Sparkies aim to call you within the hour.
Get matched

Brisbane, Queensland

Electricians in BrisbaneStorm season, floodplains and timber houses.

Most electrical work in Brisbane traces back to three things: summer storms, a city built on a floodplain, and a lot of old timber houses running on switchboards from another era. Fallen lines and street outages are Energex's job, not an electrician's. For anything on your side of the meter, we match you with one licence-checked local electrician who does your kind of job, where we have one.

Need a sparky in Brisbane?

  1. Your postcode and a few quick questions
  2. We match a licence-checked local electrician who specialises in your kind of job
  3. They call you to talk it through. No obligation to go ahead.
  • Sparky Next Door certified: licence, insurance and the jobs they do, checked
  • One specialist for your kind of job, not a list of five to ring around
  • Only the electrician who takes your job gets your contact details
Aerial view of the Brisbane CBD skyline wrapped by the Brisbane River on a sunny day.
Photo: David Pickup on Pexels

What's different about Brisbane

Energex runs the poles and wires

Across Brisbane, Energex looks after the network. Report outages on 13 62 62, and fallen powerlines or electric shocks on 13 19 62, at any hour. Its Outage Finder lists unplanned outages and planned work, and you get at least four business days' notice of a planned outage.

Storm season does real damage

Thunderstorms are common from November to March. The supercell of 27 November 2014 brought down more than 614 power lines and at one point left 108,000 homes and businesses in the dark. On 31 October 2020, hail up to 14 cm across fell at Forestdale and 95,000 homes lost power.

A city on a floodplain

The Brisbane River peaked at 4.46 m in January 2011. In February 2022 the river stayed lower, yet north-side creeks broke their records and 23,400 properties were affected. Council's Flood Awareness Map covers creek, river, overland flow and storm tide flooding, so it's worth checking even if the river has never come near you.

Timber houses, added to over decades

Queenslanders, the high-set timber houses on stumps, are everywhere here. Many have had verandas closed in as bedrooms and the space underneath built in as living area, and every addition asks more of the original switchboard. Council's character overlay protects houses built in 1946 or earlier, so plenty get renovated rather than replaced.

Houses, units and townhouses

At the 2021 census, 73.4% of Brisbane residents lived in separate houses, 14.7% in apartments and 11.4% in townhouses or terraces. In a unit or townhouse, a few electrical jobs need the body corporate's say as well as an electrician's.

The jobs Brisbane homes need most, and why

Smoke alarms, before 1 January 2027. Every Queensland home needs interconnected photoelectric alarms by then, owner-occupied ones included. A Queenslander with a closed-in veranda bedroom or a built-in downstairs needs more alarms than its original floor plan suggests. Smoke alarms in Brisbane walks through the count.

Switchboards in older homes. Queensland law stops an electrician doing installation work where no approved safety switch protects the power points, unless the job includes fitting one or an exception such as an emergency applies. So in an old house, a new fan or power point often starts at the board. See switchboard upgrades in Brisbane.

Ceiling fans. Summer dew points here average about 20°C, which is why fans hang over so many beds and verandas. Ceiling fans in Brisbane covers high ceilings and outdoor fans.

Checks after storms and floods. Anything that's been under water stays off until a licensed electrician has looked at it. Storm, flood and surge damage explains the repair side, and emergency electricians in Brisbane covers who to ring first.

EV chargers in units and townhouses. If a charger connects to common property wiring, the body corporate has to approve it. EV chargers in Brisbane has the steps.

Lines down after a storm? That's Energex, not an electrician

Treat any fallen powerline as live, even when it's silent, and keep everyone well clear. Report it to Energex on 13 19 62, and call 000 first if anyone's life is at risk. A tree through the roof or storm damage to the house is one for the SES, on 132 500. If water has come through the house, leave the power off until a licensed electrician has checked what got wet.

