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Electrical & Controls

From shock prevention and Ohm's law to motors, thermostats and board-level troubleshooting: the electrical skills behind every service call.

17 skills in 7 sections · listed in learning order

Tiers Foundation · Core · Advanced · SpecialistSafety-critical required before Journeyman on any role that lists it

Electrical safety

  1. Electrical shock and burn prevention

    Work on live and de-energised equipment without becoming the path to ground; identify hot, neutral and ground before touching a wire.

    FoundationSafety-critical No courses yet

Electrical theory

  1. Electricity and circuit laws

    Voltage, current, resistance and power, and the Ohm's law and Watt's law relationships that let you predict what a meter will read.

    Foundation No courses yet

  2. Series, parallel and combination circuits

    Trace how voltage and current divide in series, parallel and mixed circuits, and why a voltage drop points to the failed part.

    Foundation No courses yet

  3. Conductors, insulators and circuit protection

    Tell conductors, insulators and semiconductors apart and match fuses, breakers and overloads to the loads they protect.

    Foundation No courses yet

Meters & diagrams

  1. Using electrical meters

    Measure voltage, amperage, resistance and watts safely with a multimeter and clamp meter, and know which range to use.

    Foundation No courses yet

  2. Reading wiring diagrams

    Read pictorial, ladder and schematic diagrams, recognise the symbols and follow the sequence of operation through the circuit.

    Core No courses yet

Motors & capacitors

  1. Run and start capacitors

    Test, select and replace run and start capacitors and explain what each does for the motor.

    Core No courses yet

  2. Single-phase motors

    Identify shaded-pole, split-phase, PSC and CSR motors, read LRA and FLA, check windings and replace a motor correctly.

    Core No courses yet

  3. ECM and variable-speed motors

    Understand how electronically commutated and inverter-driven motors work and how to commission and diagnose them.

    Advanced No courses yet

Control components

  1. Transformers and control voltage

    Size, install and test the 24 V transformer and control-circuit power that every thermostat and board depends on.

    Core No courses yet

  2. Contactors, relays and solenoids

    Install and test contactors, control relays, start relays and solenoid valves and recognise when each has failed.

    Core No courses yet

  3. Sensors and thermistors

    Test PTC and NTC thermistors and temperature sensors against their resistance curves and replace them when they drift.

    Core No courses yet

Thermostats

  1. Conventional thermostat wiring

    Wire and set up single and two-stage 24 V thermostats, choose the right location and set cycle rates.

    Core No courses yet

  2. Communicating and smart thermostats

    Install, pair and configure communicating and Wi-Fi smart thermostats and the connected equipment that talks to them.

    Advanced No courses yet

Electrical diagnostics

  1. High and low voltage verification

    Verify supply voltage, voltage tolerance, wire sizing and control voltage on a newly installed or serviced system before start-up.

    Core No courses yet

  2. Electrical troubleshooting

    Use the diagram and the meter together to isolate an open, short or failed component in one pass through the circuit.

    Advanced No courses yet

  3. Panel capacity for electrification

    Assess whether a home's electrical service and panel can carry a heat pump or electric heat addition, and what to do when it cannot.

    Advanced No courses yet