Frequently Asked Questions

There are 16 different classes of registration for NZ electrical workers. All of them have different levels of training and registration requirements.

Your standard home/ business electrician must have completed an electrical apprenticeship and have obtained a National Certificate in Electrical Engineering, National Certificate in Electricity Supply, or NZ Certificate in Electrical Engineering Theory and Practice. Once their formal education is complete, they can apply to register as an electrician. This practicing licence, once obtained, allows them to practice as an electrician.

This is an official piece of paperwork that is signed off by a trained professional. It certifies that the work carried out meets technical and legal requirements and is safe and fit for purpose. For individual pieces of work, there may be a small fee for the paperwork. You can request a COC from your electrician for work completed.

You can carry out some basic repairs if you own the property. Any low-voltage, low risk items such as replacing light sockets, power switches and fuses are allowed. Anything larger than that requires a trained professional. This is to keep you, your family, and the general public safe.

How long is a piece of string? A house rewire depends on the size of the home, and what you need wired. A basic two to three bedroom home could cost anything between $3000 and $10,000, depending on the complexity. Of course, it’s also a great time to assess security measures, smart home components and added electrical needs, so it’s also the best time to upgrade, which will add to the cost.

It depends on the complexity and size of the house. However, a two to three bedroom home could take from five to ten days. If there are no easily accessible crawl spaces in the roof or floor, it will be more challenging.

Yes. The electrician can utilise crawl spaces to feed wiring in the appropriate place in the wall. It is a lot easier to wire up a home with no interior cladding, but in a rewire of an existing home, this many not always be feasible.

There are huge variations in pricing. A DIY kit-set where you mix and match items and self-install can be as little as a few hundred dollars. An unmonitored system that’s hard-wired in could cost up to $2000, depending on the hardware. A top of the line, hardwired, monitored system could cost several thousand, plus ongoing monthly costs to the security company.

This is the process of checking all electrical appliances to make sure they are safe and fit for use. There is a visual inspection, then they will check the voltage/ amps. Generally, the tester will then advise of a cost to repair the item.

The Department of Labour recommends all electrical components in a commercial premises to be tested every three months. This includes tools, multi-boxes, extension cords and all computer equipment.

There are a number of scenarios where you should contact an electrician.

• If you are wanting to make electrical changes in and around your home, rental property, office or retail business
• If your lights are flickering on and off and this is a new behaviour
• If you can smell an electrical burning smell
• If you always have multi-boxes overloaded and need a wall plug installed
• If you are running extension cables regularly (this is a fire risk)

If you have an old switchboard with ceramic fuses, you will need to manually re-wire the fuse. Pull out another existing fuse and mimic the same wire pattern. If your fuses are the new switches, you can simply push the button back down.

This is a sign that there is a problem and it is overheating. Please call an electrician. There may be arcing. This can cause fire or serious harm.

If you’ve re-wired or switched the fuse back and it keeps blowing, that means something is wrong with the circuit which is causing it to constantly keep blowing. Turn off all electrical items that feed to that fuse. This may include electrical items, lights, or power plugs. Then, re-set the fuse. You can then turn things on one by one. When the fuse blows straight away, the item you turned on is experiencing an electrical fault and requires attention from a qualified electrician.

Yes, this should be possible. Depending on the type of light, wiring, and lightbulb, there may be more work required.

A toaster is a small appliance and it’s unlikely this is the problem. It’s probable that you have overloaded the circuit. Try reducing the load by unplugging something else, and then see if the toaster still causes the fuse to blow/ reset.