Before the day
Every switchboard upgrade starts with a quote. Boards vary a lot from house to house, so there is no price over the phone. A clear photo of your switchboard and a quick note of why you are calling helps us work out what we need to see.
People usually ring for one of a handful of reasons:
- A renovation, new appliance or EV charger is coming and the board has no space left
- The house still has an old fuse board and they want it brought up to date
- They have bought a home without safety switches on the power point circuits
- They own a rental that needs safety switches
An older board doesn't automatically need replacing. We look at what you have, tell you what we find, and quote the option that makes sense for the house. ## The rules that often start the conversation
Safety switches are behind a lot of upgrades. According to the Electrical Safety Office:
- Rental homes need safety switches on power point circuits within 90 days after a tenancy starts.
- If you buy a home without a safety switch on the power point circuits, one must be installed within 90 days of the property transfer.
- The Electrical Safety Office suggests safety switches on all circuits and testing them every three months.
- Only a licensed electrician can install a safety switch.
Electrical work in Queensland must be done by a licensed electrician, and DIY electrical work is illegal. The switchboard is where every circuit in the house starts, and it is not something to open up yourself.
Getting the house ready
The power is off for part of the job, not all of it. How long depends on the size of the board and what is changing, and we will give you an idea when we quote so you can plan the day.
A few things make that stretch easier:
- Keep the fridge and freezer shut while the power is off.
- If the garage door is motorised, get the car out before the job starts.
- Save your work and shut down computers ahead of time.
- If anyone in the house relies on powered medical equipment, tell us when you book, so the day can be planned around it.
- Clear a path to the switchboard and the area in front of it. Boxes, bikes and garden gear tend to collect there.
- Tell us about dogs, locked gates or a meter box that needs a key.
Afterwards, expect to reset a few things: clocks on the oven and microwave, timers, and anything that lost its settings when the power went off.
What happens on the day
Jamie, P4's licensed electrician, does the electrical work. In general terms, the day covers:
- Replacing the old fuse board, or a board that has run out of space
- Adding safety switches to protect the circuits
- Setting the board out with room for new circuits later, such as an EV charger, a new oven or a renovation
- Labelling the circuits so you can tell which is which
- Restoring power and checking each circuit works before we pack up
P4 works Monday to Friday, 7am to 5pm, and switchboard upgrades are booked inside those hours.
The paperwork you keep
At the end of the job you get an invoice and a certificate for the electrical work. Keep them with the house papers. They are the record of what was done, for you and for whoever works on the house next.
The work comes with a 12 months workmanship warranty, plus the manufacturer's warranty on products. Our services come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law.
If you want to check who you are dealing with, you can check a Queensland electrical licence on the Electrical Safety Office's licence search. P4's electrical contractor licence is 88710. More on that is on the licences and insurance page.
What P4 doesn't do
Jamie's happy to talk solar and batteries and give advice. Installing the system itself isn't one of P4's listed jobs, so if a board upgrade is part of a solar or battery project, that side needs a different contractor.