Well, it’s official: summer is packing its bags, but we’ve had a good run – maybe too good at times. The evenings are getting shorter, there’s a chill in the air first thing in the morning, the clocks will be going back soon and we’ll all be wondering where the daylight went. Personally, I’m not quite ready to start putting the heating on yet – partly because I’m stubborn and partly because I’d rather not see the energy bill that follows!

There is something about this time of year that makes us think a little more about our homes. As the evenings draw in, we switch on more lights, adjust the heating controls and generally start making greater demands on the electrical infrastructure around us. And that got me thinking about something else that has changed considerably over the years: the humble wiring accessory.

I am old enough to remember when a socket was a socket and a switch was a switch. You picked one that did the job, hoped it matched the décor and that was pretty much the end of the discussion. How times have changed.

Today, flexibility is increasingly important. Homeowners and designers want accessories that can adapt to different requirements, while installers need products that are straightforward to specify and fit. USB charging, smart controls, modular solutions and a growing choice of finishes have all helped turn what was once a fairly functional purchase into something that can make a genuine contribution to the look and usability of a space. That’s the interesting thing about wiring accessories. They may be small, but they are one of the few parts of an electrical installation that we actually see and interact with every day. Appearance matters – perhaps rather more than we once thought.

For wholesalers, that presents an opportunity. There is still a market for the dependable, everyday accessory, but there is also a customer increasingly willing to ask, “What else can it do?” and “Does it come in something a little nicer?”

In this issue we have three feature articles which demonstrate why wiring accessories should no longer be thought of as simply the finishing touches. They might just be one of the most visible signs of how much the electrical industry has changed.

Enjoy the issue!

– Tracey Rushton-Thorpe
Editor

Check out the October issue here

Catch up on previous ‘Editor’s Viewpoint’ here