Switchboard upgrades in Melbourne

Signs a switchboard needs work

Energy Safe Victoria lists old switchboards, particularly ones without a safety switch, as a warning sign, and suggests having the wiring checked by a licensed electrician if your house is more than 30 years old. Other reasons to call an electrician: a safety switch that doesn't cut the power when you test it, power that keeps tripping, scorch marks, a burning smell, or a board damaged by water or weather.

• No safety switches, or only some circuits covered
• Old fuses rather than circuit breakers
• Adding solar, a battery, an EV charger or big new appliances
• Water or storm damage: don't touch it, call an electrician

Safety switches, and testing them

A safety switch watches the electricity flowing through a circuit and cuts the power within milliseconds if it detects a problem. Energy Safe recommends testing yours every three months: tell everyone in the house, press each test button, check the lights and power on that circuit go off, then switch it back on. If the power doesn't go off, the switch may have failed: call a licensed electrician straight away.

If you're not sure whether your home has one, ask a Registered Electrical Contractor.

Inspected before it's switched on

Work on the main switchboard, the meter box, the consumer mains (the cable from the street) or the main earthing is “prescribed” electrical work in Victoria. A licensed electrical inspector, independent of the electrician, must inspect it before it can be switched on; the contractor arranges the inspection.

Afterwards you should get a Certificate of Electrical Safety, within four days of it being completed once the inspection's done. Keep it with the invoice. See power points and switches for everyday, non-prescribed work.

Renting?

Since 29 March 2023, power outlets and lighting circuits in Victorian rentals must be protected by circuit breakers and safety switches, and rental providers must have the electrical installation checked by a licensed or registered electrician every two years. A dangerous electrical fault is an urgent repair: see rental repairs.

Who to book

Energy Safe advises engaging a Registered Electrical Contractor, which sends licensed electricians. Check both on Energy Safe's public registers, and ask to see the electrician's licence. Electrical work isn't a DIY job, however small. In a home built before 1990, ask whether the old board could contain asbestos before it's removed: see asbestos.

What the quote should list

• The new board, breakers and safety switches, and how many circuits they cover
• Any rewiring or new circuits found to be needed
• The inspection, and who books it
• How long the power will be off
• Old board removal, including asbestos handling if it applies
• The Certificate of Electrical Safety

Example brief

“1960s house in Bentleigh East with the original switchboard and fuses, no safety switches. We're planning to add an induction cooktop. Please inspect and quote a switchboard upgrade with safety switches on all circuits, including the inspection, the certificate, and whether the old board needs asbestos handling.”

Before booking an electrician

• Safety switches tested every three months
• A Registered Electrical Contractor, checked on the register
• Independent inspection before switch-on
• A Certificate of Electrical Safety
• Asbestos considered for an old board

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