The Energy Commission (EC) is urging power consumers in the country to willfully engage the services of professional and certified electricians when planning on installing new meters to their homes.

The admonition comes at the back of continuous power theft and pockets of fire incidents sparked by faulty electrical wiring in homes and offices.

The commission made the admonition during an engagement with the Electricity Company of Ghana, Ashanti West Region, on the implementation of the Electrical Wiring Regulation, 2011 (L.I.2008).

It is part of the commission’s tour of all ECG operational areas to sensitize stakeholders on the Electrical Wiring Regulation and efforts made to ditigalise the process of engaging the services of certified wiring professionals and inspectors before visiting the power company to apply for a meter.

According to Ing. Stephen N-ebe Yomoh, the Assistant Manager/ Electrical Wiring Section from the Electricity and Natural Gas Directorate of the Energy Commission,
customers are mandated to engage the services of Certified Electrical Wiring Professionals (Certified Electricians) under the LI 2008 before visiting the ECG office to apply for a meter.

“Without the stamped forms from the Certified Electrician and Inspector, ECG cannot process your application when you apply for meter “, he said.

He continued that: “the customer only pays for the services of the Certified Electrical Wiring Professional (CEWP) but not the services of the inspector”.

He admitted to challenges caused by customers who engage the services of non-compliant electricians as such people force customers to pay the inspectors.

The Electrical Wiring Regulation, 2011 (L.I. 2008) passed into law in 2012, was part of government’s effort to control the spate of electrical fires in the country.

Acting General Manager of ECG Ashanti West Region, Ing. Emmanuel Osei Amoako, called for more sensitization programs to effective explain the mandates under the legislation.

“The implementation of the L.I.2008 has brought a lot of challenges and issues like service connection charges by certified inspectors and electricians in the districts, hence the need for this engagement with the Energy Commission to sensitize all stakeholders and nip this menace in the bud”.

The are two categories of people operating under this law namely, the compliant, who are licensed by the commission, and non-compliant who are without certification.

The commission is appealing to the public to halt engaging the services of non-certified electricians and report such people to the police.

“Engaging the services of a Certified Electrician helps customers to get quality and safe electricity services, hence the need to ask any electrician who volunteers to work for you if he has been licensed by the Energy Commission”, Mr. Yomoh said.

A certified electrician app has been developed with all certified electricians across the country enlisted on the platform for easy access.

The ECG reiterated that any amount charged by an electrician during service connection is not an amount charged by the company.

“The electricians who carry out wiring activities are not staff of ECG and that the company does not charge its customers and the general public for wiring activities during service connection”.

He called on the general public to assist ECG and the commission to curb the spate of illegal and power wiring which ignited fire outbreak, electrocution and electricity leakages.