Your first smoke alarms are probably out of date
Queensland's fire service says to replace any smoke alarm more than 10 years old, any with an ionisation sensor, and any that isn't interconnected. If a house from North Lakes' first decade still has its original alarms, they're past that 10-year mark.
Every home must have interconnected photoelectric alarms by 1 January 2027. If yours are hardwired, the replacements must be hardwired too, which is an electrician's job. Look for a date printed on each alarm; if you can't read it without taking a hardwired alarm down, leave that to the electrician.
North Lakes at a glance
Planned from scratch
The project began on a 1,000-hectare site in April 1999, led by Lend Lease and Lensworth, with 8,500 houses projected. Stockland took over in December 2004, and North Lakes became its own suburb in February 2006.
Designed for the sun
A 1999 agreement with CSIRO committed the developers to sustainable building methods, including solar passive houses oriented to the sun.
Families and renters
At the 2021 Census, North Lakes had 23,030 people, a median age of 35 and an average of 3.6 bedrooms per home. 37.3% of homes were rented and 41.5% owned with a mortgage.
City of Moreton Bay, Energex supply
Outages go to Energex on 13 62 62. Energex's network covers close to 1.6 million homes and businesses.
Batteries and chargers
Adding a home battery to existing solar changes your inverter setup. In Queensland, any new or replacement solar and battery inverter system of 10 kVA or more needs a generation signalling device, so Energex can switch it off briefly in an energy emergency. An EV charger needs its own circuit, and the electrician will check your board and supply can carry it with the air conditioning running. EV chargers in Brisbane has more.
What we'd do in North Lakes
Check the date on your smoke alarms this weekend. If any are from the 2000s, or you can't find a date, book the replacement now and add the battery or charger question to the same visit.
Want a specialist to sort it?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match the licence-checked local electrician who does this kind of work, and they call you. No ring-around, and your number goes to them alone.