Most people start thinking about the switchboard for one of two reasons: it keeps tripping, or an electrician has told them it will not support what they want to install. Either way, the question is the same — replace it now, or leave it alone.
NG Elec upgrades residential and commercial switchboards across Adelaide, from tired ceramic fuse boards through to boards being made ready for a battery or an EV charger. Every upgrade finishes with testing and a certificate of compliance.
Send through a photo of your existing board and we will tell you what it needs.
What an upgrade involves depends on the age of the board, how many circuits the property runs, and whether anything is being added on the load side. We assess the existing setup first, then quote the work that is actually required rather than a standard replacement.
Switchboard upgrades sit within our wider residential electrical services across Adelaide. Talk it through with a licensed electrician before you commit to anything.
Switchboard work is not a job for a handyman or a general builder. It sits at the point where the network supply meets every circuit in the property, and it has to be carried out by a licensed electrician and tested before it is put back into service.
Two things matter for an Adelaide property owner. First, current wiring rules require RCD protection on circuits that are altered or added — so an upgrade is usually the point where the whole property gains protection it never had. Second, once the work is finished you should receive a certificate of compliance. Keep it. It is what an insurer, a conveyancer or a future buyer will ask for.
Where an upgrade involves the meter or the supply side of the board, the work has to be coordinated with SA Power Networks and any changes to metering arranged through the correct provider. We flag that in the quote, so there are no surprise delays part-way through the job.
If the board is doing its job, protected by working RCDs, and has spare capacity, there is no reason to touch it. The upgrade becomes worth doing when one of these is true:
Doing it before a solar, battery or EV installation is usually the cheaper sequence. Bundling board work into an install already booked avoids a second attendance, a second isolation, and a second round of testing. Not sure which of those applies to the board in your own meter box? The seven warning signs a switchboard needs upgrading explains what each symptom points to.
The main drivers are the number of circuits, whether the enclosure needs to be relocated or enlarged, the condition of the wiring behind the board, whether the existing panel is asbestos-backed, whether the property is single or three phase, and whether any metering or supply-side work is involved. That is why a photo or a site visit comes before a price. Our quotes are free and set out the scope in writing, including testing and certification.
Some of these are urgent. Others just tell you the board is near the end of its working life.
If you are not sure which category yours falls into, send a photo through. It is usually enough for us to tell you whether it needs attention this week or at your convenience.
Most people start thinking about the switchboard for one of two reasons: it keeps tripping, or an electrician has told them it will not support what they want to install. Either way, the question is the same — replace it now, or leave it alone.
NG Elec upgrades residential and commercial switchboards across Adelaide, from tired ceramic fuse boards through to boards being made ready for a battery or an EV charger. Every upgrade finishes with testing and a certificate of compliance.
Send through a photo of your existing board and we will tell you what it needs.
Nathan and the team have been doing electrical work in Adelaide homes for two decades — a local team of nine, one crew from assessment through to certification.
The quality of the install is backed for the life of the work, not for a token warranty period.
We size the board for the system you add next, not just the load you have today — so a retrofit does not stall on switchboard capacity.
You see what is being replaced and why in writing before work starts, and the completed work is tested and certified.
An ageing board quietly limits what you can do with the property and leaves circuits without the protection modern wiring rules call for. NG Elec can assess what you have, quote the work in writing, complete the upgrade with testing and a certificate of compliance, and back the workmanship for life. If the plan is solar, a battery or an EV charger down the track, tell us — we will size the board for it now.
Call 0425 322 552 or send an enquiry and we will get back to you during business hours.
