What each one asks of the board
| EV wall charger | Solar | |
|---|---|---|
| What it adds | A large load that runs for hours on its own circuit | A second source of power feeding into the board |
| What the board needs | Space for a new breaker and safety switch, and a supply that can carry the extra load | Space and protection for the inverter circuit, and room if a battery comes later |
| The network's interest | Some networks want to be told, and some chargers need approval | Every network sets export limits and inverter rules |
What the electrician checks first
Three questions decide most jobs. Is the supply single phase or three phase? Can the house wiring carry the extra load? Is there space on the board for a new breaker? The WA Government's advice for new EV owners lists those same checks.
The age of the house matters too. Ausgrid notes that homes over 20 years old that haven't been rewired may need a meter upgrade when an EV charger goes in, and metering changes go through your retailer.
A small supply doesn't always mean a big upgrade. Some smart chargers manage load by watching the whole home's power use and slowing charging when the house is busy. Evnex's home overload protection is one example.
The network rules that touch the job
New South Wales: Ausgrid says a home charger may need a notification, and a supply upgrade needs a connection application, which it recommends the electrician completes. Endeavour Energy wants the electrician to tell it if the switchboard or meter box needs upgrading. On solar, Ausgrid's flexible option allows up to 10 kW on a single phase home, turned down as low as 1.5 kW when the network needs it, and the NSW Emergency Backstop rules phase in for new and upgraded systems from 23 November 2026.
Victoria: new, replacement and upgraded solar must be emergency backstop enabled, so the inverter needs an internet connection. On Jemena's network the normal export limit is 5 kVA per phase, falling to 0.5 kVA in total if the inverter can't be reached.
Queensland: Energex and Ergon's basic offer limits solar export to 5 kW per phase. Western Australia: Western Power permits a 7 kW single phase charger on a standard home connection, provided the contractor checks the total load and the main switch is a circuit breaker. That last condition is where older boards get caught.
South Australia: SA Power Networks said in September 2026 that a home charger that can't send power back to the grid no longer needs its approval, though vehicle-to-grid chargers still do, and every installation still needs an eCoC. ACT: Evoenergy recommends three phase for a home charger over 7 kW, and applies a 5 kVA per phase export limit to residential solar.
Upgrade once, not twice
If solar is going on this year and a charger next year, tell the electrician both now. A board sized for one and then reworked for the other means two lots of disruption and two visits.
In New South Wales, a switchboard upgrade and an EV charger are both on the approved list for Home Energy Saver zero-interest loans of up to $15,000, for eligible owners. The scheme requires the work to be done by an electrician with a current NSW licence, following AS/NZS 3000.
Before the electrician arrives
You can
- List everything you're planning: charger, solar, battery, induction cooktop.
- Find out which electricity network supplies your home.
- Photograph the meter box and switchboard with the door open.
- Get strata approval first if you're in a New South Wales apartment.
Leave to a licensed electrician
- Checking the supply, the main switch and the space on the board.
- Adding circuits, breakers and safety switches for the charger or inverter.
- Lodging any notice or application the network needs.
- Testing the work and issuing your state's certificate.
What we'd plan for
We'd get one electrician to look at the board with the whole plan in front of them: the charger, the solar and anything else coming in the next few years. Ask for a written quote that says whether the supply, main switch or meter is involved, and who's lodging the network paperwork. Then the board gets done once, properly.
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.