The quote, already started
⚠️ These are starting numbers, not market rates. Put your own in.
What the job actually is
- Look at the switchboard first: spare ways, main switch rating, RCD protection, and the state of it.
- Work out where the new point goes and where the circuit will come from.
- Plan the cable route — cavity, roof space, under floor, or surface in conduit.
- Isolate, and prove it is dead.
- Run the cable, protected where it needs to be.
- Cut in the mounting block or bracket and make good around it.
- Terminate at the point and at the board.
- Fit the RCD or RCBO if the circuit needs one.
- Test — polarity, earth continuity, insulation resistance, RCD operation.
- Issue the certificate your state requires, and label the board.
Materials
- The GPO itself — single, double, USB, weatherproof, or a specific range the customer chose.
- Cable at the size the run and the load require — the voltage drop calculator checks the run against the AS/NZS 3000 5% limit, which is not the US 3% branch rule.
- Conduit and fittings where the run is surface or buried — the conduit fill calculator gives the smallest size that keeps the cables under the space factor.
- RCBO or circuit breaker, if a new circuit is needed.
- Mounting block, mud ring or bracket, and clips or saddles.
- Consumables — connectors, glands, tape, labels, patching compound.
If the job might mean a new circuit, the maximum demand calculator is worth running before you quote rather than after. A board that is full, or a main that is already at its limit, turns a two-hour job into a switchboard conversation — and that is a very different quote.
What the price assumes
- The switchboard has a spare way, is in serviceable condition, and has RCD protection on the relevant circuit.
- The existing circuit can take the addition, or a new one is priced separately.
- There is an accessible route for the cable — a reachable roof space, an accessible cavity, or an agreed surface run.
- The wall is a standard construction you can cut into.
- No asbestos in the wall, ceiling or eaves.
- The work is at a normal height and reachable without special access.
- Making good is patching only, not painting.
Extras that come up
- A new circuit, when the existing one cannot take it.
- Switchboard work — no spare ways, no RCD, or a board that should not be added to at all.
- A hard or awkward run — double brick, no roof access, a concrete slab, a two-storey drop.
- Surface conduit where a concealed run is not possible, which is a different look and a customer conversation.
- Patching and painting, if the customer expects the wall to look untouched.
- Asbestos, which stops the job until somebody licensed deals with it.
- Weatherproof or outdoor points, which need different equipment and sealing.
- Additional points on the same visit, which is where the real value is for both of you.
Things nobody charges for, and should
- Travel and the callout, on a job that takes ninety minutes and is thirty minutes away.
- Testing time, which is not optional and is not instant.
- The certificate and the paperwork, which is real administrative time after you leave.
- Isolation and re-energising, and telling the household before the power goes off.
- Patching and cleaning up the plaster dust.
- Labelling the board properly, which everyone appreciates and nobody costs.
A worked example
One new double GPO in a bedroom of a single-storey timber-framed house, fed off an existing circuit with spare capacity, accessible roof space, standard plasterboard wall, patching only. Plus a second point in the same room on the same visit. Electrician registered for GST.
| Line | Qty | Rate | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attend site, isolate and prove dead | 1 job | $145.00 | $145.00 |
| Run cable from existing circuit via roof space | 14 m | $12.00 | $168.00 |
| Supply and install double GPO — cut in and terminate | 1 ea | $210.00 | $210.00 |
| Second double GPO, same circuit, same visit | 1 ea | $135.00 | $135.00 |
| Test — polarity, earth, insulation and RCD | 1 job | $120.00 | $120.00 |
| Certificate of compliance and board labelling | 1 job | $85.00 | $85.00 |
| Patch and make good, clean up | 1 job | $90.00 | $90.00 |
| Subtotal | $953.00 | ||
| GST (10%) | $95.30 | ||
| Total inc GST | $1,048.30 | ||
| Deposit (0%) | $0.00 | ||
| Balance on completion | $1,048.30 |
These are starting numbers, not market rates. Put your own in. Every figure above comes from the line items in the builder at the top of this page.
Start this quote in Yamate — the lines, not the prices →The app fills in the same line descriptions and leaves every amount blank for you. Your prices, not ours.
Yamate keeps your rates and your standard lines, so the next one of these is a few taps rather than a blank page — then turns the accepted quote into the invoice without retyping it.
FAQ
What should a power point quote include?
The point itself, the cable run and how it is routed, what the price assumes about the switchboard, testing, the certificate, patching, and the callout. A quote that says only "supply and install one double GPO" hides all the variables that actually move the price.
Why does a single power point cost what it costs?
Because almost none of it is the socket. Travel, isolation, the cable run, cutting in, terminating, testing and the certificate are the job — and every one of them happens whether the customer wants one point or three, which is why the second one on the same visit is much cheaper.
Do I need a new circuit for another power point?
It depends on the existing circuit and on what the board can take. The maximum demand calculator gives a starting point, and the switchboard tells you the rest — which is why looking at the board before quoting is the difference between a quote and a guess.
Should the certificate be a line on the quote?
Yes. It is a requirement rather than an extra, and showing it makes the comparison honest against a quote that quietly left it out. It also has real administrative time behind it.
Work out the materials first
More like this
General information for licensed Australian electricians, not legal, technical or financial advice, and not instructions for doing electrical work. The rates on this page are starting points rather than market prices, and every figure is an estimate based on what you type in. Licensing, testing and certification requirements are set by each state and territory — check yours before relying on this page.