Electrician cost estimator

How to use this electrician cost estimator

Choose one electrical job from the list. The estimator reads the rates that companies in the directory publish for that job. It does not ask for your flat size or your number of points.

Each result shows how many companies are behind it, the lowest, middle (when there is one) and highest published rate with its unit, and what the rate covers. These are published rates, not a quote, so ask what each rate includes. To see each rate next to its source, go to electrician costs by job.

The jobs you can choose

The list runs from a single socket point to replacing the distribution board (DB box) or rewiring a whole home. Jobs appear in the order the data gives them, most companies first.

Seven jobs are priced per job; the call-out is priced per visit, before any repair. For whole-home rewiring, ask which flat type a company's lowest package covers. An electrical job estimate from this tool is a starting point for your quotes, not a final price.

For more detail, read the guides on power point installation cost, HDB rewiring cost and the electrician call-out fee.

How the estimate uses directory rates

The same rules apply to every job:

• Each company counts once, with its lowest matching rate in the most common unit for that job.
• A job appears only when at least 3 companies publish a rate for it.
• The middle rate is always one company's real rate. It is shown when the number of companies is odd, or when the count is even and the two middle rates are equal.

Light installation and DB box replacement both have an even number of companies, and their two middle rates differ, so the tool shows only the lowest and highest rate for each. Power trip troubleshooting is a different case: the 3 companies that publish it all publish the same rate, so the lowest, middle and highest are the same figure.

The tool shows the figures itself, so this page does not repeat them. For one job in more depth, see the guide on isolator installation cost.

How the calculation works (method and sources)

There is no calculation beyond choosing the job: the tool never multiplies a rate by the number of points, lights or rooms, and it never adds GST. Its figures come from the same directory data as the electrician cost tables, and the script itself stores no prices.

The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) says prices from GST-registered businesses should be the final, GST-inclusive prices, and they may not publish prices without GST. Not every business is registered for GST, and only registered businesses may charge it. IRAS has an e-Service to check whether a business is registered. When you ask for a quote, ask whether the company is registered and whether the figure includes GST.

Who may do the work

The Energy Market Authority (EMA) says electrical work at home should be carried out or supervised by a Licensed Electrical Worker (LEW), and lists work on wiring, socket-outlets, switches, lighting points and circuit breakers. EMA says electrical work in an HDB flat needs a Licensed Electrician, the class of LEW approved for loads of up to 45kVA. EMA says to check an LEW's licence card before work starts, and you can search for licensed workers on its ELISE portal.

HDB's guidelines for electrical works do not allow wiring to be embedded in concrete slabs, beams, columns, walls, wall plaster or other finishes. New wiring runs in surface trunking, above a false ceiling or behind carpentry. When the work is done, HDB says to apply to SP Services for testing through your LEW.

For a fuller list, see our guide on what work needs an LEW.

Limits of this estimate

The estimator does not take flat size, the number of points or cable length, because no published method links them to price. It shows directory figures, not market-wide prices, and many rates are "From" prices.

When you ask for quotes, check that each one states:

• the number of points, lights or fittings
• the cable runs and the trunking needed
• the parts supplied, and who supplies them
• SP Services testing for any new wiring
• whether GST applies and is included

To compare companies, browse the electrical companies in the directory. For other trades, try the plumbing cost estimator or the cleaning cost estimator.

Questions