry’s only system-based architecture for network and security monitoring.

Electrical retailers have been forced to scale back their reliance on manufacturer brands and invest heavily in private label and own brand ranges in response to non-specialists eating away at both their market share and margins according to Verdict.

The National Electrical and Communications Association (NECA) joined the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) in its call for continued government strength in the regulation of the building industry.

ABB won an order worth $20 million to provide the complete electrical and automation system for six underground mine incline conveyors for Newcrest Mining’s Cadia East gold and copper project, located in south-eastern Australia.

Power and Data Corporation has appointed Gilbert Lodge Australia as the exclusive Australian/New Zealand master distributor of its Mainline Power range.

A safety alert has been issued to electrical contractors warning of the dangers of unsafe wiring for swing-stage installations.

Peak industry body NECA has welcomed Guy Houghton as the new General Manager for the NECA Queensland Chapter.

Peak electrical industry body NECA has appointed its new National President.

Spirent Communications has announced that Spirent Avalanche Virtual, the industry’s first solution for cloud computing testing, was named the 2010 Best of Interop winner in the performance optimisation category.

Siemens is searching for new technologies for use as insulators on electrical wiring that will make generators more efficient.