What do you need to install an induction hob?

Induction hob installation: do you need an electrician?

Yes, if the hob needs a new or upgraded power point. The Energy Market Authority (EMA) says electrical work at home should be carried out or supervised by a Licensed Electrical Worker (LEW). That includes installing, repairing or modifying wiring, and adding, extending or replacing power points. EMA says electrical work in an HDB flat needs a Licensed Electrician, the class of LEW approved for loads of up to 45kVA. Every LEW carries a licence card with a photo, name and licence number, so check it before work starts.

Whether you need that work depends on the hob, so start with the hob itself. Check its rating plate and the manual for the plug or connection it needs. A plug-in model may only need a socket of the right rating. A built-in hob usually needs its own induction hob power point, which means new wiring by an LEW.

Note the model and its rating before you contact anyone, so the LEW can confirm what the point should be. If the hob is going into new kitchen carpentry, share the cabinet layout too, so the point can be planned before the cabinets are fitted.

For other jobs around the kitchen, the guide to work that needs an LEW sets out which tasks count as regulated electrical work.

HDB rules for cooker units

For an induction cooker, HDB sets conditions in its renovation guidelines for electrical works. They cover installing an electric oven or cooker unit and give an induction plate cooker as an example. What applies depends on your flat's main switch rating:

• 30amps main switch: an individual electric oven or cooker unit should not exceed 3kW. There is no restriction on the number of appliances, subject to the main switch rating.
• 40amps main switch, or a flat upgraded under the Main Upgrading Programme (MUP) or Home Improvement Programme (HIP): there is no restriction on the number of appliances, subject to the main switch rating and the rating of appliances not exceeding a 15amps power point.

HDB does not allow appliances with an electrical rating above 15amps, and a 20amps isolator is only allowed for air-conditioner installation. For testing of new wiring, SP Services Form CS/5H endorsed by HDB has to be submitted.

If you do not know your main switch rating, ask your Licensed Electrician to confirm it before you buy the hob. The guide to HDB electrical renovation rules covers HDB's other electrical rules for renovation.

Plug, socket and rating

The Consumer Product Safety Office (CPSO) says the 13A 3-pin fused plug (Type G) suits most appliances in Singapore. It is especially important for metal-bodied appliances, which should be earthed through the plug's earthing pin. The 15A 3 round-pin plug (Type M) is used by energy-intensive appliances such as air-conditioners, and 15A socket outlets should only be installed by qualified electrical workers. CPSO adds that the 3-pin plug should carry a SAFETY Mark, and that Schuko 10A/16A plugs are not suitable for use in Singapore.

If the hob's plug does not fit your socket, do not force it. Ask an LEW what the hob needs instead. The guide to socket ratings explains how 13A, 15A and 20A points differ.

Testing and safety

EMA's electrical safety page says the LEW inspects and certifies that the installation is safe before supply is turned on. New wiring, rewiring and extensions also have to be tested by an authorised officer from SP Services Ltd before supply can be turned on. EMA also asks you to keep electricity and water apart and not to touch switches or sockets with wet hands, which matters in a kitchen.

How the cable reaches the hob matters too. HDB does not allow wiring to be embedded in reinforced concrete slabs, beams, columns, walls or wall plaster. In an HDB flat, new wiring runs in surface trunking, above a false ceiling or behind carpentry, so ask the LEW how the cable to the hob will be routed.

What a new point costs

FROM THE HOMEZYPRO DIRECTORY

Published power point installation rates

For the most common unit (per job), the lowest published power point installation rates from 7 companies run from S$28 to S$90 per job (middle rate S$75), for one 13A socket point. The middle figure is a real published rate, not an average. Each figure is one company's own advertised rate with its conditions, not a quote.

See 9 published power point installation rates and sources

Lowest matching advertised rate per company, in SGD as published. "From" marks a starting price and ranges are shown in full. Check the source for minimums, GST and inclusions.

Company	Service as listed	Rate	Source
Skyteam Electrical Pte Ltd	Additional wall sockets (3-pin, 13A)	S$28 per job	skyteamelectrical.sg
AVV Engineering Pte Ltd	Replace Power Socket	From S$30 per job	avvelectrical.com
Electrician24 Singapore	Power Point Installation	S$60 to S$120 per job	electrician24.sg
Yong Jin Solutions Engineering Pte Ltd	Power socket installation	From S$60 to S$130+ per point	yongjinelectrical.sg
Mr Electrician Pte Ltd	Single Power Point	S$65	mrelectrician.sg
Saikon Contractors	Single 13A socket	S$75 per job	saikon.com.sg
Lito Electrical Service	Additional power socket point	From S$80 per job	litoelectrical.com
81 Electrical	Double power point (13A x2)	From S$90 per job	81electrical.com
Spower Electrician Services	Supply and install single or double 13A power socket (non-conceal)	From S$90 per job	spower.com.sg

In the directory, 9 companies publish a power point installation line, and 7 of them price it per job. Their lowest published rates run from S$28 to S$90 per job, and the middle company's published rate is S$75 per job. Of the other two, one prints "From S$60 to S$130+ per point" and one lists S$65, printed without a unit. These are each company's own rates as printed, not quotes.

The scope as printed is one 13A socket point, and the lines vary: some cover a replacement socket, some an additional socket and some a double point. A hob point may differ from a standard socket point, so ask each company what its price covers for your hob and whether it includes the trunking.

For more on what these jobs involve, see power point installation cost and socket installation.

Questions