What's the electrical job?
"Electrician" is really six different jobs with six different price logics. Emergencies are hourly plus a callout. Switchboards and rewires are project quotes. LED upgrades price per light. EV chargers and heat pumps come as installed packages. Pick the job first: each stream has its own providers, its own prices, and its own Wellington rules.
Emergency callouts
Power loss, burning smells, exposed wiring, a switchboard that keeps tripping. After-hours rates are higher by design, so know when tonight is worth the premium and when it can wait until morning.
Switchboard upgrades
Ceramic fuses and overcrowded boards cannot carry heat pumps, EV chargers and modern kitchens. A modern board with RCD protection is the gateway job for everything else.
House rewiring
Wellington's pre-war villas and bungalows still run on ageing cabling. A full rewire is a multi-day project priced by size and access, usually paired with a switchboard upgrade.
Lighting & LED upgrades
Swapping halogens and old fittings for LEDs is priced per light, and one Wellington firm publishes its exact per-light rates. Design and feature lighting is quoted after a walk-through.
EV charger installation
A wall-mounted charger needs its own circuit and often a switchboard check first. Installed prices are published by several installers, and the switchboard-to-charger distance drives the quote.
Heat pump installation
The unit, the install and the electrical circuit are three separate decisions. Specialist installers quote supply-and-install packages; the electrical connection is prescribed work needing certification.
Not sure which job?
That is a load problem, not an emergency. It points at the switchboard, and on an older villa possibly a rewire behind it. Book a standard assessment, not an after-hours callout.
Stop using that circuit and treat it as an emergency. If there is smoke or fire, call 111 first. An electrician is the second call, not the first.
How the streams compare
| Stream | Pricing model | Price range | Best when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emergency callouts | Hourly plus callout, higher after hours | $100–$130/hr + callout | Power loss, burning smells, exposed wiring |
| Switchboard upgrades | Fixed project quote | $1,500–$4,000 | Ceramic fuses, tripping circuits, pre-renovation |
| House rewiring | Multi-day project, quote after inspection | $10,000–$20,000 | Pre-war villas, degraded cabling, insurance pressure |
| Lighting & LEDs | Per-light rates, published by some firms | From $79+GST per light | Halogen swaps, energy savings, feature lighting |
| EV charger installation | Supply-and-install packages | $700–$3,500 installed | New EV on order, switchboard capacity confirmed |
| Heat pump installation | Supply-and-install, install portion certified | $750–$1,350 install | Cold rooms, wet winters, replacing a failed unit |
Wellington rules that change the job
The villa stock hides old wiring. Much of Wellington's housing is pre-war weatherboard villas and bungalows, and plenty still carry original or early cabling behind the walls. Weka Electrical's published guide puts a full rewire of an older Wellington home at $10,000–$20,000, and insurers increasingly ask about wiring age before renewing cover.
The switchboard is the gatekeeper. Heat pumps and EV chargers both add sustained load. On an old fuse board, either job can trigger a switchboard upgrade first. Weka Electrical's guide prices a standard Wellington switchboard upgrade at $1,500–$4,000, so budget for the board before you budget for the appliance.
Registration and certification are non-negotiable. Anyone paid to do prescribed electrical work in NZ must be registered with the Electrical Workers Registration Board and hold a current practising licence. WorkSafe says a Certificate of Compliance must be issued for fixed wiring work, including new power points. Ask to see the licence, and keep the certificate.
Hillside access changes labour time. Steep Wellington sections, limited parking and difficult roof spaces add hours to quotes for rewiring, heat pump pipe runs and EV charger cable routes. Describe the access honestly when you ask for a quote, or expect the estimate to move on site.