Electricians Warn Plug-In Solar and Batteries Risk House Fires Under Rushed Legalisation

Plug-in solar and battery systems, designed to be connected to standard power outlets, are discussed alongside electrical safety laws requiring professional installation for rooftop solar and home batteries. Advocates argue legalisation would allow renters, apartment dwellers and low-income households to lower their power bills.

Master Electricians Australia (MEA) chief executive Kate Raymond said the current proposed safety measures, including WA's draft standard, could cause house fires and the release of toxic battery gases. "We understand the cost of living; we understand people want and need to reduce their energy bills," she told the ABC. "But what's the cost of a house fire? What's the cost of someone losing their life?"

The devices feed power into a home's circuit but can bypass circuit breakers that protect wiring from overheating. Germany limits the output of such devices so extra current cannot overload wiring; the same approach is proposed by plug-in advocates and the WA government. But MEA national technical manager Matthew Duncan said “Australians aren't Germans” and that households could ignore safety instructions or connect multiple units. “If these are made readily available for sale, I can see a lot of people connecting more than one,” he said.

Neil Roberts, director of safety at the National Electrical and Communications Association (NECA), said misuse was inevitable. "You're trusting the competency of the general public to install these," he said.

The Electrical Trades Union (ETU) national secretary Michael Wright said plug-in solar "creates a greater risk requiring different, clear safety standards to protect residents and electrical workers from harm or death."

Western Australia has released a draft technical standard as it aims to be the first state or territory to legalise the technology, bypassing the national Standards Australia process. WA Energy Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said safety was “absolutely our primary concern,” but added: “We want the conversation to move past whether it can be done safely, to how it can be done safely here in WA.” A WA government official said the state was on track to complete its process in 2027.

Federal Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen told a webinar last week that he had asked Standards Australia to fast-track the project, and that the safety process "cannot be rushed." He said: "We would be letting down the people relying on us if we cut corners and allowed safety risks."

Solar Citizens, the advocacy group pushing for legalisation, believes the mid-2027 deadline is achievable. Consultant Glenn Morris, a member of the Standards Australia committees overseeing plug-in safety rules, said Germany and the UK had "already done all the technical work." He added that eight months is a normal time frame for an amendment to a technical standard when there is government direction.

The MEA's Duncan, also a member of the wiring rules committee, said the committee had not yet received a proposal to amend the relevant standards, and that a completion by early next year was "just not possible." In September, Australia's energy ministers agreed to explore pathways for safe deployment and report back in December.