Experts: Urgent need to upgrade electrical wiring in M’sian homes
PETALING JAYA: With the increasing number of electrical vehicle (EV) owners installing chargers in their homes, there is a need to upgrade Malaysia’s electricity ecosystem.
The electrical wiring in most homes is not designed for that kind of electricity usage, says Fire and Rescue Department director- general Datuk Seri Nor Hisham Mohammad.
“Greater attention needs to be given to the wiring in the home. It may not necessarily be the charger itself, but the wiring is also important,” he said.
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He was commenting on concerns raised following a house fire in Alam Damai, Cheras, believed to have been caused by an EV charger.
“I would advise users to always make sure that their wiring is safe and properly installed,” Nor Hisham said.
The main problem lies in increased electricity usage, said Innovative Green Power chief executive officer Alvin Wong, who has installed about 3,000 EV chargers nationwide since 2021.
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“A typical shower heater uses at least 3.5 kilowatts. That’s about 13 amps. If you’re in a house with single phase wiring and two water heaters are operating at the same time, you don’t really realise how much electricity is being consumed.
“An EV charger, however, draws about twice the power of a single shower heater. While a shower heater might operate for only 10 minutes, an EV charger can run for five, six, seven or even 10 hours,” said Wong.
Today’s households also have bigger electrical loads, he added.
“Now, you might have two to four air conditioners, two water heaters, and on top of that, you are adding an EV charger.
“The EV charger alone can have a load comparable to the combined output of some of these appliances,” said Wong.
However, he added that EV chargers are generally safe if installed correctly.
“We install 500 to 800 chargers a year and have had zero fire cases. The fire in Alam Damai has caused paranoia but numbers-wise, that’s one out of 160,000 EVs in Malaysia right now.
“EV charging has multiple layers of protection. There are three to four layers of protection,” said Wong.
The car, the charger, dedicated wiring, and the house electrical system can each have their own protection mechanism.
“The car itself is an electrical system with one protection. The charger itself – that small device on the wall – is an electrical circuit protection by itself.
“If something goes wrong with the charging system, it will cut off very quickly. If there is a fault with the charger, the system will automatically shut down. So there are a lot of safety features built into it,” he said.
The electrical components are also important.
“When contractors or consumers try to cut costs, they may use cheap components that are not designed for EV charging,” said Wong.
“Another problem is that in Malaysia, 70% to 80% of homes are still on single-phase power and behind that single-phase infrastructure, the wiring itself can be very old.”
Wong said there is also a need for better checks and enforcement by the authorities, namely the Energy Commission.
Nor Hisham agreed, saying: “At the moment, our regulatory control mainly covers commercial premises. We do not have the same level of control for residential properties.”
He advised EV buyers to use packages that come with a home charger.
“If you want to purchase a charger separately, make sure you buy one that complies with safety standards.
“When installing it, make sure the contractor properly inspects your home’s electrical wiring, including the electrical system and the MCB (miniature circuit breaker),” he added.
