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AS/NZS 3000:2018 Wiring Rules – Coming soon

The joint Standards Australia/Standards New Zealand Committee EL-001 has finished work on the next edition of the wiring rules, and both the Standards Approval Board and the Standards Council of Australia have approved the standard. Essential for electricians, inspectors and regulators, AS/NZS 3000:2007 Electrical installations (known as the Australian/New Zealand Wiring Rules) specifies the electrical installation safety requirements for all premises in New Zealand and Australia.

The new edition, AS/NZS 3000:2018, is expected to be published in the next few months and will be more flexible, user-friendly and easier to read.

Changes will provide clarity

The standard is being revised to correct identified errors and to provide clarity around aspects of the standard that have been open to differing interpretations.

The main changes to the standard include:

  • the inclusion of arc fault detection devices (AFDDs)
  • additional wider requirements for the installation of residual current devices (RCDs), for example within schools and outdoor locations
  • installation requirements for socket outlets with alternative pin configurations
  • new requirements for external influences – electrical accessories having a specific degree of protection marked on the product being installed on an exterior wall (ingress protection ratings)
  • clearance from open cooking services
  • a new clause is for lifts that aren’t safety services in section 4
  • rewriting the safety services subsection to improve clarity
  • new recessed luminaires requirements through the citing of AS/NZS 60598.2.2:2016
  • specific New Zealand-only electric vehicle (EV) requirements.

Energy Safety update on regulatory status of AS/NZS 3000

Energy Safety released the following update on the regulatory status of the AS/NZS 3000:2018 Wiring Rules, on 13 February 2018:

Regulatory status of AS/NZS 3000:2018 ‘Wiring Rules’

The Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010 cite AS/NZS 3000:2007 including its Amendments 1 and 2. This means the 2007 standard must still be used to ensure compliance with the Regulations, until the Regulations are updated to cite the 2018 edition.

The Regulations update is likely in late 2019 following a review now under way. It is likely AS/NZS 3000:2018 will be adopted into the Regulations to replace AS/NZS 3000:2007 at that time.

A soft 12-month roll-out of the 2018 edition is likely because none of the changes in AS/NZS 3000:2018 are necessary to address any critical safety issues.

AS/NZS 3000:2018 also contains some provisions contrary to AS/NZS 3000:2007. An example of how use of AS/NZS 3000:2018 prior to its adoption in the Regulations may not comply and could constitute an offence is for domestic down-lights installation.

We expect Standards Australia will soon make amendments to AS/NZS 3000:2018 to include provisions to address aspects excluded from this edition.

Regulatory recognition of AS/NZS 3000:2018, including amendments at end of 2019, will avoid two rule changes in a short time frame.

(Details of how AS/NZS 3000:2007 is applied can be found in Schedule 2 of the Regulations.)