← All electrical guides
Assessment before upgrade
A switchboard proposal needs a tested reason
A new oven, added circuit or repeated trip can prompt a wider switchboard recommendation. The reason for that recommendation must come from the actual installation. An online photograph and the age of a home cannot establish which work is required.
Immediate danger? Keep clear and use official emergency guidance instead of this form.
Describe your electrical job
The first decision
Separate the job you asked for from a wider board proposal
Ask the licensed electrical contractor to explain what they found, which protection or capacity issue affects the proposed job, and how each item changes the scope. A written distinction between required work and optional improvements makes two quotes more comparable.
Check the contractor's Queensland licence ↗What to tell the contractor
- 01What new equipment or circuit is proposed, including any product specification you have.
- 02What symptom, if any, prompted the assessment and when it occurs.
- 03Whether the board or metering area is shared, locked or managed by someone else.
These are enquiry facts, not instructions to inspect, test or alter electrical equipment.
Compare the written work
Three questions for the scope
What must be done for the stated job, and what is an optional improvement?
Which parts, protection, access, testing and making good are in the written price?
What changes the scope?
A board proposal should identify the requested job and the reason the existing installation cannot support it as scoped. Ask whether the price includes the board enclosure, protective devices, labelling, testing, supply coordination and any required making good. If the contractor finds a separate defect during assessment, request that it be described separately before approving additional work. A photograph may help explain a quote, but it cannot replace site testing or establish whether a particular item is mandatory.
Common questions
Questions about switchboard assessment
Understand safety switches ↗For property access decisions, read Switchboard assessment in Indooroopilly.
Switchboard assessment questions
Do I need to replace the whole switchboard for a new oven?
A new oven does not, by itself, establish that the entire board needs replacing. Ask a licensed electrical contractor to assess the proposed load and existing installation, then explain which work is required for that job and which work is optional. Request an itemised written scope before authorising broader work.
Why do electricians give different switchboard upgrade quotes?
Quotes may cover different assessment, protection, parts, access and testing. Compare the written inclusions and exclusions, and ask each licensed contractor to explain the tested reason for proposed work. A website photograph cannot settle whether a specific board needs an upgrade.
Is my existing switchboard up to current standards?
An online image or the age of a house is not enough to determine the condition or obligations for a particular installation. A licensed contractor can inspect the board and explain any required work in the context of the job being proposed.
Ordinary enquiries