Electrical Safety Compliance and Testing in Your Home

In the modern world, it’s fair to say that we have a growing reliance on electrical equipment for our homes, from kitchen appliances like refrigerators and microwaves to water heaters, air conditioners, lighting circuits, and solar panels. By enhancing the convenience of our daily lives, this equipment makes it easy to prepare meals, have a nice hot shower, or generate power affordably and sustainably through solar power systems.

However, to experience these benefits and get the most out of your electrical appliances, you’ll need to ensure that they continue to operate safely – and that’s where electrical safety compliance and testing comes in.

Keep reading as we explore the importance of professional compliance testing for electrical safety, including during the maintenance of sustainable energy solutions within your home through efficient solar panel systems.

What is Electrical Compliance Testing?

Compliance testing validates the quality and safety of your electrical appliances, including residential solar panel systems.

Like any other electrical appliances, solar panels must undergo regular inspections and maintenance checks by a licensed electrician. These checks help to prevent or repair any damage, such as exposed cables or cracked panels, and keep your system working efficiently all year round.

An electrical safety check should be completed after your installation to ensure that the system is working and remains up to date with all accepted Australian safety standards. This emphasises the importance of sticking to essential safety requirements during solar panel installation, which minimises electrical hazards and guarantees efficiency, including grounding and circuit protections.

Along with solar panel systems, compliance testing is generally required for:

• New installations
• Switchboard work
• Off-grid power systems
• Existing electrical installations with additions or alterations
• Adding more panels to solar systems
• Electricity metre installations
• Solar battery installations

Why is Electrical Safety Testing Important?

The growing popularity of smart homes means that we have more and more interconnected devices, including both built-in and portable electrical equipment, within our reach. As we continue to kit our homes out with the latest technology, such as solar powered security cameras, the risk of hazards therefore simply increases.

Aging wiring, manufacturing defects in electrical appliances, and overloaded circuits pose potential fire hazards, which is why electrical safety checks are so essential for identifying and eliminating these risks before they damage your home.

Compliance testing also ensures that all built-in and portable electrical appliances meet minimum safety standards, which are a legal requirement. Some of the key safety standards for electrical products include:

• IEC 60364: Ensures safe and efficient electrical installation in residential and commercial buildings
• IEC 60598: Provides specific requirements for lighting sources
• IEC 60950: Covers information technology equipment

What Does an Electrical Safety Check Involve?

A thorough testing process conducted after an electrical installation should first involve a visual inspection. During this initial stage, a qualified technician will take a look at the electrical appliance to see whether it has any loose parts or wiring that offer a fire or shock risk and lead to a loss in power output over time.

For instance, with solar systems, this could be a crack in the panel sustained from extreme weather conditions, poor manufacturing, unsuitable transportation, or ineffective installations.

They may then use a portable appliance tester (PAT) to conduct testing on the power output of your electrical devices. For solar panel systems, the output will be measured in a stable environment of 25℃ sea level air mass and an irradiance of 1000 watts per square metre.

Commercial Compliance Testing

If you’re a business owner, your electrical safety check will involve testing and tagging.

Electrical testing and tagging is performed on portable electrical appliances in an office or workplace to ensure that companies are compliant with Australian safety standards. As well as being important for compliance purposes, this process is also essential for your insurance policies.

An expert electrician will use a PAT tester to inspect every electrical appliance on-site, including computers, printers, microwaves, and refrigerators. Items that pass will then be marked with a label that records the date and results of the test, along with the tester’s name and date of the next test.

On the other hand, items that keep failing may indicate a more serious issue that requires further investigation with a thorough electrical safety check, such as damaged wiring or overloaded circuits

Electrical Safety Certificates

For the installation or maintenance of electrical equipment, contractors must provide customers with either a certificate of testing and safety or a certificate of testing and compliance once an inspection is complete. This is generally referred to as an Electrical Safety Certificate here in Queensland, which contractors must keep a copy of for 5 years after the installation.

To keep your electrical appliances safe, these certificates must therefore state:

• The name and address of the customer
• Details of the electrical installations performed or equipment tested
• Date that the electrical testing was performed
• Electrical contractor licence number
• Statement that the electrical equipment or installation has undergone electrical compliance testing to ensure it is safe and in accordance with the ES Regulation 2013

Invest in Professional Electrical Safety Testing Today

In Queensland, a registered electrician will perform electrical testing, following a thorough step-by-step process to check for electrical faults, before issuing a compliance certificate.

At Volteam, our highly qualified technicians will ensure that your residential or commercial projects are operating at peak efficiency, including electronic data, telecommunications, air conditioning units, and solar panel systems.

Our electricians are fully licensed and insured to perform a comprehensive electrical safety check, providing you with the peace of mind that comes from knowing your solar and electrical testing needs are in capable hands.

We offer preventative solar power maintenance programs to reduce the risk of unexpected, costly breakdowns caused by anything from poor installation to battery problems and extend the lifespan of your system. We also offer emergency repairs for faulty electrical equipment, so don’t hesitate to get in touch ASAP if you have a concern anywhere in the Brisbane area.

Call us at 1300 865 832 to schedule your electrical inspection or fill out your details on the Volteam Electric website, and a member of our friendly team will call you back with a free quote