PSA Smoke Alarms Made Easy: Compliance and Cost

Peter Kordabadi12 Aug, 2025Business

Photoelectric sensing now sits at the centre of Australian residential and commercial fire protection. Unlike older ionisation detectors that favour fast-flame fires, photoelectric cells recognise the cool, dirty smoke from smouldering upholstery and wiring, a scenario most households face first. With fewer nuisance alarms from burnt toast, regulators have adopted the technology, and every new build or major renovation must treat photoelectric as the default under AS 3786-2014 and the National Construction Code (NCC) E2.2a.