Ausgrid says my pole is defective. Can any electrician fix it?

No. Private poles and overhead lines are contestable network work for a Level 2 Accredited Service Provider with Ausgrid authorisation. A regular licensed electrician handles the wiring inside the house.

Do I need three-phase for solar on the Central Coast?

Not for a typical system. A single phase home can export up to 10 kW under Ausgrid's flexible option, and three phase lifts that to 30 kW, so it's mainly worth weighing for a larger system.

Who's responsible for the line from my pole to the house?

On Ausgrid's network, the owner is responsible for assets beyond Ausgrid's connection point, including private poles and overhead lines to the meter or switchboard. Private power poles explains how to tell where your part starts.

Level 2 electricians on the Central Coast: poles, lines, solar

Level 2 electricians on the Central CoastPrivate poles, storm damage and bigger solar.

On the Central Coast, a Level 2 electrician is the NSW Accredited Service Provider who works on the line between Ausgrid's network and your property: service lines, private poles, and connecting and energising the supply. They need Ausgrid's authorisation as well as NSW accreditation. We'll match you with a licence-checked local electrician who does mains work, and they'll tell you whether a Level 2 is needed.

Updated 29 October 2026 · Written by the Sparky Next Door team · How we check our facts

A line down after a storm?

Treat it as live. Stay at least 8 metres away, keep everyone else back, and call Ausgrid on 13 13 88, or 000 if someone's in danger. Repairing the network's own lines is Ausgrid's job. A Level 2 only comes in later, if the damage is on your side of the connection point.

Why Level 2 work comes up on the Coast

Bush fire prone blocks

Ausgrid must patrol private poles and overhead lines in bush fire prone areas. Central Coast Council's bush fire prone land map shows whether your block is one of them, and you can check it with the RFS online tool. If a patrol finds a defect, NSW law gives you 30 days to respond.

Storm damage on your side

Big storms here have cut power to whole districts, including more than 105,000 homes across the Coast and the Hunter in June 2007. When a falling tree takes out a private pole or the overhead line to the meter, the repair is the owner's to arrange, and it's Level 2 work.

Bigger solar, three-phase supply

Ausgrid's flexible export option allows up to 10 kW from a single phase home and up to 30 kW from a three phase home, though Ausgrid can turn exports down to 1.5 kW per site when the network needs it. Going three-phase changes the supply, which is Level 2 work.

Solar rules from November

The NSW Emergency Backstop phases in on Ausgrid's network from 23 November 2026 for new and upgrading solar systems, with the installer running a capability test. Existing systems that aren't being upgraded aren't affected.

Who does which part

A Level 2 builds or changes the service line, energises new or altered connections, and works on network devices such as the service protection device on the main switchboard. A licensed electrician does everything inside the property and lodges the CCEW for it. Some businesses hold both, and sometimes two work together.

Meters are separate again. On Ausgrid's network your retailer arranges new and replacement meters, and every one installed since 1 December 2017 has had to be a smart meter.

Before you book a Level 2 on the Coast

Look the provider up on the NSW ASP Scheme portal (aspscheme.energy.nsw.gov.au) and confirm their level and class suit the job.
Ask whether their Ausgrid authorisation is current. It isn't valid in other distributors' areas.
Ask how they'd handle a defect later. Ausgrid requires ASP2 companies to guarantee completed contestable work for 3 years.
Mention bush, trees near the line and any defect notice in the first conversation.
Get more than one quote. Energy NSW suggests at least three.

What you can check, and what's Level 2

You can

Look at the pole and line from the ground: leaning, cracks, or branches wrapped around them.
Check the bush fire prone land map for your block.
Keep any defect notice and note its date.

Leave to a licensed electrician

Level 2: repairing or replacing a private pole or overhead line.
Level 2: changing the supply to three-phase, or moving it underground.
Licensed electrician: the switchboard and wiring inside the property.

What we'd do with a private pole

We'd look at it from the ground before fire season. If anything looked wrong, or a defect notice had arrived, we'd get a Level 2 out well inside the 30 days rather than near the end of them. While they're there, we'd ask whether taking the supply underground makes sense. Underground power covers that option.

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