Craigieburn's homes and network
Two generations of housing
The Hothlyn Corporation promoted a subdivision for 20,000 people in 1972, and the population passed 10,000 by 1991. The big growth came later: 32,757 people in 2011 and 65,178 in 2021, in estates by Stockland, Delfin, Peet, Evolve and Villawood.
Mortgages and big houses
At the 2021 Census, 53.6% of occupied homes were owned with a mortgage, 28.4% were rented and 47.6% had four or more bedrooms.
Jemena is building
Jemena's planning report lists new estates with underground power around Kalkallo, Craigieburn and Mickleham, on top of an already high level of solar, and plans a new Craigieburn zone substation by November 2027.
Check which network you're on
AusNet's South Morang Terminal Station feeds an area stretching west to Somerton and Craigieburn, shared between AusNet (72%) and Jemena (28%) by energy use, and Jemena says its Kalkallo substation is shared with AusNet. Your bill names your distributor.
Grass fire edges
Hume City Council says Hume has a long history of fast-moving grass fires, and many suburbs back onto grasslands and woodlands.
What underground power changes for you
In an estate with underground power, there's no overhead line from a pole to your house. The cable comes in below ground, so storm damage to your own supply is less common, but digging is the new risk. Before you trench for a pool, a fence or garden lighting, find out where the underground cables run.
Faults still go to the network, not an electrician, when the whole street is out. Jemena takes calls on 131 626 and AusNet on 13 17 99. Our page on underground power explains how the supply reaches the house.
The jobs Craigieburn asks for
EV chargers, extra circuits for a big house and solar work come up most in the newer estates. On Jemena's network, solar inverters must be on Jemena's approved list as well as the Clean Energy Council's, and an inverter that drops offline falls to a 0.5 kVA export limit.
In the 1970s and 80s streets, it's the usual older-home list: boards without full safety switch coverage, and the asbestos question for anything built before 1990.
Where we'd start in Craigieburn
Find your distributor on the bill and save its faults number, because two networks share this area. If you're adding a charger or more solar, we'd ask the electrician to check the board and confirm the inverter is on the right approved list before anything's ordered.
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.