Caloundra's homes and power
Mostly units
At the 2021 Census, 48.1% of occupied homes in the suburb were flats or apartments and 26.8% were townhouses or semis. Only 23.6% were separate houses.
Older owners, plenty of renters
The median age was 58. 42.6% of homes were rented and 39.0% were owned outright, so a lot of electrical work here is booked by landlords and property managers.
Empty on census night
26.6% of private dwellings were unoccupied, which fits a town with plenty of holiday units.
A town that shares its solar
In June 2024 the Queensland Government announced a Local Renewable Energy Zone for Caloundra: network batteries that store rooftop solar so it can be shared across the town.
Energex territory
Energex runs the poles and wires along Caloundra's streets. A dark street is a call to 13 62 62; a line on the ground is 13 19 62.
Smoke alarms in a unit
Every Queensland home needs interconnected photoelectric smoke alarms by 1 January 2027, and that includes units and homes the owner lives in. In a unit, that usually means an alarm in each bedroom and the hallway joining them, plus one on every level of a townhouse.
If your unit's alarms are hardwired now, the replacements must be hardwired too, and that's licensed work. Wireless alarms with a non-removable 10-year battery are the only kind the Queensland Fire Department says you can fit yourself.
Stairwells, car parks and the main switch room normally belong to the body corporate, not to you. Ask before you book, so the electrician only quotes for what's yours.
Two landlord rules that catch people out
Within 30 days before each tenancy starts, the landlord must test and clean every smoke alarm and replace flat batteries. That job can't be handed to the tenant.
If the power points in your rental aren't protected by an approved safety switch (a device that cuts the power in a fraction of a second when current leaks), Queensland law says one must go in within 90 days after the tenancy starts. One electrician can check both in a single visit. Electrical rules for landlords has the rest.
Solar, batteries and the energy zone
The energy zone works at network level. Batteries on the local network soak up daytime solar and return it when evening demand peaks, and the government said the benefits would reach renters and people in unit complexes who can't put panels on their own roof.
If you own a house or townhouse and want your own system, Energex's basic connection limits household solar export to 5 kW per phase. An electrician who does solar connections can tell you what your board can take.
If we owned a unit in Caloundra
We'd ask the body corporate where your lot ends and common property starts, then book one electrician to replace the unit's smoke alarms and check its safety switches in a single visit, well before 1 January 2027. If it's rented, we'd time that visit inside the 30 days before the next lease, so one trip covers both rules.
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.