Owners of LG household solar storage batteries are being urged switch them off due to a potential fire risk.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is warning to consumers of a “serious risk of injury or death” due to the affected batteries potentially overheating and causing a fire.

Multinational electronics company LG Electronics is urgently instructing all consumers who use certain LG batteries in their solar energy storage systems to switch off their battery immediately, and keep it off until issues are remediated.

According to LG, the affected batteries may be under expected LG branding, but could also be branded as SolaX, Opal, Red Earth, Eguana or Varta.

“It is critically important that anyone with a solar energy storage system checks their battery’s serial number, as this recall has been updated to include new models, affected systems and dates of manufacture,” ACCC deputy chair Catriona Lowe said.

Lowe further warned solar users that even if their solar storage system isn’t expressly LG-branded, it is still crucial to check for affected components.

“Even if you don’t have an LG-branded solar storage system, you may still have an LG branded battery that has been recalled.

“For peace of mind – check your system again and turn off your battery straight away if it has been recalled,” said Lowe.

LG has agreed to provide financial compensation to consumers in the event they have higher electricity bills due to not being able to store solar energy in their battery.

“LG will compensate consumers who are out-of-pocket on their electricity bills as a result of switching off and not being able to use their battery,” said Lowe.

The ACCC suggests consumers first check if their LG battery has been recalled via the LG ESS battery website, then switch off the battery if is affected.

Consumers with affected LG batteries are further urged to register their details with LG for a free replacement, refund or software update.

Another year, another mass recall

This is not the first LG battery recall by the ACCC.

In February 2021, LG similarly recalled approximately ,7200 home energy storage batteries which were primarily installed as parts of solar energy systems.

The ACCC reissued the recall on these batteries in May 2022 when it was found further brands were at risk, including SolaX Power and Opal – with the ACCC then warning nearly 6,500 faulty batteries were yet to be replaced.

In November last year, the ACCC revealed many faulty batteries remained installed in Australian homes, with a reported nine incidents resulting in property damage and one injury involving the impacted batteries since October 2019.

“Please put your safety first and follow this important advice to switch off,” said Lowe.