Switchboard Upgrades in South Melbourne
If your South Melbourne home still runs on ceramic fuses, or the board has no safety switches on it, you're running a modern household on infrastructure built for a very different era. Switchboard upgrades are the most common job we do.
Switchboards in South Melbourne
South Melbourne is where our domestic and commercial work overlaps most. Mixed-use buildings, shopfronts with flats above, home offices and converted commercial spaces — and switchboards that have grown organically across decades with no documentation whatsoever. Sorting that out properly is a big part of what we do here.
South Melbourne's mixed-use buildings produce switchboards that have grown organically over decades with no documentation. Untangling which circuits serve the shop, the flat, and the common areas is often step one.
What's actually involved
We strip out the old board and install a modern enclosure with circuit breakers and RCDs on every circuit, labelled so the next person can actually read it. In older properties we often need to replace the mains and main earth too, because the incoming cable was never sized for modern loads. Most residential upgrades are done in a day, though your power will be off for a good part of it.
Why people finally do it
The triggers are consistent: the board is full and there's nowhere to land a circuit for a new oven, air conditioner or EV charger; there are no safety switches protecting anything; ceramic fuses that have to be rewired by hand when they blow; or a nuisance trip that keeps happening and the old board can't tell you why. Safety switches are the big one — a circuit breaker protects your wiring, but an RCD protects the person touching the faulty appliance.
Free Quote in South Melbourne
No obligation. We'll come out, look at it properly, and give you a straight answer.
Request a Quote →Switchboard Upgrades in South Melbourne — Common Questions
How much does a switchboard upgrade cost in South Melbourne?
It depends on the age of the existing board, whether the mains and main earth need replacing, how many circuits are involved and whether asbestos is present. Our cost estimator will give you a ballpark, and the quote itself is free.
How long will my power be off?
For a good part of the day. We'll agree a time that suits and get you back on as quickly as we safely can.
Do you cover all of South Melbourne?
Yes — all of South Melbourne 3205 and the surrounding suburbs including Albert Park, Port Melbourne and Southbank. We're based in Newport, so we're genuinely local. South Melbourne is well within our regular service area.
Do I need a switchboard upgrade before an EV charger?
Often, yes. An EV charger needs its own dedicated circuit and many older boards have no space or capacity for one. We check before quoting the charger.