Available 24x7Available 24x7Published: October 26, 2026
A quick overview before you dive in:
Getting several quotes for a new switchboard is sensible, but they can be hard to compare. One electrician quotes a full replacement, another a repair. One lists safety switches as an extra, another includes them. One gives a fixed price, another an estimate. The cheapest number on the table isn't always the cheapest job.
This guide explains what any switchboard replacement in NSW has to include, how to line quotes up side by side and what to ask before you say yes. The guidance comes from Impulse Electrical Enterprise, based in Strathfield and quoting switchboard work across the Inner West and greater Sydney.
A price difference can simply reflect a different scope of work. Before you compare totals, check that each quote describes the same job:
Some items aren't optional extras, whoever does the work:
Some jobs also need network paperwork. A change to three phase power, for example, has to be approved by the network, Ausgrid or Endeavour Energy, before the work starts. Some jobs also need Level 2 work, done by an Accredited Service Provider (Level 2), who can install, repair or maintain the service lines between your home and the network. Ask each electrician whether your job needs either and who arranges it.
Put your quotes next to each other and check each line below. If a quote doesn't mention something, ask before you assume it's included.
What to check | What a complete quote shows |
|---|---|
Scope of work | Whether the whole board is being replaced, and how many circuits and safety switches the new board will have. |
Main cable | Whether the cable from the meter to the board has been checked, and whether replacing it is included or priced separately. |
Safety switches | Safety switches protecting all the circuits on the new board, included in the price. |
Parts | The brands of the board, circuit breakers and safety switches. |
Testing and paperwork | Testing before the power goes back on, the CCEW, and any network paperwork (Ausgrid or Endeavour Energy) or Level 2 work the job needs. |
Price | A fixed price, whether it includes GST, and what is excluded. |
Asbestos | Whether the board has been checked for an asbestos backing board, and how removal would be handled and priced. |
Warranty | A written workmanship warranty and the manufacturer's warranty on parts, with how long each lasts. |
Timing | Roughly how long the power will be off on the day. |
You can also check that a contractor is properly licensed on the Service NSW website before any work starts.
Some older switchboards, including in older terraces and semis, are mounted on a backing board that contains asbestos. NSW asbestos guidance lists these boards as made before 1987. If our electrician finds one when checking your board, you can engage your own appropriately licensed asbestos removalist, or we can help coordinate a suitable specialist. Either way, we explain the options and any extra cost before the work is booked. Don't drill, cut or otherwise disturb a backing board that may contain asbestos.
When you compare quotes for an older home, ask each electrician whether they have checked your board for asbestos and how removal would be handled. A quote that hasn't considered it may change later.
Every quote we give is a fixed price, agreed before any work is booked. A standard switchboard replacement includes safety switches protecting all your circuits, new circuit breakers with every circuit labelled, parts from brands including Hager, Clipsal, Schneider Electric, ABB, NHP and Voltex, full testing, your CCEW, and the network paperwork (Ausgrid or Endeavour Energy) and any Level 2 work the job needs, arranged by us and shown in your quote. The work is completed or supervised by licensed electricians, and apprentices may attend.
A full board replacement typically costs $1,200 to $4,000+ + GST. A larger board with room for solar, a battery or an EV charger typically costs $4,000 to $7,000+ + GST, and three phase or relocation work $7,000 to $11,000+ + GST. Prices assume suitable existing wiring and reasonable access to the board. Extra equipment, new circuits and other work are quoted separately, and for three phase work any network charges are separate too. For a relocation, network, metering provider and Level 2 costs may apply if the meter or connection has to move, and your written quote states which of these it includes. Your final price is confirmed in a free, fixed quote before any work starts.
Our workmanship is covered by our warranty, and products and parts come with a 2 to 7 year manufacturer's warranty, depending on the product. For a breakdown of what each price range covers, read our switchboard upgrade cost guide.
If there's smoke or fire, get everyone out and call triple zero (000) first. If you can smell burning, see scorch marks or hear buzzing at the board, don't wait to compare quotes. If you can safely reach the switchboard, switch off the main switch, and don't touch anything that is scorched, melted or wet. Then call our emergency electrician line, which is answered 24/7. We confirm the call-out price on the phone before we send anyone, make the fault safe, and quote any repair or upgrade for you to approve.
Only once you've checked it covers the same work as the others. A lower price can leave out safety switches, testing, the CCEW or the network paperwork, or be an estimate rather than a fixed price. Compare what's included first, then the price.
No. A burnt connection, loose wiring or a circuit that keeps tripping can be fixed with a repair, and a circuit without a safety switch can sometimes have one added. Ceramic fuses, or a board with no room for safety switches or for what you want to add, can point to a replacement. Our guide to the warning signs of an old switchboard explains the difference.
Ask each electrician to put the timeframe in writing. As a guide, a typical home has the power off for about three hours to a full day, three phase work takes about two days on site plus the time for the network's approval, and moving the board or removing an asbestos backing board adds time.
Ask the electrician who did the work. Every switchboard replacement in NSW needs a CCEW, and since 1 July 2026 a copy is sent to you once it's submitted through the eCert portal. Keep it with your home's records.
Tell us about your switchboard and anything you plan to add, such as solar, a battery or an EV charger. Call 0481 228 836 or request a free quote, and we'll give you a fixed price that lists exactly what's included. Our phones are answered 24/7.
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