Every solar and battery system installed in Western Australia is, in the eyes of the law, an electrical installation. Not a product. Not an appliance you plug in. The work of connecting panels, inverters and batteries to your switchboard can only be performed by licensed electricians, and the business that contracts to do that work must hold a WA electrical contractor licence issued under the Electricity (Licensing) Regulations 1991.
After 15 years analysing this industry, I can tell you the EC licence is the credential buyers check least. People compare panel brands, warranty lengths and price per kilowatt, then never ask the one question that determines how the system actually goes together: who holds the electrical contractor licence on this job?
TL;DR
- Solar and battery installation is licensed electrical work in WA. The business contracting the work must hold an electrical contractor (EC) licence, not just employ licensed electricians.
- Selling solar requires no licence. Installing it does. Many sellers subcontract the electrical work, which splits accountability between two businesses.
- PSW Energy and Perth Solar Warehouse are trading names of McKercher Corporation Pty Ltd, holder of WA EC licence EC010771. The seller and the licensed contractor are the same entity.
- Any EC licence can be verified in about a minute through the WA Online Licence Search.
Western Australia runs a two-layer licensing system, administered by Building and Energy within the Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (DEMIRS).
The first layer covers individuals. Every electrician who physically carries out electrical work needs an electrical worker’s licence, earned through a trade apprenticeship and maintained under the oversight of the Electrical Licensing Board.
The second layer covers businesses, and this is the one most buyers have never heard of. Under regulation 36 of the Electricity (Licensing) Regulations 1991, a sole trader, firm or body corporate may only contract to carry out electrical work if it holds an electrical contractor’s licence (an EC number). That licence carries statutory obligations the business cannot delegate away: lodging notices of completion with the network operator, issuing electrical safety certificates for the work performed, and operating in compliance with the Electricity Act 1945 and AS/NZS 3000 (the Wiring Rules).
In short, the worker’s licence says a person is qualified. The EC licence says a business is accountable.
The broader PSW operation
PSW Energy is a trading name of McKercher Corporation Pty Ltd, holder of WA Electrical Contractor Licence EC010771. The business behind the brand has operated in Western Australian electrification since 2004, and PSW Energy itself was established in 2017. Our registered office and head office are at Bibra Lake, with a second base at Neerabup.
That structure means something specific when you buy from PSW. Your contract is with the licensed electrical contractor performing the work, not with a sales company that on-sells the installation to whoever is available that week. The entity that quotes your system, takes your payment, installs it and signs the electrical safety certificate is the same legal entity, carrying the same EC number, from first site visit to final commissioning.
The supporting credentials sit on the same foundation: SAA-accredited designers and installers (Grid-Connected Photovoltaic and Grid-Connected Battery Storage classes), NETCC Approved Seller status, and Bureau Veritas Certified ISO 9001/14001/45001 across quality, environment and safety.
Why this matters
when you buy solar or a battery
Here is the detail worth understanding: selling solar does not require an EC licence. Installing it does. A business can legally market systems, run the advertising, issue quotes, and take deposits without holding an electrical contractor licence, provided the electrical work itself is subcontracted to someone who does. That model is legal and common across Australia.
The consequence is an accountability gap. When the seller and the licensed contractor are the same entity, the business that took your money carries the statutory duties for the installation: the safety certificate, the notice of completion, the defect liability, the obligation to return and make it right. When they are different entities, your contract sits with one business while the legal responsibility for the electrical work sits with another, and if something goes wrong years later you may find yourself negotiating between the two.
Batteries raise the stakes considerably. A battery energy storage system is installed under AS/NZS 5139, a standard written specifically because stored DC energy in a residential or commercial setting demands tighter controls on location, clearances and protection than solar alone. As WA battery installation volumes climb, my view is that the distance between the businesses selling these systems and the businesses licensed to install them has become the single largest quality risk in the market. Not panel quality. Not inverter brand. The contracting structure behind the sale.
Check before you buy
Every EC licence in Western Australia is publicly searchable through the WA Online Licence Search operated by DEMIRS. It takes about a minute. Ask any business quoting you for solar or a battery for their EC number, then look it up. Ours is EC010771, and we put it on our documentation because we think every contractor should.
A solar or battery system is a 25-year electrical asset connected to your home or business. The brand on the panels matters less than the licence behind the installation, because the licence ties the quality of the work to a business that remains accountable for it. Buy from the contractor, not just the seller.
If you are weighing up a system and want a quote from a seller who is also a licensed contractor, request a quote from PSW Energy or call (08) 6171 4111.
