The time has come. The electrical industry is about to get a new rendition of the Wiring Rules. Lucy Finlay explores what might be coming for AS/NZS 3000.

Twelve months ago, in my article titled ‘Australia’s energy transition and the role of standardisation’, I wrote about the rapidly changing nature of electrical installations and the growing body of work to be addressed by those involved in developing the technical standards to meet this reality and Australia’s energy transition policy ambitions.

It has certainly been a busy twelve months as companies such as Schneider Electric work collaboratively with all industry stakeholders to identify gaps in standards and develop plans to fill them.

As anticipated, a new revision of AS/NZS 4777.1, the standard that provides the installation requirements for grid-tied inverters, was published last year. The new edition considers the role of vehicle-to-grid (V2G), island inverters and defines two new types of supply. An amendment to AS/NZS 4777.2, the standard that provides the performance requirements for grid-tied inverters, was also published last year.

In February is year, EL-001 met to officially commence work on the next revision of AS/NZS 3000, also known as the Wiring Rules. This followed a public consultation on the project proposal late last year. This time, however, the public consultation also sought feedback on EL-001’s proposal to implement a maintenance strategy for AS/NZS 3000.

The proposed maintenance strategy presented five considerations:

• EL-001 is aiming to publish the next revision by mid-2027.
• Following the 2027 edition, AS/NZS 3000 will enter a four-year fixed-term publication frequency
• Publication of amendments outside of the four-year cycle will be restricted to critical issues in the standard which could lead to unsafe environments
• EL-001 will maintain a register of issues to identify and inform future work items
• EL-001 will develop a roadmap that highlights proposed major changes in future editions

The fixed four-year publication frequency is expected to enable AS/NZS 3000 to remain responsive to the demands of the changing nature of the electrical installation, while the long-term roadmap will provide certainty for training providers and regulators.

Historically, safety regulators have been tracking the rate of non-compliant electrical work. The findings have shown that the rate of non-compliant work peaks in the period after the publication of a new AS/NZS 3000 revision.

Producing more frequent and smaller changes will reduce learning shock and therefore a reduction in the levels of non-compliant work. Electrical contractors and engineers will not have to re-learn the standard, as the extent of changes in each revision will be significantly less than what we have come to expect. There is also the opportunity to align CPD and licensing requirements with the publication of new editions.

There was overwhelming positive feedback from the community regarding these proposed changes and the proposed maintenance strategy. The project proposal for the next revision was developed after the committee had considered more than 500 items of feedback.

As can be expected, one of the motivations for change was to correct known errors, in addition to many editorial improvements. One example is to simplify the structure of section 2.6 (Additional Protection by Residual Current Devices). This section currently has six levels of structure.

EL-001 will be conducting a review of terms and definitions to ensure that they remain fit for purpose. The terms ‘repair’ and ‘alteration’, and their application will receive particular focus. Additionally, a clear delineation between installation and equipment wring is required. It is likely that some definitions may require modification, while new definitions will be added for the first time.

The 2027 revision will aim to improve alignment of AS/NZS 3000 and IEC electrical standards to ensure Australia and New Zealand remain connected with international best practice. This is a theme that is expected to guide the maintenance strategy.

As I have written previously, the rapid advancement and adoption of new technology is changing the nature of the electrical installation. This necessitates the inclusion of requirements and guidance for emerging technologies. EL-001 identified three core themes that will be addressed in the next edition.

Our TN-C-S earthing system is not common internationally, being restricted to the UK, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. The boundary of responsibility between the electrical distribution system and the electrical installation, coupled with emerging construction techniques such as post-tensioned reinforcing in concrete slabs create some challenges that will benefit from detailed consideration in the 2027 revision of AS/NZS 3000.

Following the publication of AS/NZS 4777.1 last year, it became clear that AS/NZS 3000 section 7.3 would need to be reviewed with a significant update to the structure of the section. The new structure will likely be based on supply-type definitions, referring the reader to the appropriate companion standard rather than repeating the content within section 7.3.

For example, for an alternative supply that is supplied by Inverter Energy System, the reader will be directed to the requirements of AS/NZS 4777.1. An alternative supply that is supplied by an engine-driven generator will be directed to the requirements of AS/NZS 3010.

Local deployment of electric vehicles has accelerated significantly since the 2018 revision was published. While Appendix P has served the industry well as a great source of information through informative requirements, it is time to introduce several normative requirements. The intention is informative requirements will remain within Appendix P, while new normative requirements will be incorporated into the main body of the standard.

This may be done through a dedicated electric vehicle (EV) section or incorporation into relevant sections. One example will be the development of specific maximum demand determination methods for EV charging applications considering contemporary approaches such as Load Management Systems.

The industry can expect to see the draft standard during the public comment phase planned for the third quarter of 2026. After public comment, the challenge has been set for EL-001 to deliver the next revision of AS/NZS 3000 by the middle of 2027.

If this is achieved the committee will have played an important role in enabling the electrical industry to deliver on a sustainable future for all. Hopefully, the maintenance strategy that has been put in place will ensure that the Wiring Rules will retain its place in the electrical industry for generations to come.