Keeping safe in severe weather

Electricity travels easily through water, which can be dangerous if water enters your home or business.

Wet appliances, wiring or switchboards can cause life-threatening electric shocks. Water can also damage the wiring inside your property or electrical appliances, making them dangerous to use, even after they are dry.

Remember, even if your property isn’t directly affected by a flood, we might still need to disconnect your power supply if another part of our network is flooded.

IMPORTANT: If your home or business has flooded and the mains power is still connected, contact us immediately to arrange disconnection.

During the flood

Take these precautions to stay safe around electricity during a flood:

• Keep well away if water comes near electrical equipment
• Don’t attempt to turn off your solar power system if any components are wet
• Never try to use an electrical appliance while standing in water, or barefoot
• Stay aware of overhead powerlines if you use a boat to cross floodwaters.

After the flood

Because flood waters can damage your electrical appliances and wiring, you’ll need to have a licensed electrical contractor inspect them before you reconnect to power.

Ask your electrician to:

• check any water-affected appliances. If in doubt, throw them out
• check any electrical fittings that were wet or submerged
• consider relocating your switchboard and wiring away from flood-prone areas of your property.

NOTE: If your home or business is damaged preventing the reconnection of power, have a licensed electrical contractor repair electrical damage. Notify us when repairs are complete so power can be restored.

Lightning is a major cause of damage to our electricity network. Lightning strikes can cause electricity to surge through powerlines and into your home or business. These surges can damage your appliances or cause life-threatening electric shocks.

Find out more about power spikes and surges.

Take these precautions to protect yourself and your electrical equipment from lightning damage:

Before the storm

• Unplug electrical equipment, including computers, stereos and TVs (including the external aerial).

During the storm

• Avoid using a landline telephone during storms
• Stay inside to avoid lightning strikes
• If you’re outside, stay away from trees and poles, as lightning usually strikes the tallest point.
  You can also visit the Bureau of Meteorology warnings page for weather and emergency updates.

Cyclones and high winds can carry tree branches and other debris into powerlines and bring down power poles. This could cut your electricity supply or bring powerlines down on your property.

You can reduce the risk of electrical accidents in windy weather by taking a few simple precautions:

Before the cyclone or high winds

• Visit Get Ready Queensland’s comprehensive website for strategies to prepare your family and property for cyclones and other disasters.
• Maintain your trees and shrubs, removing weak branches or trees that could fall onto your home in a storm
• Secure outdoor furniture, toys, trampolines, and garden equipment so they can’t get blown around in high winds.

During the cyclones or high winds

• Always look out for overhead and fallen powerlines, especially around fallen trees and other debris.

As well as the heat of the flames, bushfires can also cause electrical hazards. They can damage and destroy electrical equipment, putting you at risk of injury. Thick smoke can also reduce visibility, making powerlines harder to see.

Even if you’re not directly affected by bushfires, we might still need to disconnect your power supply if another part of our network is affected.

During the fire

• Stay away from any electrical equipment which is at risk of catching on fire
• ‘Take care stay line aware’ and look out for overhead and fallen powerlines
• After the fire, keep away from any exposed underground cables or melted pillar boxes.

You can feel confident that we are well equipped to deal with bushfires and work closely with Queensland Fire and Emergency Services and Rural Fire Services.

When a storm or flood is coming, it’s a good idea to shut down your solar power system, if you can.

To do this, always follow your installer’s shutdown procedures. You should be able to find these at the inverter and/or on the main switchboard.

Most shut down procedures will ask you to:

• turn off the inverter AC mains isolator (this is usually found in the meter box)
• turn off the photovoltaic (PV) array isolator (this is usually found next to the inverter).

WARNING: If there’s a risk that flood water will reach inverters and cables, ask a licensed electrical contractor or Clean Energy Council accredited installer to fully shut down your solar PV array.

Contact your solar system’s manufacturer or installer if you have questions about your solar system’s shutdown procedure.

If your solar PV system becomes wet or submerged while still switched on, you need to treat it as a serious electric shock risk.

Remember, even if we’ve disconnected your mains power supply, your solar system will still produce electricity during daylight hours.

Take the following precautions to stay safe around your solar PV system during a flood:

• If any part of your system is underwater or wet, assume it is dangerous and keep your distance
• Don’t attempt to turn it off or touch any components or wiring
• If you’re forced onto a rooftop to avoid floodwater, stay away from solar panels and wiring.

If your solar PV system has been submerged

If any part of your solar PV system was inundated by rain or floodwater, residual moisture could cause it to become live. It could give you a serious electric shock, even if your mains power is disconnected.

Take these precautions to have it reconnected safely:

• Do not touch the system or try to switch it on or off, even if it looks dry. Assume it is live and stay away
• Arrange to have it recommissioned by a Clean Energy Council accredited installer
• If an accredited installer isn’t available, instead have it tested by a licensed electrical contractor
• Replace the solar PV system inverter if it’s been submerged or partly submerged.

REMEMBER: Don’t reconnect any solar PV systems unless a licensed electrical contractor has certified the installation is safe. Treat all solar PV installations as energised

If your roof has been damaged

If your roof has been damaged, don’t try to reconnect your solar PV system. Any part of your system or roof could be live. You could get a serious electric shock from making contact, even if your mains power is disconnected.

Take the following steps to stay safe:

• Inspect the system carefully from a distance
• If you see damage or other cause for concern, contact your installer or a licensed electrical contractor immediately
• Once the system is safe to turn on, check the inverter regularly.