| Electrical Contractors' Association | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | ECA |
| Formation | 1901 |
| Type | Trade association |
| Legal status | Non-profit company (No. 00143669) |
| Purpose/focus | Electrical contractors in England, Northern Ireland and Wales |
| Headquarters | ESCA House |
| Location | 34 Palace Court, Bayswater, W2 4HY |
| Region served | England, Northern Ireland, Wales |
| Membership | c. 3000 electricians |
| Group Chief Executive Officer | Steve Bratt |
| Main organ | (President - Alun Pearson) |
| Affiliations | Association Européenne de l'Installation Electrique, National Home Improvement Council, Specialist Engineering Contractors Group |
| Staff | 140 |
| Website | ECA |
The Electrical Contractors' Association (ECA) is the main trade association for contractors involved in electrical engineering projects in England, Northern Ireland and Wales.
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Founded in 1901, the ECA represents contractors who design, install, inspect, test and maintain electrical and electronic equipment and services. It was incorporated on 19 April 1916.
The ECA played an important part in the 1920s and 1930s when electric power was introduced to most houses. Before this time, and the formation of the National Grid, electricity was supplied at different voltages and frequencies. Previously most electrical power networks were owned by local authorities. In the 1920s, some local authorities wanted to have the statutory obligation to electrically wire houses exclusively themselves, when the Electricity (Supply) Act 1926 was being discussed (which led to the National Grid by the Electricity Commission. At the time 500,000 workers worked in the electrical industry in the United Kingdom. In 1930 there were around three million consumers of electricity.
The modern system of plugs and sockets was specified by BS 1363 in 1947. The colonies of the British Empire at the time were also wired according to that standard. The 1926 Act had led to a (much-needed) centralisation of the UK electrical industry but the Electricity Act 1947 lead to the regional network of electricity boards set up by the British Electricity Authority. The boards became Public Electricity Suppliers in 1990.
The UK electrical contracting industry is worth £10 billion.
It is based on Palace Court, off Bayswater Road (A402). The nearest tube station is Bayswater tube station. It is next to the boundary of Westminster, and Kensington and Chelsea (Ossington Street).
In 2010, it had over 3000 registered members - companies who collectively employed over 30,000 UK workers and generated annual revenues of over £5 billion.
The ECA website says it has three main aims:
It represents the views of specialist electrical contractors on the UK Contractors Group and the Specialist Engineering Contractors Group. It holds the week-long ECA Electrical Industry Conference each May. It holds the ECA Edmundson Apprentice of the Year and Adult Trainee of the Year Awards each January.
From the 1920s to 1950s the annual dinner was held each January at the Savoy Hotel.
It produces the ECA Today magazine every two months.[2] In the 1920s its publication was called the Electrical Contractor.