Switchboard upgrades across Wollongong & the Illawarra.
Still running ceramic fuses with fuse wire and no safety switches? A switchboard upgrade is the single biggest safety improvement most older Illawarra homes can make. We replace tired boards with modern safety switches (RCDs/RCBOs) and labelled circuit breakers to the AS/NZS 3000 Wiring Rules — and give you the capacity for air-con, an EV charger and solar.
What a switchboard upgrade involves.
Why old boards are a problem.
A great deal of the Illawarra’s established housing — the post-war homes of Corrimal, the older streets of Wollongong, beachside cottages in Thirroul and Fairy Meadow — still runs on the original ceramic rewireable fuses with no safety switches at all. Those boards can’t trip fast enough to protect a person from a fatal shock, and they were never designed for modern loads like ducted air-con, induction cooktops, EV charging or solar. A buzzing, warm or hot-plastic-smelling board is a warning sign, not a quirk.
What we fit, and to what standard.
We replace the board with modern protection: safety switches (RCDs) or, better, RCBOs — a combined safety switch and circuit breaker on each circuit, so a fault on one circuit doesn’t black out the whole house. Under the AS/NZS 3000:2018 Wiring Rules, a board replacement requires RCD protection on every final subcircuit, lights and power alike. We also fit correctly rated circuit breakers, a clear and accurate circuit label, and a tidy layout with room to add circuits later.
The process, step by step.
- Inspection & quote. We look at the actual board, the supply (single or three-phase), the meter and the tails, and quote in writing.
- Schedule the outage. Most jobs are a single day with a few hours of power off; mains/metering work is coordinated with Ausgrid where needed.
- Replace the board. Old board out, new enclosure in, circuits transferred onto RCDs/RCBOs and breakers, consumer mains checked.
- Label & test. Every circuit clearly labelled, RCDs trip-tested, the installation tested to AS/NZS 3000.
- Certify. Electrical safety / compliance certificate issued (lodged digitally from 1 July 2026).
What it costs in 2026.
- Standard single-phase board upgrade: $1,500–$3,500 + GST for most Illawarra homes.
- Add circuits / new meter panel / tails work: pushes toward and past the upper end.
- Asbestos meter-box backing removal (older homes): add ~$1,000–$3,000 for safe removal.
- Three-phase or larger homes: quoted on the board — more circuits and capacity.
Why we don’t cut corners.
The switchboard is the heart of your home’s electrical safety, so it is the wrong place to save a few dollars. We don’t reuse tired breakers, skimp on RCD coverage, leave circuits unlabelled or cram a board with no future capacity. Salt air in coastal suburbs also attacks meter boxes, so we use the right enclosure and corrosion-rated fittings outdoors. Doing it properly the first time means a board that protects your family and is ready for whatever you plug in next.
A board upgrade is often the first step before an EV charger install or adding circuits during a lighting and power job. If you’re buying or renting out a property, pair it with a full electrical safety inspection.
Where we work.
Free switchboard upgrade quote.
Safety switches on every circuit, to AS/NZS 3000. Clear written price after we look at your board.