House Rewiring Electricians in Christchurch

A full house rewire in New Zealand costs $8,000 to $20,000 for a standard three-bedroom home, depending on the size, accessibility, and complexity of the job. A small two-bedroom home costs $6,000 to $12,000. A large four-bedroom home costs $15,000 to $25,000. These prices include new cabling, switchboard upgrade, new outlets and switches, and a Certificate of Compliance. Partial rewires cost $3,000 to $8,000 depending on the extent of work.

Warning signs that your Christchurch home may need rewiring include the house being built before 1970 (likely to have rubber or lead-sheathed wiring), aluminium wiring (used in NZ in the 1970s, now considered a fire risk), frequent circuit breaker trips or blown fuses, flickering or dimming lights, a burning smell or discoloured outlets, only two-pin outlets (no earth), and a ceramic fuse board rather than modern MCBs and RCDs. If your home has any of these issues, get an electrical inspection.

A full rewire replaces all the wiring from the switchboard to every outlet, switch, and light fitting in the house. The work typically takes three to seven days for a standard three-bedroom home. Your electrician will run new TPS (thermoplastic-sheathed) cabling through the walls and ceiling, install a new switchboard with modern MCBs and RCDs, replace old two-pin outlets with three-pin earthed outlets, install enough outlets for modern needs, and ensure everything meets current NZ wiring standards (AS/NZS 3000).

All electrical rewiring in New Zealand must be done by a registered electrician holding a current practising licence from the Electrical Workers Registration Board (EWRB). Electrical wiring is prescribed electrical work and cannot be done by homeowners. After completing a rewire, the electrician must issue a Certificate of Compliance and arrange an inspection by an electrical inspector. The rewire must comply with the current edition of AS/NZS 3000 (Wiring Rules).