Buying, selling or renting in Brisbane

When a Queensland home sells, the seller tells the buyer in writing whether an approved safety switch protects the power points. A buyer whose new house has none gets 90 days from possession to have one put in, and a landlord gets 90 days from the start of a tenancy. Smoke alarms have had to comply at every sale and new lease since 1 January 2022.

After any wiring job, ask for the certificate of testing and compliance. It carries the contractor's licence number, which Queensland also requires in their ads, so you can check it with the Electrical Safety Office before anyone starts. How to check an electrician's licence shows how.

If we lived in Brisbane

We'd save Energex's two numbers in our phones today and look our address up on the Flood Awareness Map, even on high ground. Then we'd sort the smoke alarms well before December. If the board had no safety switch on the power points, we'd fix that in the same visit, because it can hold up every other job in the house.

Want a specialist to sort it?

Tell us the job and your postcode. We match the licence-checked local electrician who does this kind of work, and they call you. No ring-around, and your number goes to them alone.

Get matched

Services

Electrical jobs in Brisbane

Switchboard upgrades in BrisbaneOld Queenslanders, post-war homes and new loads: why Brisbane boards get upgraded, and what to ask.EV charger installation in BrisbaneBody corporate approval, old switchboards and Energex: getting an EV charger in at a Brisbane home.Smoke alarms in BrisbaneQueenslanders, sleep-outs and units: getting a Brisbane home ready for the 2027 smoke alarm deadline.Emergency electricians in BrisbaneLines down, shocks, burning smells or floodwater in Brisbane: who to call first, and what to do next.Ceiling fan installation in BrisbaneHumid nights, high Queenslander ceilings and verandas: getting ceiling fans right in a Brisbane home.Data cabling in BrisbaneTimber Queenslanders, post-war fibro and units: getting wired data points into a Brisbane home.Commercial electricians in BrisbaneContractor licences, shutdowns, flood planning and site rules for Brisbane businesses.Test and tag in BrisbaneQueensland's test and tag intervals by type of work, safety switches, and flood-hit gear in Brisbane.

Your suburb

Suburbs and areas around Brisbane

Questions

Straight answers.

Is Brisbane on Energex or Ergon?

Energex. Its network covers South East Queensland, including Brisbane, Ipswich, Logan, Redlands and Moreton Bay. Ergon Energy runs the network across the rest of the state.

The power's gone off. Who do I ring?

If the neighbours and streetlights are out too, it's Energex: check its Outage Finder or ring 13 62 62. If only your place is dark and nothing has tripped at the switchboard, ring Energex anyway, because the fault may be in the supply. A safety switch that won't reset is a job for an electrician.

Does an old Queenslander need rewiring?

Not automatically. It depends on what's in the walls and what's been added over the years. An electrician who works on older timber homes can test the wiring and tell you what's worth replacing, and old wiring lists the warning signs.

Do you have electricians in every Brisbane suburb?

Not yet everywhere, and we won't pretend otherwise. Your job goes to one licence-checked Brisbane electrician who regularly does that type of work near you, if we have one.

Ready for a sparky in Brisbane?

Your postcode and a few quick questions, and we look for the licence-checked local specialist for your job.

Related help

Helpful next

Smoke alarms in BrisbaneQueenslanders, sleep-outs and units: getting a Brisbane home ready for the 2027 smoke alarm deadline.Switchboard upgrades in BrisbaneOld Queenslanders, post-war homes and new loads: why Brisbane boards get upgraded, and what to ask.Emergency electricians in BrisbaneLines down, shocks, burning smells or floodwater in Brisbane: who to call first, and what to do next.Electricians in QueenslandQLD licences, the 2027 smoke alarm deadline, safety switches at sale and rental, and Energex or Ergon.Storm, flood and surge damageAfter a storm, flood or lightning strike: what not to touch, who to call, and how the power gets back on safely.How to check an electrician's licenceEvery state's licence register, which number to ask for, and the red flags before work starts.

Where this information comes from

Rules change, so check with your state regulator if something matters to your job. How we write and check these pages.

Get matched with a sparky