Electricians in the ACT are licensed through Access Canberra under the Construction Occupations (Licensing) Act 2004. The unrestricted licence allows wiring work without supervision and the supervision of others; a permit holder works under the direct supervision of a fully licensed electrician. Endorsements sit on top of the unrestricted licence: one for distributed energy resources (solar PV panels, grid-connected inverters and grid-connected battery storage) and one for work on interval meters. A corporation or partnership that provides or advertises electrical services needs its own licence and at least one nominee. The advertising rule in section 83 of the Act, which asks for your licence name, number and, for a company, its ACN, applies to all licensed trades, and we explain it on our Canberra tradies page.
After a job, the electrician who tested it lodges a Certificate of Electrical Safety with Access Canberra's Electrical Inspectorate and gives the owner a copy. Access Canberra audits all new installations, which aren't to be energised until they pass, and randomly inspects other completed work. Evoenergy, which owns and operates the ACT's electricity distribution network, adds its own step for solar and batteries: the installer submits a Special Connection Request through its DER portal, and Evoenergy tells customers to ask for the approval letter before installation begins. Swapping components later needs a fresh request. Customers rarely see these steps unless you tell them, and a site that does comes across as thorough rather than slow.
The ACT stopped new gas network connections in its residential, commercial and community facility zones from 8 December 2023. In August 2026 the government opened consultation on future rules for gas appliances, noting that around 300,000 to 350,000 of them will need replacing over the next two decades. Swapping them for reverse-cycle heating, heat pump hot water and electric cooktops brings electrical work with it: new circuits and, in some homes, a switchboard upgrade. The Sustainable Household Scheme offers 3% loans through Brighte for batteries, reverse-cycle systems, heat pumps, electric stove tops, EVs and charging equipment, and concession card holders may qualify for zero-interest loans and rebates through the Home Energy Support Program. In 2026 the ACT Government reported that just over half of the scheme's loan applications for the financial year had been for battery systems.
Apartment charging has local rules of its own. The ACT amended the Unit Titles (Management) Act 2011 so that executive committees can't, without good reason, block sustainability infrastructure such as chargers. Since 27 September 2024 the Territory Plan has required new multi-unit developments to provide EV-ready infrastructure for each unit's car space, and the government's strata pilot found most existing buildings wouldn't need a bigger power supply if charging is load-managed. A page written for owners corporations reaches buyers that a single line about EV chargers won't.
The ACT's planning system divides Canberra into nine districts, from Gungahlin in the north to Tuggeranong in the south, so we group your suburbs by district rather than claim the whole city. Queanbeyan, Googong and Jerrabomberra are across the border in NSW's Queanbeyan-Palerang council area, where NSW electrical licensing applies; our Sydney electricians page sets those rules out. We're an Adelaide team working with ACT businesses by phone and email, and our current clients are in SA, NSW, VIC and QLD.