What an electrical contractor costs around here
Most Adelaide electricians charge a callout plus an hourly rate. Expect roughly $90 to $140 per hour for standard daytime work with a one-hour minimum, and a premium after hours. Defined jobs are quoted fixed-price.
Typical fixed prices in this area: switchboard upgrade $1,200–$3,500. Extra power point $150–$300. LED downlight swap $60–$120 per fitting. Full rewire of a three-bedroom character home $8,000–$20,000. Full breakdown on the electrician cost page.
How fast we can get to you
Unley is central, so travel from most of inner-southern Adelaide is under fifteen minutes. Urgent faults — no power, burning smell, sparking, water in a switchboard — are prioritised same-day, and the phone is answered around the clock for genuine emergencies.
Booked work is usually next-day or the day after. If we can't get to you when you need us, we'll say so on the phone rather than waste your afternoon.
What we do
- Emergency callouts
24/7 emergency electrical callouts across Unley SA 5061 and the surrounding suburbs. Burning smells, sparking outlets,…
- Switchboard upgrades
Replacing a ceramic fuse board with circuit breakers and RCDs in an Unley home typically costs $1,200 to $3,500 and…
- House rewiring
A full rewire of a three-bedroom Unley character home runs $8,000 to $20,000 and takes one to two weeks, done top-down…
- Safety switches
An RCD is the only device in your switchboard that protects a person rather than the wiring. Adding RCD protection to…
- Power points
An additional power point off an existing circuit with reasonable access costs $150 to $300 and takes under an hour. In…
- Lighting & downlights
Swapping halogen downlights for LED costs $60 to $120 per fitting where the wiring is sound. New downlights where none…
- EV chargers
A 7kW home wallbox costs $800 to $2,500 to install on top of the charger, driven mostly by cable run distance and…
Not sure what you need? The price guide covers what each job costs in Adelaide, and the terms page translates the jargon you'll hear in a quote.
Why older homes here need more electrical work than most
A large share of the housing was built between 1900 and 1940 — bluestone villas off Northgate Street, sandstone-fronted cottages through Millswood, Californian bungalows across Malvern and Hyde Park. They were wired for a few light bulbs and a wireless set. They are now running induction cooktops, reverse-cycle systems and EV chargers.
- Ceramic rewireable fuses instead of RCDs. Porcelain fuse carriers with fuse wire in them mean no residual current protection anywhere in the house. That is the device that stops electrocution, and it has been standard on new work since the 1990s.
- VIR and cloth-covered cable. Vulcanised india rubber insulation was used into the 1960s and has a service life of about 50 years. Everything still running on it is decades past that. The rubber hardens, cracks and falls off the copper.
- No earth on lighting circuits. Standard in pre-1970s homes. It becomes a live problem the moment somebody fits a metal-bodied light or downlights.
- Ceiling insulation over aged cable. Extremely common here, and a genuine fire pathway — the cable can't shed heat it was never designed to trap.
- Heritage and Character Area overlays. Internal work needs no development approval, including a full rewire. Anything visible from the street — conduit runs, meter box moves, solar on a street-facing roof plane — does need thinking through.
Suburbs we cover
- Electrician Parkside
Parkside SA 5063
- Electrician Goodwood
Goodwood SA 5034
- Electrician Malvern
Malvern SA 5061
Also covering Unley Park, Hyde Park, Millswood, Fullarton, Wayville, Highgate, Clarence Park, Forestville, Black Forest, Everard Park, Kings Park, Myrtle Bank, Eastwood, Frewville and Glenunga.
About Electrician Unley
Electrician Unley (electricianunley.com.au) arranges licensed electrical work for homeowners in Unley, South Australia. We are not an electrical contractor. We connect Unley homeowners with licensed local electricians, and every electrician we refer holds a current South Australian PGE electrical contractor licence. You'll be given their licence number before work is booked.
- Business
- Electrician Unley
- Service
- Residential and small commercial electrical work
- Area served
- Unley SA 5061 and the surrounding City of Unley suburbs
- Phone
- 0423 213 815
- [email protected]
- Hours
- 7 days, emergency callouts 24/7
- Standards
- All work to AS/NZS 3000 (the Wiring Rules), with a Certificate of Compliance for Electrical Work issued on completion
Common questions
How much does an electrician cost in Unley?
Around $90 to $140 per hour for standard daytime work, with a one-hour minimum and a callout fee on top. After-hours and emergency work costs more. Defined jobs like a switchboard upgrade or a rewire are quoted fixed-price before we start.
Is there an electrician near me in Unley?
Yes. We cover Unley SA 5061 and every surrounding City of Unley suburb, and travel time from inner-southern Adelaide is usually under fifteen minutes. Urgent faults get same-day priority.
Do I need to upgrade my switchboard?
If the board has ceramic rewireable fuses, or nothing on it has a TEST button, you have no RCD protection at all. That is the most common upgrade in this suburb and the one with the clearest safety case.
Can you work on a heritage-listed home?
Yes. Internal electrical work is not a development approval matter, including a full rewire. Overlays only affect what's visible from the street. We route new cable through roof spaces and wall cavities so nothing shows on the facade.
Are you licensed?
We are not an electrical contractor. We connect Unley homeowners with licensed local electricians, and every electrician we refer holds a current South Australian PGE electrical contractor licence. You'll be given their licence number before work is booked.