Check the contractor licence, not just the electrician
Any business that does electrical work, or tells the public it will, needs a Queensland electrical contractor licence. The person doing the work needs their own electrical work licence, and an electrical mechanic licence covers all electrical work.
Queensland requires a contractor's advertising to carry three things: the licensed or business name, a statement that the business is licensed under the Electrical Safety Act, and the contractor licence number. Copy that number from the quote and confirm it with the Electrical Safety Office before work starts.
Fitting out through a builder or shopfitter? They can contract for the whole job and subcontract the electrical part to a licensed electrical contractor. Ask who that contractor is, and for their number.
Running a business on Brisbane's network
Planned outages come with notice
Energex gives at least four business days' notice before a planned outage and lists planned and unplanned outages on its Outage Finder. Check it before booking a fit-out shutdown or a big stocktake.
More supply for heavy equipment
If new equipment needs another phase, the electrician lodges an Electrical Work Request through Energex's Electrical Partners Portal, which also tells your retailer. Three-phase power explains when it's needed.
Flood-prone sites
In February 2022, 23,400 properties across Brisbane were flood-affected. Council's Flood Awareness Map shows creek, river, overland flow and storm tide risk for business sites as well as homes, so look yours up before deciding where a new switchboard and the critical circuits go.
Storm season
Severe thunderstorms are common from November to March. After one, a business must keep unsafe electrical equipment disconnected until it's repaired, or tested and found safe.
Roof-space work and trading hours
Queensland expects the power to a building to be off, where reasonably practicable, before a worker goes into the roof space. Ask how that fits around your opening hours.
Your obligations for equipment on site
Queensland's Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 sets testing rules for plug-in equipment at workplaces by type of work, from offices to manufacturing and construction. Test and tag in Brisbane sets them out.
Fixed safety switches at those workplaces have to be tested to AS/NZS 3760 when they're connected and then at that standard's intervals. Leads and flexible cables belong where they won't be damaged, or under protection.
What a Brisbane commercial quote should spell out
- The scope, area by area, and the equipment each new circuit feeds.
- When the power will be off, for how long, and whether Energex is involved.
- Whether the work touches the switchboard, the supply or a new phase.
- Who deals with the landlord, building manager or shopfitter.
- Where the switchboard and key circuits will sit, if the site can flood.
- The contractor licence number, and the certificate of testing and compliance at the end.
What we'd do for a Brisbane site
We'd check the contractor licence number before signing anything, look at Energex's Outage Finder for planned work before booking a shutdown, and look the site up on Council's flood map before deciding where a new board goes. For a fit-out, we'd bring the electrician in while the layout is still on paper.
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.