Panel & Switchboard Upgrades Sydney — 100A to 200A

When it's time

The signs that your board is out of runway.

Most Sydney homes limp along with a panel that's 25–45 years old. It works — until it doesn't. These are the signals we see before the call turns into an emergency.

Breakers trip when high-load appliances run together

Induction + oven + kettle + heat pump on the same morning keeps flipping the main. The panel can't keep up.

Original ceramic or cartridge fuses

If your board still has screw-in fuses or old ceramic cartridges, it pre-dates modern safety standards by two or three decades.

No RCD protection on circuits

NSW mandates RCD protection on all power and lighting circuits. If your board lacks RCDs, it's non-compliant for sale / lease.

Insurance renewal flagged the switchboard

A growing number of insurers request documented proof of a modern board before renewing older-home policies.

Buying an EV in the next 12 months

Level 2 home charging needs a dedicated circuit and usually a subpanel. The panel upgrade is the prerequisite, not the afterthought.

Renovation, extension, or granny flat

New kitchens, bathrooms, air-con systems, or a second dwelling usually consume whatever capacity your current board had left.

Visible rust, heat damage, or burnt smell

Discoloration at breakers or a faint burnt smell from the board is a pre-failure signal. Replacement is safer than repair.

Unlabeled, mystery circuits

You shouldn't need to flip six breakers to find the one for the kitchen. Modernization fixes labeling, logic, and layout.

What the upgrade actually buys you

A switchboard that matches the decade you live in.

Most customers expect a panel upgrade to "stop the breakers tripping" — which it does. What they don't expect is how much else gets better: response under heavy load, compliance on sale inspections, insurability, surge tolerance, and the quiet relief of knowing the most flammable part of the house is now engineered, not improvised.

Real capacity headroom — run induction, EV, heat pump, and a home office without breakers nagging.

Full RCD / RCBO protection on every circuit, not just the legacy ones.

Whole-house surge protection integrated at the main — one $420 install protects every device.

Clean, labelled circuits with room for five future additions, not shoved full on day one.

Insurance & pre-sale compliance documented with an electrician-signed certificate.

5-year Arcwell workmanship warranty on the full board and terminations.

Detailed close-up of a new Arcwell switchboard install with colour-coded wiring

Installed 2026

Upgrade scenarios

Three patterns that cover 90% of what we actually do.

Every house is different, but most upgrades fall into one of three common scopes. Pricing is honest-ballpark — not a lead-gen trap.

Scenario 01

Basic board replacement

from $1,800

Legacy fuse box → modern enclosure

All circuits on RCBO protection

Surge protection device (Type 2)

Clean labelling & documentation

1-day job · no prolonged outage

Same 100A service retained · up to 12 circuits

Most common Scenario 02

Service upgrade + new board

from $2,800

100A → 200A service capacity

Ausgrid coordination & CCEW lodgement

New main earthing & neutral link

Room for 6–8 future circuits

Includes EV-ready spare spots

1–2 day job · typical 4–6 hour outage window

Scenario 03

Full rebuild + subpanel

from $3,800

Main board replaced & upgraded to 200A

Dedicated garage / granny flat subpanel

EV charging circuit pre-run

Solar & battery-ready infrastructure

Renovation-friendly scope & sequencing

2–3 day job · coordinated with renovation timeline

All prices include GST, CCEW lodgement, and Ausgrid coordination where required. Final pricing depends on meter location, existing wiring, and access.

How the work runs

A panel upgrade isn't disruptive — it's just orchestrated.

01

Free on-site assessment

30-minute visit from a senior Arcwell electrician. We measure loads, check current cable capacity, assess Ausgrid supply, and leave you with a scoped written quote within 24 hours.

02

Paperwork handled

We lodge the CCEW, schedule the Ausgrid disconnect window, and pre-confirm any parts against your exact specification. Nothing is ordered until you approve in writing.

03

Install day

Power off for a controlled window (typically 4–6 hours for a straight replacement). New board installed, circuits migrated, everything tested and commissioned before power returns.

04

Documentation & handoff

Photographed finish, circuit schedule printed inside the board, compliance certificate emailed same day, 5-year warranty logged against your address.

Before & after

Same meter box. Different decade of engineering.

A Marrickville terrace that came into our queue on an insurance flag. Original 1970s fuse board on the left, Arcwell-built RCBO board on the right, same day installation. Both photos before we tidied the surrounding area — that's just how we left it.

Before · 1978 cartridge board Old residential switchboard before replacement

After · Arcwell 2026 install New switchboard after Arcwell installation with modern RCBOs

Panel upgrade reviews

What customers say after the new board lands.

200A upgrade · Chatswood

Our 1970s switchboard was flagged by the insurer. Arcwell handled the Ausgrid coordination, documented everything, and the new board is so tidy I've shown it to friends. No one has ever said that about a fuse box.

Priya N.

Homeowner · Chatswood

Board + subpanel · Mosman

We were between renovations and buying an EV. Arcwell planned the main upgrade and subpanel together so the electrical side of three separate projects became one visit. Genuinely saved us months.

Jason M.

Homeowner · Mosman

Full rebuild · Paddington

Federation terrace, old cartridge board. Three electricians looked at it and quoted us a multi-week job. Arcwell came in, scoped it properly, and had the new board running in a day. Felt like they actually respected our time.

Eliza K.

Homeowner · Paddington

Panel upgrade FAQ

The questions most homeowners actually ask.

How long will my power be off during the upgrade?

For a standard board replacement (same 100A service retained), expect a controlled 4–6 hour outage during the install. For a 200A service upgrade with Ausgrid disconnect/reconnect, plan for 6–8 hours — we schedule this intentionally mid-day so you're not without power overnight.

If your fridge is full of expensive food, we'll happily coordinate with a generator rental as a line-item option.

Do I need to be home during the work?

Yes, for the start of the day. We need you to confirm the final plan before power goes off, and to be on-site when we re-energize so you can verify every major circuit is running correctly. The middle of the day doesn't require your presence if you'd rather work from a café.

Will you coordinate with Ausgrid directly?

Yes. Service upgrades require an Ausgrid-approved disconnect, a permit lodged through a registered electrical contractor, and a reconnection appointment. Arcwell handles all three — you don't need to call Ausgrid yourself.

What about strata-titled homes and apartments?

For townhouses and apartments with individual meters, panel upgrades proceed similarly — we coordinate with your strata manager for building access and ensure the work meets the scheme's by-laws. For full-building electrical upgrades, we work directly with the body corporate on scoped proposals.

Can I add an EV charger as part of the upgrade?

It's the best possible time. Running a dedicated EV circuit during a switchboard upgrade adds roughly $550–$780 versus $890+ as a separate later job. If you haven't bought the charger yet, we'll just leave the circuit capped and labelled — ready to commission when the hardware lands.

How long until I see my insurer recognise the upgrade?

Most Sydney insurers accept the Certificate of Compliance of Electrical Work (CCEW) as immediate evidence, which we lodge within 48 hours of completion. You get a PDF copy the same day, so you can upload it to your insurer's portal without waiting for the posted hard copy.

Switchboards built for the way your home actually runs now.