The 2008 Western Australia NECA Excellence Awards and Apprentice of the Year Awards were held on 29 August, recognising the significant achievements of five companies and four apprentices in the electro-technology industry in WA over the last 12 months.

In projects reflecting the importance of innovation both in new buildings and re-fits, five contracting companies were recognised at the 2008 NECA ACT Excellence Awards held on 5 September.

A licensed electrical contractor was recently fined $1200 after an Electrical Safety Office inspector was obstructed from investigating wiring defects in a home in August 2007.

A free household drop-off service for fluorescent tubes and compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) has been announced by the ACT Minister for Territory and Municipal Services, John Hargreaves.

Nilsen NT and Combined Electrical Contracting Services were recognised in the Electrical Contractor category of this year’s Excellence in Building and Construction Awards at the Territory Construction Association presentation on Friday 15 August in the Darwin Convention Centre.

The 2008 Victorian NECA Excellence Awards were held on 8 August to recognise the high quality of work carried out by Victorian electrotechnology contractors.

According to environment lobbyist group Total Environment Centre (TEC), Australia’s carbon-intensive electricity industry is proposing to rip off consumers despite government support for free pollution permits and other compensation to coal-fired generators.

Over 400,000 tonnes of the ACT’s greenhouse gas emissions were abated in 2007, according to the Minister for the Environment, Water and Climate Change, Jon Stanhope.

A two-day WorkSafe Victoria campaign targeting construction sites in South Yarra has identified a large number of safety breaches.

The NECA Queensland Apprentice Awards were held 1 August to recognise hard-working apprentices for their achievements in the electrical and communications industry.

The 2008 Excellence Awards for the electrical and communications industry in Queensland were held on 1 August, with four companies recognised for significant achievement in the last 12 months.

Street lights around Canberra are being replaced with more energy-efficient globes, with more than 1700 lights replaced to date and a further 5100 lights to be replaced this year.

The number of ACT households opting for GreenPower has increased by almost 150% over the past two years, with over 10,200 customers (8% of all energy customers) using it.

The National Association of Electrical Distributors (NAED), a US-based trade association for the electrical distribution industry, reported in its 2008 Performance Analysis Report that the US electrical distribution industry’s financial performance remained solid despite current US economic conditions.

The Legrand Slide Connect G2 emergency exit sign has won the Award for Excellence in Sustainable Design at the 2008 Australian International Design Awards.