General information about Western Australia’s rules, not legal advice. The official place to check is Building and Energy, part of the WA Government.
In Western Australia, the electrical side of an air conditioner is licensed work under the state’s electrical licensing rules, and a refrigeration and air-conditioning mechanic can do a set part of it under a restricted electrical licence, which does not cover installing or altering fixed wiring. Handling the refrigerant gas is a separate matter, licensed nationally: only licensed technicians may do it.
The state rule, in plain words
WA’s Electricity (Licensing) Regulations 1991 allow electrical work to be done only by people holding an electrician’s licence issued by the Electrical Licensing Board of Western Australia.
Its licence search page puts the rule more briefly: in WA, the law requires all electrical work to be carried out by a person who holds the relevant electrical licence, and licensed electrical contractors must employ licensed electricians to do that work for them. The WA Government’s home electrical safety guide adds that it is illegal for an unlicensed person to do electrical work, including changes to fixed wiring. Its advice to householders is blunt: “Don’t DIY (do it yourself) electrical work!” Doing it yourself, or paying an unlicensed person to do it, is in its words “very dangerous.”
The restricted licence for aircon mechanics
Many trades need to do a little electrical work as part of their main job. Building and Energy describes the restricted electrical licence as the way WA allows that limited work without asking for the full skills and responsibility of an unrestricted electrician.
A refrigeration and air-conditioning mechanic needs this licence once they have successfully finished an apprenticeship in the trade. To be licensed, they must satisfy the Board that they completed an approved apprenticeship and are competent, with papers such as a trade certificate endorsed for refrigeration and air conditioning and a recent police check.
| The work | Covered? |
|---|---|
| Disconnecting and reconnecting refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment | Yes |
| Finding faults in the equipment’s power and control circuits | Yes |
| Modifying, replacing or repairing parts within the equipment’s own “package” | Yes |
| Modifying the equipment’s control circuits in switchboards or panels | Yes |
| Assembling factory-supplied cable between the parts of a split system, up to 4kW | Yes |
| Installing or altering fixed wiring | No |
That last row matters when a new system goes in. If any part of a job means installing or altering fixed wiring, the restricted licence does not cover it, and WA’s law still requires whoever does it to hold the relevant electrical licence. It is a fair question to ask, before work starts, who will do any wiring and under which licence.
EC or EW: reading a licence number
The WA Government’s guide explains that an electrical contractor’s licence number starts with the letters EC, and an electrician’s licence number starts with EW. A contracting business holds the first; the people it sends to do electrical work must hold their own licences.
The certificate after the job
When you have electrical work done, other than maintenance or replacing equipment like for like, WA says your electrical contractor has 28 days to hand you an electrical safety certificate. The government describes it as your guarantee that a licensed electrical contractor did the work, and that it is safe and meets safety standards.
If no certificate arrives, WA’s advice is to contact the electrical contractor first. If it still is not provided, contact your local network operator, which in most cases is Western Power or Horizon Power, and it will investigate. A missing certificate could mean the work is not safe or was done by someone without a licence.
The refrigerant side
Refrigerant handling is licensed under the Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Regulations 1995, not under WA’s electrical rules. The National Environmental Protection Agency puts it simply: “Only licensed technicians can handle refrigerants.” It adds: “It is an offence for anyone else to handle fluorocarbon refrigerants.”
Your Home, an Australian Government guide to designing homes, says “Fixed systems need to be installed by a licensed refrigeration mechanic or electrician.” The Australian Refrigeration Council’s consumer site, Look For The Tick, suggests you ask to see a technician’s licence before they begin, because without one they may be working illegally. It says the tick identifies a business or individual as authorised to install, service and repair air conditioners, depending on the type of ARC licence they hold. Look For The Tick’s licence check page is the place to start.
Checking a WA licence yourself
Building and Energy licenses electricians, gas fitters and plumbers in WA, and it runs an online search so you can check whether a tradesperson holds a licence. Start from the Building and Energy licence and registration search page.
A good first conversation with an installer covers three things: their electrical licence number, their refrigerant handling licence, and the safety certificate you can expect once the job is done.