Additional safety requirements for heat pumps, air conditioners and dehumidifiers
Standards New Zealand is seeking comments on additional safety requirements for heat pumps, air conditioners and dehumidifiers. This round covers only the new, non-underlined text in draft amendment DR 26035; previously reviewed underlined text is outside its scope.
- Closing date
- 11 December 2026
- Added to Civics
- 18 October 2026
- Source category
- Public service
- Last checked
- 18 October 2026
Closes in 54 days
Plain-English summary
Standards New Zealand is seeking comments on additional safety requirements for heat pumps, air conditioners and dehumidifiers. This round covers only the new, non-underlined text in draft amendment DR 26035; previously reviewed underlined text is outside its scope.
Amend AS/NZS 60335.2.40:2025, the joint Australian/New Zealand safety standard for household and similar electrical heat pumps, air conditioners and dehumidifiers. Joint Technical Committee EL-002 prepared the amendment.
Combine earlier projects DR 26018 and DR 26023 into DR 26035. The overview describes concerns about access to live or basically insulated parts after appliance covers are removed, and additional hazard controls identified after a fatal incident during fault-finding on an installed air conditioner.
Seek comments only on the additional text that is not underlined. Text originally developed under DR 26018 has already been reviewed and finalised by the committee and is shown underlined in the draft.
The overview explains the reason and scope of the amendment, but does not reproduce its complete technical requirements. This is consultation on a draft standard, not evidence that new requirements have already been adopted into law.
Obtain the complete technical draft and verify scope, access and submission instructions before approval.
The full technical draft has not been read. Before approval, obtain DR 26035 and check that the summary accurately distinguishes new, non-underlined text from the previously finalised provisions.
The overview’s exact draft-shop link redirected to /shop-2/ and returned HTTP 404 on 18 October. The separate joint-draft directory lists the amendment and an email-based access process, but that is not a verified replacement for this NZ portal’s document and submission route.
No closing clock, full form fields, privacy treatment or joint AU/NZ submission-routing equivalence was verified. Questions here paraphrase review issues, not an official questionnaire.
Why it matters
The proposed changes concern electrical safety when appliances are opened or serviced. Technical clarity affects product design, assessment and servicing practices.
Who may care
- Appliance manufacturers, importers, designers, testing laboratories and certification bodies
- Heat-pump and air-conditioning installers, service technicians and safety specialists
How to make a submission
- Use the official Standards NZ consultation overview and its online submission link. The page says all public comments must go through this portal.
- Read the complete DR 26035 draft and identify the new, non-underlined text before commenting. Underlined material has already been finalised and is outside this round.
- The overview lists 11 December 2026 as the closing date but gives no closing time. Confirm the cutoff and portal requirements before relying on the final day.
- The draft link provided by the overview returned a page-not-found response during this review. Ask Standards NZ for a working draft-access route if it remains unavailable; the overview alone is not the technical amendment.
- Read the portal privacy and terms information before providing personal or commercially sensitive details. No response form was exercised in this review.
Disclaimer
Civics.nz is an independent plain-English guide and is not an official government website. Always check the official source before making a submission.