Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones and the ACCC have issued a national safety warning notice to warn consumers of fire risks associated with recalled LG solar lithium-ion batteries which are installed in solar energy systems across the country.
The safety warning notice was issued pursuant to the Australian Consumer Law to alert consumers to the risk of house fires associated with certain LG solar lithium-ion storage batteries.
The affected batteries risk overheating and this could start a house fire that could potentially injure or even kill occupants, as well as causing property damage.
About 8000 affected LG batteries remain at risk in homes across Australia. The affected batteries were manufactured by LG and installed in LG branded systems.
These include systems sold under other brands, such as SolaX, and in unbranded systems. Concerningly, about 6000 of these batteries have not yet been located.
“Following the Minister’s urgent safety warning, consumers should check whether their solar storage battery is subject to the recall today. This includes non-LG-branded solar storage systems, which may also contain a recalled LG battery. If a battery is subject to recall, it should be switched off immediately,” ACCC Deputy Chair Catriona Lowe said.
“Thousands of people may be unaware they live in homes that have one of these affected batteries installed in their solar energy system. The Minister has issued a safety warning notice to draw attention to the safety risks. It is vitally important that everyone with a solar system checks their battery now to make sure they keep their family safe.”
Lowe said the solar battery recalls have expanded recently to include new models.
LG will provide a refund, replacement or software update to fix the problem, and has also committed to paying compensation to consumers who incur higher energy bills while their system is switched off.