In short
To choose an electrician in NSW, check the licence on the NSW Government's Verify a licence service, confirm they carry public liability insurance, ask for references, get itemised quotes that separate labour and materials, ask whether they will lodge a compliance certificate (CCEW), and trust your first impression of how they communicate. Recommendations from people you know are still one of the best filters.
Want to check Ambient against these five points? Start with about Peter Stafford.
1. Are they licensed and insured?
A licensed electrician has passed the required exams, gained the required experience, and is legally bound to do work that meets the Australian wiring rules (AS/NZS 3000) and the NSW Service and Installation Rules.
Ask to see their contractor licence. It shows their name, licence number and expiry date, and you can check it, and any disciplinary history, on the NSW Government's Verify a licence service. Ambient's is licence 237173C.
An insured electrician carries public liability cover, which protects both of you if there is an accident or damage to your property. Peter's rule of thumb is cover of at least $5 million.
2. Ask for references
A professional, honest electrician should be able to give you references from previous clients, whether that is names and numbers you can call, or reviews and testimonials online. The more you know about the electrician, the better placed you are to judge whether they are right for the job.
Video testimonials are harder to fake than written reviews, because you can see the actual person talking about the work.
3. Get at least three itemised quotes
Do not just hire whoever is cheapest. A quote that lists labour and materials separately removes confusion and makes quotes easy to compare like for like.
4. Ask about the compliance certificate
In NSW, a licensed electrician must lodge a Certificate of Compliance for Electrical Work (CCEW) for any work that installs, repairs, adds or alters electrical equipment, within 7 days of finishing the work and its safety test. The Building Commission NSW eCert portal sends you a copy. Ask before the job whether the electrician will lodge one; a good electrician will say yes without hesitating.
5. First impressions
Do you feel comfortable with them? Do they answer your questions directly? Are they knowledgeable, do they communicate well, and are they polite? How someone deals with you before the job is a good guide to how they will do it.
6. Ask people you know
Asking family, friends, neighbours and colleagues is still one of the most reliable ways to find a good tradesperson. Ambient would not be where it is today without client referrals.
There is hardly anything in the world that someone cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price alone are that person's lawful prey.
Sources
- NSW Government: Verify a licence
- NSW Government: When to submit a Certificate of Compliance for Electrical Work (CCEW)
- NSW Government: BCNSW eCert portal
Ambient Electrical is an electrician in Bronte, Waverley and Randwick, and works across Sydney's Eastern Suburbs.
