Check the licence
In WA electrical work has to be done by a licensed electrical contractor. Search their name or number on Building and Energy's licence and registration search before you book.
A local quote service for Northam and the Avon Valley
Electricians in Northam
Power points, a switchboard upgrade, smoke alarms for a sale or a fault that keeps tripping? Tell us about the job and we'll match you with a local licensed electrician for a quote.
A simplified switchboard only. Every home is wired differently.
How it works
Describe the job
Use the form below. A line or two on what needs doing is enough to start.
A local electrician gets in touch
We pass your enquiry to a licensed electrician who services your town.
Compare and decide
They talk it through, visit if needed and quote the job. Whether you go ahead is up to you.
Electrical jobs around Northam
From Toodyay to York, these are the jobs people ask about most.
Power points and lighting
Extra power points, new lights, outdoor lighting and moving things around in a renovation.
Ceiling fans and air-con circuits
Fans and the wiring for split systems, for the hot Avon Valley summers.
Switchboards and safety switches
Old switchboards brought up to date and RCD safety switches added where they're missing.
Smoke alarms
Mains-powered alarms for a home being sold or rented, or replacing old ones.
Faults and tripping
Power that keeps tripping, dead circuits and anything that smells hot or sparks.
Sheds and outbuildings
Power and lights to sheds, workshops and outbuildings on bigger blocks around town.
Safety switches, the WA rules
An RCD, or safety switch, cuts the power fast when it detects current leaking where it shouldn't, like through a person. Building and Energy says two RCDs is the required minimum before a home is sold, and more than two may be needed. They must protect all circuits supplying power points and lights.
Landlords must have RCDs in the switchboard of rental homes, and short-stay accommodation needs them before guests stay. Only a licensed electrical contractor can install them.
Test yours by pressing the button marked T on each RCD, as the manufacturer says or every three months, whichever is more often. If it doesn't flip off straight away, or won't stay on after a reset, it needs a licensed electrical contractor.
From Building and Energy's RCD safety switch guide.
Smoke alarms before you sell or rent
WA homes must have compliant smoke alarms before ownership is transferred, and before they're rented or hired. Each alarm has to be permanently connected to mains power, be no more than a decade old and not past its expiry date.
Battery-powered alarms are only allowed where there's no hidden space to run the wiring, like a concrete ceiling or a flat roof with no ceiling space. For rentals, a permitted battery alarm needs a long-life battery that can't be removed.
Only a licensed electrical contractor can connect or disconnect mains-powered smoke alarms. If you're selling or renting, it's worth booking the RCDs and alarms together.
From Building and Energy's smoke alarm laws for homes being sold, rented and hired.
Avon Valley summers
Northam gets hot. Bureau of Meteorology records for Northam put the average daily maximum at 32.3°C in December, 34.3°C in January and 33.7°C in February.
Air-con and fans work hard. When everything runs at once through a heatwave, an old switchboard or an overloaded circuit is where problems show up first. If you're adding a split system or ceiling fans, mention how old the switchboard is in your enquiry.
Power out? If the whole street is out, it's usually the network rather than your wiring. Western Power runs the network and its faults and outages page is where to report it. Anything inside your property, like a tripping circuit or a dead power point, is a job for a licensed electrician.
Temperature figures: Bureau of Meteorology, Northam climate averages.
Before anyone starts work
Three checks that take a few minutes and protect you.
Look for the EC number
Electrical contractors must show their licence number, which starts with EC, on their advertising, including web pages, business cards and vehicles. See Building and Energy's advertising guideline.
Get it in writing
Ask for a written quote that says what is and isn't included, and what happens if they find something unexpected once the job starts.
What moves the price of electrical work
Nobody can give a fair price without knowing the job. These are the things a quote is built from.
- What the job is
- A few power points is a very different job to a new switchboard or wiring a shed.
- Age of the wiring
- Older homes can need more work to bring a circuit or switchboard up to date.
- Switchboard space
- A full or old board may need upgrading before anything new can be added.
- Access
- Roof space height, floor type and how far cable has to run all change the time it takes.
- Distance
- Jobs out of town can include travel time.
- Parts
- Fittings, fans, alarms and switchgear vary a lot in price.
- Urgency
- A fault that needs someone today can cost more than a booked job.
- Sale or rental deadlines
- Getting RCDs and smoke alarms sorted before settlement or a new lease.
Northam electrical questions
How many safety switches does a WA home need?
Building and Energy says two RCD safety switches is the required minimum before a home is sold, and landlords must have them in the switchboard of rental homes. More than two may be needed. They must protect all circuits supplying power points and lights, and only a licensed electrical contractor can install them.
What smoke alarms do I need to sell or rent a home?
WA homes must have compliant smoke alarms before ownership is transferred, and before they're rented or hired. Each alarm must be permanently connected to mains power, be no more than a decade old and not past its expiry date. Battery alarms are only allowed where there's no hidden space to run the wiring.
Who is allowed to do electrical work in WA?
A licensed electrical contractor. Building and Energy says you must engage a licensed electrical contractor to install RCDs or fix a problem found when testing them, and only a licensed electrical contractor can connect or disconnect mains-powered smoke alarms.
How do I check an electrician is licensed?
Search their name or number on Building and Energy's licence and registration search. Electrical contractors in WA must show their licence number, which starts with EC, on their advertising, including web pages.
How often should I test my safety switches?
Building and Energy says to press the test button marked T on each RCD as the manufacturer says, or every three months, whichever is more often. If it doesn't flip off straight away, or won't stay on after you reset it, get a licensed electrical contractor to look at it.
Do you do the electrical work yourselves?
No. Northam Electrician Quotes is a local quote-matching service. We aren't electricians and we don't do electrical work. We pass your enquiry to an independent local licensed electrician who services Northam. They contact you, quote the job and do the work.
Does it cost anything to send an enquiry?
No. Sending an enquiry is free, and there's no obligation to go ahead with any quote.
Towns we cover
Northam and the towns and localities around it in the Avon Valley, out to Toodyay, York, Bakers Hill and Wundowie.
- Northam
- Toodyay
- York
- Bakers Hill
- Wundowie
- Clackline
- Grass Valley
- Spencers Brook
- Irishtown
- Jennapullin
- Katrine
- Inkpen
- Mokine
- Muresk
- Southern Brook
- Burlong
- Throssell
- Wongamine
Ask for an electrician quote
Tell us about the job and we'll match you with a local licensed electrician for a quote.
- We pass your enquiry to a local licensed electrician who services Northam.
- They get in touch to talk through the job, and to arrange a visit if it needs one.
- You get a quote from them and decide. No obligation.