An Interview with Michael Peace
How long have you worked in the electrical engineering industry?
I started my career in 1993 as an apprentice electrician, becoming qualified in 1997 and began working in the domestic and commercial environments, initially in new housing developments with a few industrial units as well. I then started my own electrical contracting business in 2001 where I employed ten electricians, mainly carrying out industrial electrical installations including PLC control system installations. After which I went to work as an electrical manager with thirty electricians and apprentices to supervise. There I was responsible for day to day management, quoting, electrical design, as well as being the NICEIC qualified supervisor.
It was in this role that I caught the ‘electrical design bug’ if you like and started using software packages such as AutoCAD and Amtech Pro Design. I knew that I wanted to be a designer, but the problem that I had back then was lack of design experience and my City & Guilds 236 electricians qualification was not enough to apply for a role as an electrical designer. The roles which I was applying for were at consultancies where you are expected to have a degree or equivalent in electrical engineering.
It was at that stage that I decided to do a City & Guilds 2391-20 electrical design course, to get my foot on the ladder and then show that I was interested and capable in electrical design. This allowed me to knock on the door of more consultancies and show them I had experience of being an electrician AND had a design qualification, which meant I was actually more desirable than some competitors. While a lot, if not all of my competitors, had the academic qualifications to do the job, I could offer additional expertise and experience, because I had been on the ground and had the relevant hands-on experience. This really turned everything around for me, and the employers appreciated that I had taken the time out to get the qualification, just to prove a point!
In 2012 I secured a role with a consultancy, as a designer, carrying out designs in the leisure, retail and education sectors. This was not enough for me as I wanted to have a formal qualification which was equivalent to a degree to recognise my commitment to the role. However, I did not have the time to commit to completing a degree in addition to full-time work, but this was when I discovered that the IEng qualification would fulfil the criteria and I could gain it without a degree if I went down the technical report route. This required certain academic qualifications such as HNC and a written technical report to demonstrate competence and experience. I decided to go back to college part-time and completed an HNC in electrical and electronic engineering in two years. Armed with this and the experience I had gained as an electrician and electrical designer, I decided to apply for my IEng professional registration. All that experience really lead me to here…
What would you say was the most challenging moment of your career? Would it be the training?
I wouldn’t say the training but the transition part definitely, going from being an electrician on a building site to someone in an office preparing documents for those electricians, it was daunting at the start. Not just the method of working but the change of environment as well. Going from 6 am until 6 pm on a building site to 9 am until 5 pm in an office and coming home more tired, it was very challenging at the start.
And what would you say was a particular highlight?
So far, I have to say that gaining my IEng professional registration was particularly rewarding for me, it was a very important milestone in my career. It really did benefit me, and I’m not just saying that because we’re sitting in the IET!
What would you say brought you to the IET?
It wasn’t that I was unhappy doing electrical design, I just went in search of my dream career. I didn’t mind if it took me two or three years to find it, but it was something I was keen to pursue. I sat down and thought long term about where I would really love to work, and the first place that come to my mind, when you have been an electrician following ‘the book’ (The IET Wiring Regulations) all your life, is here, The IET. Not for everybody obviously, but the dream job for me really was to work at the IET.
The real crux of the matter is, I wanted to improve electrical safety and make the world a safer place. Having studied and practised the Regulations since I was a young lad, there really is not a better place to do that than here at the IET.
Is there anything you would recommend to younger people looking to start in the industry?
Definitely, work towards your Chartered Engineer (CEng) status, it can open so many doors in your career, but I think my main advice to young people would be to enjoy your work. You’re at work a long time and being happy in your work will make you excel naturally.
Always try to learn something new every day and keep up with the forever changing requirements in the workplace, but remember, whilst the regulations may change frequently, electrical engineering principles don’t.
What would you say is the biggest thing you’ve noticed about working at the IET?
The size and wider impact of the organisation! To me, as a young electrician, I thought it was all about the Regulations, but I now realise there’s a lot more to the IET.
Can you run through your main duties at the IET?
I am Secretary to Sub-Committee A of JPEL/64, which means managing meetings, managing and understanding the technical topics and documentation and liaising with other committees. As well as this I also represent the IET at external events, such as the Elex Show (The Electrician’s Exhibition).
In the future, I will be attending international meetings representing the UK as an expert on various IEC and CENELEC committees, which is something that I am particularly looking forward to.
I have also been put forward to be a member of a number of external committees, such as BS 8629 which is a new British Standard for fire evacuation systems for firefighters use, intended primarily for high rise buildings. Previously, I had actually written my own ‘fire blog’, trying to detail my own observations of shortfalls in the industry following on from the tragic incident at Grenfell. I detailed what I thought could be new protocols and procedures for fire evacuation, including ideas for new evacuation systems, and when I started at the IET I was invited to be part of the committee responsible for producing the British Standard in this area, which is a huge privilege.
Dissemination of information is a huge part of my job, which of course includes writing articles for the IET Electrical website and Wiring Matters!
How has the industry changed since you started?
Whilst electrical engineering principles haven’t changed over the years, the products have evolved, requiring the Regulations to adapt. Micro-generation and electronic equipment, all of which present new challenges to the electrical installer and designer.
What areas do you think are going to develop the most in the next few years?
Short term, EV charging, connected environment and energy conservation will be massive in the future. I think we’ve got huge challenges coming up in the next few years with EV charging, which we haven’t come across yet. Basically we just don’t have the infrastructure in place or enough power to charge all of them up, especially at the same time of day!
Are there any technologies you are particularly excited about at the moment?
I am really looking forward to the introduction of autonomous vehicles, the sooner computers are driving our cars the safer our roads will be, and that’s a fact! Yes, computers will make one in one million mistakes, but a human will do it several times on every journey! Deaths and accidents on the roads are dropping, but it’s still something like 2000 a year, and when you consider how few incidents we have with electricity, for example, it puts it into perspective.
Also, this is not something that’s in any way new, but I do think it’s being underused, and that’s Building Information Modelling (BIM). If you’re familiar with 2D drawing packages, the next step is an intelligent 3D drawing tool. When completed, a BIM drawing is actually a database which will hold all the relevant details of the building construction and the installed items of equipment. For example, if you need to know the make and model of a particular luminaire you can instantly print out a full schedule of installed luminaires to facilitate maintenance. It’s a brilliant tool for coordinating across different trades, from concept, through construction to facilities management. I understand that initially, it can be a time-consuming process, as it is a very different way of working compared to traditional 2D drawings with plan views, sections and elevations but once this is overcome, the advantages are massive. I think it will be adopted more eventually, it’s just taking longer than initially predicted, probably due to the associated costs.
What type of articles are you thinking of writing for us in the future?
I would like to keep it topical, I don’t have a predetermined type of article that I would like to write, I want to see what the industry is unsure about and answer those questions. I enjoy the subject of earthing, I think I could write an article about it every week for the rest of my life and there would still be questions to be asked about it, so I’m sure there will be more about that. What I like to do is hear from electricians, to find out what they are wanting to know so I really do welcome any suggestions.
To sum up, do you have any final advice?
Don’t be afraid to put your hands up when you have made a mistake. Making mistakes is part of becoming an Engineer, it’s how we deal with them and learn from it to prevent it happening again that really matters.
If you would like to email Michael with suggestions for articles, or you have a query you think needs addressing, contact us here at Wiring Matters.