What a complete quote includes
- The business name, its electrical contractor licence number and its ABN.
- A scope in plain words: what's being installed or repaired, where, and which circuits it touches.
- Brands and models for the main parts, such as the charger, alarms or switchboard gear.
- Whether your switchboard has room, or needs work first.
- Who handles any network application, notice or meter change.
- Any inspection your state requires, and who books it.
- The compliance certificate you'll get, named for your state.
- What isn't included, such as patching, painting or trenching.
- How long the power will be off, and how long the quote is valid.
Vague wording next to clear wording
| Vague | Clear | |
|---|---|---|
| Switchboard | Upgrade switchboard | Replace the old fuses with circuit breakers, and add safety switches covering every power and lighting circuit |
| EV charger | Supply and install charger | A named 7 kW single phase wall charger on its own circuit, with the cable route described |
| Smoke alarms | New smoke alarms | How many, where, hardwired or sealed 10-year battery, and whether they're interconnected |
| Paperwork | All paperwork included | Certificate of Electrical Safety issued, with your copy sent to you (Victoria), or your state's equivalent |
| Network | Connection as required | Who lodges the network application, and what the network has to approve |
How to read it, start to finish
Check who you're dealing with
Look up the licence number on your state's register and make sure it matches the business name on the quote. In Victoria the business should appear on Energy Safe Victoria's Registered Electrical Contractor Register.
Hold the scope against what you asked for
If you asked for three power points and a ceiling fan, all four items should be listed, with where they go. Anything that isn't written down is open to argument later.
Look for the network side
Bigger jobs often involve your electricity network or retailer. On the Ausgrid network, meter changes go through your retailer, and Ausgrid notes that older homes which haven't been rewired may need a meter upgrade when an EV charger goes in. In WA, notifiable work needs a preliminary notice to the network before it starts.
Check for inspections
In Victoria, major work such as new consumer mains, solar or a battery has to be inspected by a licensed electrical inspector before it's switched on. In the ACT, Access Canberra audits new installations before they can be energised. A good quote says this is covered.
Find the certificate line
It should name what you'll get: a CCEW in NSW, a Certificate of Electrical Safety in Victoria, an Electrical Safety Certificate in WA, or an eCoC in South Australia. If it doesn't, ask.
Read the exclusions last
This is where quotes differ most. Patching, painting, trenching, dealing with an old asbestos backing board, or upgrading the switchboard might all sit outside the quote.
Lines that should make you ask questions
- Electrical work as required, with no list of what that means.
- No licence number, or one that doesn't match the business name.
- No mention of a compliance certificate.
- A switchboard upgrade added with no reason given.
- An old board in a home built before 1987, with nothing on how a possible asbestos backing board will be handled.
- A charger or fitting you can't identify. Energy NSW says to use only chargers that carry the Regulatory Compliance Mark (RCM).
Your part, and the electrician's
You can
- Ask for the quote in writing, and any changes in writing too.
- Check the licence number on the register.
- Tell them about anything they can't see, like an old board that might contain asbestos.
- Keep the quote with the certificate once the job's done.
Leave to a licensed electrician
- Inspecting the switchboard and working out whether the supply can take the new load.
- Lodging network applications and notices.
- Arranging any inspection your state requires.
- Issuing and lodging the compliance certificate.
Why the load check belongs in the quote
Adding a big appliance changes what your supply has to carry. Western Power, for example, allows a 7 kW single phase EV charger on a standard home connection, but says the electrical contractor must check the home's total load stays within its supply limit and that the main switch is a circuit breaker.
A quote that mentions that check, and what happens if the answer is no, is a quote from someone who's done this before.
What we'd ask for
We'd ask for one change on almost every quote: list the exclusions. Once you know what isn't covered, you can compare two quotes honestly and nothing surprises you on the day. And if an electrician won't put the scope in writing at all, we'd keep looking.
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.