Find a trusted electrician in Perth

Selling or renting? WA’s safety switch and smoke alarm rules

WA has two rules that send a lot of Perth homeowners looking for an electrician. Before a home is sold or rented out, it must have at least two RCDs (safety switches) protecting all the power point and lighting circuits. It also needs compliant smoke alarms, which in most homes means alarms wired to mains power rather than ones running on replaceable batteries.

Older Perth switchboards often can’t take two RCDs without changes, so a quick compliance job can turn into a board upgrade. Get the electrician out early in the sale or lease, not the week before settlement. When the work’s done, they’ll give you an Electrical Safety Certificate, and your agent or settlement agent may ask to see it.

Double brick, roof spaces and air con circuits

Most Perth homes are double brick on a concrete slab under a tiled or metal roof. Cables run through the roof space, then down a chase cut into the brick, which takes longer than feeding a cable down a stud wall in a timber-framed house. With no subfloor to work from, a power point low on an internal wall can be more work than you’d expect, and that’s why the same job can cost more here.

Summer brings its own rush. Bigger split systems and ducted units usually need a dedicated circuit, and an installer with a restricted electrical licence can only disconnect and reconnect a unit, not run new wiring. Home batteries, EV chargers and solar inverters all lean on the switchboard too, so ask the electrician to check its capacity before you commit to new gear.

Checking an electrician’s licence in WA

The Electrical Licensing Board, through Building and Energy, licenses both electricians and electrical contractors. The business you pay must hold an electrical contractor’s licence, which starts with EC and has to appear in its advertising, so you’ll often spot it on the van or website. Look it up on the free WA Online Licence Search and make sure the name and status match.

Meter changes, new connections and solar connections also involve Western Power, which runs the poles, wires and meters on the Perth grid. Our WA licence checks page covers the search and what each licence prefix means.

What electricians charge in Perth

Perth electricians often charge toward the upper half of the national range of about $90 to $140 an hour, partly because the resources sector competes for qualified sparkies. Call-out fees usually run $80 to $150. As a guide, a new double power point costs $150 to $350, with double brick toward the top; a safety switch $120 to $300 where the board has room; a hardwired smoke alarm $120 to $200 each; and a switchboard upgrade $800 to $2,500, more if the old meter board contains asbestos.

A dedicated air con circuit is typically $250 to $450. The electrician price guide covers more jobs, from downlights to EV chargers.

Getting one Perth electrician

Tell us what needs doing and where you live, and we’ll match you with one licensed local electrician whose EC licence, insurance, ABN and reviews have been checked. Your number doesn’t get passed around a list of contractors.

Looking elsewhere? See electricians in other cities or every trade in Perth. Ready to book? Get a free quote.