Smoke alarms in existing houses

Q:    Do I need to hard-wire smoke alarms installed in an existing residential building?

A:    No.  The requirement in the BCA Part 3.7.2 on Smoke Alarms is for new construction.  For new homes, the smoke alarms must be connected to the consumer mains power where consumer power is supplied to the building.  But for an existing residential building, a battery-operated smoke alarm is sufficient and does not have to be hard-wired.

More information is available on the requirements for smoke alarms in HIA information sheet Requirements for smoke alarms installation.