Officer's homes and power
Big, new and mortgaged
At the 2021 Census, 94.6% of Officer's homes were separate houses, 59.5% had four or more bedrooms and 57.0% were owned with a mortgage. 28.0% were rented.
A stretched local network
AusNet's Eastern Cranbourne 66 kV loop, which includes its Officer zone substation, supplies over 114,000 customers. AusNet says the loop's firm capacity was exceeded in 2023, and a new Pakenham South zone substation is expected by summer 2028/29.
Outages hit Cardinia hard
In late August 2024, AusNet's longest sustained weather event in over a decade caused around 93,000 customer outages, and Cardinia Shire was among the hardest hit areas.
Shire headquarters
The Shire of Cardinia moved its offices from Pakenham to Officer in 2014, and the station on Cardinia Road opened in 2012.
Adding solar or a battery in Officer
Since 1 October 2024, rooftop solar installed, upgraded, repaired or replaced on AusNet's network has needed a solar emergency backstop, which means the inverter has to stay connected to the internet. Check your installer has set that up, and reconnect the inverter if you change your Wi-Fi.
Solar and batteries are prescribed work in Victoria. A licensed electrical inspector has to check the job before it can be switched on, and you get a Certificate of Electrical Safety with copies going to AusNet and Energy Safe Victoria.
When the power goes out in Officer
Check if it's just you
If the neighbours are out too, it's a network fault. Check AusNet's Outage Tracker or call AusNet on 13 17 99.
If it's only your house
Look at the switchboard for a tripped safety switch or breaker and reset it once. If it trips again, leave it off and call an electrician.
Life support at home
AusNet has a separate priority line, 1800 818 832, for customers who rely on life support equipment.
Lines down
Stay more than 8 to 10 metres away, as Energy Safe Victoria advises, and call 000 if anyone is in danger.
Our take for Officer
Before you order a charger or a battery, ask an electrician to check the spare capacity on your board and the supply into the house. A new board may have room or it may not, and four-bedroom homes with ducted heating and cooling can use it up faster than you'd expect.
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.