You're evaluating lightning protection consultants. Maybe a shortlist. Maybe deciding between a dedicated firm and the electrical engineering practice you already work with. This page is built to help you make that call, specific about what Aetheric delivers, equally specific about what generalist approaches typically miss.
We're not the only competent firm in this space. But we'll explain exactly how our expert focus, analytical tools, and standards depth translate into better outcomes for data centres, energy assets, critical infrastructure, and oil and gas facilities.
Expert Focus vs. Generalist Coverage
Most lightning protection work is performed by general electrical firms where it's a small fraction of total workload. The result: simplified methods, limited familiarity with current standard nuances, and deliverables that tick a compliance box without optimising for your facility's actual risk profile.
Aetheric exists specifically to close that gap. Lightning protection and earthing engineering is our entire practice, not a service line inside a larger offering. That singular focus means:
- Deeper technical knowledge: we work with lightning protection physics, surge propagation, and earthing behaviour every day, not occasionally when a project requires it
- Current standards expertise: we track revisions to IEC 62305, AS/NZS 1768:2021, IEC 61643, and IEEE standards as they happen, not when a project forces us to look them up
- Purpose-built analytical tools: we invest in platforms like Skytree Scientific and XGSLab because our entire practice depends on their capability, not because one project justified the licence fee
- Industry-specific understanding: we know the difference between protecting a Tier IV data centre and protecting a classified hazardous area, because those are the environments we work in every day
The Difference in Practice
What does the expert advantage look like in actual project outcomes? Here's what changes:
Risk Assessment
Protection Design
SPD Coordination
Earthing Verification & Modelling
Deliverables
Standards Compliance
Advanced Analytical Platforms
The quality of lightning protection engineering is limited by the tools behind it. We invest in platforms most firms in this space don't use, because our entire practice depends on their capability. More detail on the About page.
- Skytree Scientific LRAplus®: AI-powered lightning risk assessment with real-time lightning location system data. Multi-standard support for IEC 62305-2, AS/NZS 1768:2021, and NFPA 780 Annex L.
- XGSLab: Electromagnetic modelling platform for protection system analysis, grounding design, earthing system modelling, EMI assessment, and rolling sphere method modelling. The analytical engine behind our design validation.
- Megger DET2/3: Precision digital earth tester for soil resistivity profiling and earth resistance measurement in challenging field conditions.
- AutoCAD, Revit, Navisworks, Civil 3D, MicroStation, EPLAN: Industry-standard design platforms delivering BIM-compatible, construction-ready documentation.
Multi-Jurisdictional Standards Expertise
If your facilities span multiple countries or regulatory environments, you need a consultant who doesn't just know one standards framework. Aetheric maintains working knowledge across the full international landscape:
We are New Zealand-based and operate across APAC, the Middle East and West Africa, and we know how standards intersect with local authority requirements in each region. When your project spans jurisdictions, you get consistent technical quality with locally compliant delivery.
Full Lifecycle Coverage
Most firms can do one thing well. We cover the entire lightning protection lifecycle, which means continuity of knowledge, consistent standards application, and no gaps between project phases:
- Assess: Risk Assessment Studies quantify exposure. Site Audits evaluate what's in place.
- Model: RSM Modelling verifies protection coverage in 3D. Ground/Earthing Testing provides measured site data and validated earthing analysis.
- Design: Design Services produce construction-ready documentation. Lightning Protection Systems integrate external, internal, and surge protection.
- Sustain: Resiliency as a Service provides ongoing management. Lightning Resiliency Planning sets enterprise strategy.
When one firm assesses, another designs, and a third tests, knowledge is lost at every handoff. When Aetheric manages the lifecycle, the engineer who assessed your risk is the same practice that designs your protection and verifies its performance.
What We Don't Do
Being specific about what we don't do is as important as being clear about what we do. It helps you decide if we're the right fit:
- We don't do general electrical engineering. If your project needs power system design, lighting design, or general electrical consulting beyond lightning protection and earthing, we'll work alongside your electrical engineers rather than replacing them.
- We don't install protection systems. We provide construction-ready design documentation. Installation is performed by qualified contractors working from our specifications. We can provide construction oversight and commissioning support.
- We don't sell protection products. Our designs specify performance requirements and may reference specific products, but we don't manufacture or distribute protection components. This independence means our specifications are driven by engineering requirements, not product margins.
- We don't cut corners on documentation. If you need a quick compliance letter without supporting analysis, we're not the right fit. Every Aetheric deliverable includes the calculations, assumptions, and analysis that make our conclusions auditable and defensible.
Questions We Often Hear
Our current electrical engineer can handle lightning protection. Why would we need a dedicated expert?
They might be perfectly capable for standard commercial buildings. But for a Tier III data centre, offshore platform, wind farm in high-activity terrain, or government installation with regulatory obligations, the demands exceed what occasional lightning protection work prepares someone for. The standards are complex (IEC 62305 is four parts), the tools are purpose-built, and the consequences of inadequate protection in critical infrastructure are severe. A dedicated expert isn't always necessary, but for the sectors we serve, it usually is.
Can you work with us remotely?
Yes. Risk assessment, design, RSM modelling, and resiliency planning are largely desk-based activities that we deliver remotely across all operating regions. Earthing testing, earthing modelling support, and site audits require coordination based on project location and scheduling. We are New Zealand-based and serve APAC, the Middle East and West Africa.
How do your fees compare to generalist firms?
Our fees are typically comparable to, or moderately higher than, what a generalist firm would charge for the same scope. The difference is what you get: deeper analysis, thorough documentation, validated rather than assumed performance, deliverables that stand up to regulatory scrutiny. For critical infrastructure, the cost of inadequate protection, downtime, equipment loss, safety incidents, liability, dwarfs the fee differential.
Can you work alongside our existing engineering team?
Absolutely. Many engagements involve us working as the expert lightning protection sub-consultant within a larger engineering team. We exchange files in AutoCAD, Revit, Navisworks, and other standard formats, and coordinate with architectural, structural, and electrical disciplines. Our design services are specifically structured to integrate with multi-discipline project delivery.
What's the difference between your consulting services and your RaaS subscription?
Our consulting services are project-based engagements solving specific problems: a risk assessment, a system design, an audit. Resiliency as a Service (RaaS) is an ongoing subscription providing continuous protection management, scheduled testing, SPD monitoring, compliance verification, and proactive maintenance. Think of consulting as building the system, and RaaS as keeping it performing year after year.
Do you provide installation services?
We provide construction-ready design documentation and can support construction through RFI responses, submittal reviews, and site inspections. Physical installation is performed by qualified electrical contractors working from our specifications. This separation ensures our design recommendations are driven by engineering requirements, not installation convenience.