Switchboard Upgrade Highgate: Safer Power for Older Cottages

Some signs are hard to miss. A breaker that trips whenever the microwave and toaster run together is telling you the circuit is overloaded or the board cannot cope. Lights that flicker or go out at night point the same way.

Other signs are quieter. A board with scorch marks, a warm smell, cracked fittings or a loose, crowded layout needs looking at before it fails. So does a board that has had extra circuits bolted on over the years.

If an electrician has already told you the whole board should go, a second look is reasonable. A good one shows you what they found and explains why a repair will or will not hold.

Old ceramic fuses are a wire in a holder that melts when a circuit draws too much. They do protect against overload, but they do nothing about a person getting a shock, and they are slow to replace in the dark.

A new board uses a circuit breaker for each circuit, which switches off and resets with a flick. It also adds RCDs, the safety switches that cut power quickly when electricity leaks through the wrong path, such as through a person or a damaged appliance. That lowers the risk of a serious shock.

For an old Highgate house, swapping fuses for breakers and safety switches may be the whole job. The electrician confirms that on site once the existing wiring has been looked at.

The power to the house is off while the old board comes out and the new one goes in. A straightforward board swap usually means the power is off for part of a day. Asbestos, meter box work or a Western Power disconnection can stretch that, and the electrician tells you which applies before the work starts.

If the meter side of the supply needs work, the network operator, Western Power, may need to be involved. The electrician tells you how that affects scheduling.

Before the day, you can move the fridge contents and charge your devices. In a tight inner-city street, parking and access to the meter box are simple things to sort out with the electrician.

Older boards were sometimes mounted on panels that contain asbestos. If the backing looks like a flat grey or cream sheet, a licensed electrician stops rather than drilling or cutting into it.

Leave a suspected asbestos sheet undisturbed until its condition and safe handling have been assessed. Disturbing it is the problem. Testing and safe handling come first, and the quote should say how that is dealt with before the new board goes in.

A cottage whose board has never been touched is worth treating with that caution from the start, so the conversation happens before the work and not during it.

Solar, air conditioning and an EV charger can each need an extra circuit, and a full or ageing board may not be able to take one. A new board with spare ways gives you room for them without crowding the panel.

Selling or leasing brings its own safety rules. In WA, a home that is sold or newly leased needs at least two RCDs protecting the power and lighting circuits. A house still on fuses will not meet that without board work.

After installation work, the contractor must give you an electrical safety certificate within 28 days. Maintenance and like-for-like replacements are excluded. Keep the certificate with your house papers, because a buyer or agent may want to see it. Work is done by a licensed electrician, and you see a quote before anyone touches the board.