What Being an ECA WA Member Actually Means for You An how it changes the way we work
Lifetime Electrics is an ECA WA member. Here is what that actually is, what it is not, and the handful of ways it changes the work we do on your job.
Lifetime Electrics is a member of ECA WA (Electrical and Communications Association of Western Australia). You will see the badge in our footer now. Plenty of trades put logos like that on a website and never explain them, so here is the plain version: what ECA WA is, what membership is not, and the handful of ways it genuinely changes the work we do in your home or your business.
First, what it is not
Membership of ECA WA is not a licence. It is not a qualification. It is not an award, and nobody inspects our work to hand it out.
The thing that legally allows us to do electrical work in Western Australia is the licence. Lifetime Electrics holds electrical contractor’s licence EC17925, issued by the Electrical Licensing Board, and Jay holds an individual electrician’s licence on top of that. That is the requirement. You can check any WA electrical licence yourself on the Building and Energy licence register, and honestly, you should. For us, or for anyone else quoting your job.
So if an electrician ever implies an industry membership is what makes them safe or legal to use, that is the wrong way round. The licence does that. Membership is something else.
What ECA WA actually is
ECA WA is the industry body for electrical contractors, apprentices, and workers in this state. It was established in 1927 and describes itself as Western Australia’s largest electrotechnology membership organisation, with around 1,800 business members and more than 650 apprentice members. It sits within the Electrotechnology Training Institute, a not-for-profit that runs training and workforce services for the industry.
It is where the rule changes land first. Electrical regulation in WA moves more than people expect. The department that regulates us was renamed in July 2025. Type AC safety switches stopped being allowed in new work from May 2023. New rules for connecting solar and batteries in Perth came in on 1 May 2026. A new edition of the Wiring Rules is being drafted right now. Every one of those changed what a compliant job looks like, and none of them were announced to the public.
Why that matters on your job
Two practical ways it shows up.
Uncertain questions get a real answer instead of a guess. Most electrical work is routine. Occasionally it is not: an unusual switchboard, a heritage building, a load calculation that sits close to the limit of what a supply can carry, a standard that has been amended twice since the installation went in. When we hit one of those, there is a hotline to call and a current copy of the standard to read. The alternative is an educated guess, and educated guesses are how installations end up technically non-compliant while looking completely fine.
Our paperwork stays current. Every electrical installing job in WA comes with an Electrical Safety Certificate that has to reach you within 28 days, and notifiable work comes with notices to the network operator. The forms, the timeframes and the record-keeping obligations all change from time to time. Membership is part of how we keep on top of that, so the documents you receive are the right ones.
The parts you do not see
ECA WA host a regular meeting of a select group of electrical contractors to share experiences and give advice. ECA WA then use these minutes to lobby government for better regulations that make contractors and homeowners lives easier and safer. Meg also receives her training through CET and EGT who are a part of the same not-for-profit organisation.
None of that is glamorous. It is the difference between a small electrical business that has thought about how it operates and one that has not.
What to actually check before you hire anyone
If you take one thing from this, make it this list rather than the badge.
- Ask for the EC number and check it. WA’s licence register is public and free. Ours is EC17925.
- Ask who is physically doing the work. At Lifetime Electrics it is Jay, usually with Meg, working alongside him. The person who quotes your job is the person who does it.
- Ask whether you will get an Electrical Safety Certificate. You are entitled to one for installing work, within 28 days. If someone hesitates on that question, that tells you something.
- Ask about insurance. Licensed and insured should both be true and both be checkable.
Industry membership sits underneath all of that. It is a signal that a business takes the technical side of the trade seriously enough to pay to stay current with it. It is not a substitute for a single one of the four questions above.
About the Author: Jay Rawlings
Jay Rawlings has worked as an electrician for over twenty years, starting in the UK before moving to WA and working across mining, oil and gas, construction and maintenance, where the consequences of getting it wrong are immediate. He founded Lifetime Electrics on the idea that electrical work should be done once, done properly, and last the life of the property.
Frequently Asked Questions.
Can't find the Answer? Reach out to us and we will be happy to answer any of your questions
Is being an ECA WA member the same as being licensed?
No. They are two different things, and only one of them is a legal requirement. A licence issued by the Electrical Licensing Board is what allows a business to contract for electrical work in Western Australia. ECA WA membership is a paid subscription to the state’s industry body. It brings technical support, current standards and early notice of rule changes, but it is not a licence, a qualification or an accreditation, and it is no substitute for checking the licence.
How do I check an electrician's licence in WA?
Does ECA WA inspect or approve its members' work?
What is an Electrical Safety Certificate and should I get one?
Why does Lifetime Electrics display the ECA WA badge if it is not a licence?
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