Commercial switchboard upgrades, done the same way at every store.
Old boards, missing RCDs and no room for new load, assessed across the fleet and upgraded by licensed electricians to one standard.
- More than 50
- Sites upgraded
- AS/NZS 3000:2018
- The Wiring Rules, every state
A commercial switchboard upgrade replaces or rebuilds an ageing distribution board so it has current protection, capacity for the load the store now runs, and room to grow. Nextage runs switchboard upgrades as a program across retail store fleets, with the work carried out by licensed electricians: each board assessed, one standard set, planned per site, installed and reported. Delivered in Sydney, including Western Sydney, and in Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Hobart, Canberra and Darwin, plus Newcastle, Wollongong, Geelong and the Gold Coast.
At a glance
- Nextage has delivered
- More than 50 sites
- Who can do the work
- A licensed electrician
- Standard for new work
- AS/NZS 3000:2018, the Wiring Rules
- Common triggers
- Old fuses, limited RCD protection, heat marks, no spare ways
- Watch for
- Asbestos backing panels in older boards
Sources and detail: When a store switchboard needs upgrading, and what shapes the scope
The problem
- Older stores still run boards with ceramic fuses, limited RCD protection or no spare ways.
- New refrigeration, lighting and chargers keep adding load to boards sized for a different store.
- Every store gets a different electrician and a different answer, so nobody can compare the fleet.
What's included
- Board by board assessment: condition, protection, capacity and labelling
- Thermal scanning where it helps find hot connections before they fail
- One upgrade standard per board type, written down
- Work carried out by licensed electricians, with compliance paperwork for every site
- After hours scheduling so trading is not interrupted
- Photo completion report per site
Public liability insurance. Certificate on request.
Program shape
How the work runs
Same order every time. The order is what makes site 40 match site 1.
Each site closes with a photo completion report and the electrical certificate the licensed electrician issues for that state. How a national program runs
Assess the boards
Condition, protection, load and space, recorded the same way at every store.
Rank the risk
Worst boards first, so the first capital goes where it matters.
Set the standard
One upgrade scope per board type, so site 30 matches site 1.
Plan per site
A number per store, staged against the capital cycle.
Upgrade and report
Licensed electricians, after hours where needed, photos and paperwork on close out.
A good fit
- Retail fleets with older stores and boards of mixed age
- Shopping centre tenancies, where the board in scope is the tenancy distribution board
- Groups adding refrigeration, lighting or chargers across many sites
- Property teams who need a comparable picture of every board before funding
Not a fit
- A single domestic switchboard
- High voltage or substation work
- Electrical design certification for new buildings
Run for: Liquor · Large format retail · Convenience and fuel · Shopping centres
On our projects page: Commercial switchboard upgrade program
Photos
A bottle shop switchboard in NSW
Inside the board, and the front of it at close out: a directory card numbering all 36 circuit positions, asset tags on the breakers, and the refrigeration sub main labelled.
FAQ
About commercial switchboard upgrades
Who does the electrical work?
Licensed electricians. Nextage runs the program: the assessment, the standard, the scope, scheduling and reporting. The electrical work itself is carried out by licensed partner electricians, and the compliance paperwork is issued for each site.
What shapes a commercial switchboard upgrade?
It depends on the board size, what protection it needs, whether the enclosure can be reused, how much load it has to carry and the spare capacity wanted, access, after hours work, and anything found behind the board, such as asbestos backing in older boards, which needs a licensed removalist. We scope each site after the assessment rather than treating every board the same, so the upgrades can be staged against the capital cycle.
How often should a commercial switchboard be inspected?
There is no set interval for a store switchboard. We assess every board in a fleet the same way, rank them, and upgrade the worst first. The signs that bring a board forward are heat marks, breakers that trip under normal load and no spare ways.
What certificate do we get after a switchboard upgrade?
It depends on the state. In NSW it is a Certificate of Compliance for Electrical Work, in Victoria a Certificate of Electrical Safety, and in Queensland a certificate of testing and compliance. The electrician issues it for each site. In Victoria a main switchboard, or a shop's distribution board in a centre, is also inspected by a licensed electrical inspector before it is connected to supply. Our electrical certificates guide lists every state and territory.
When does a switchboard need upgrading?
Common signs are ceramic fuses, missing or limited RCD protection, no spare ways for new circuits, heat or burn marks, breakers that trip under normal load, and boards that have run out of room for the equipment a store now uses.
Related
Often runs alongside
LED lighting upgrades
Sales floor, back of house, signage and car park lighting moved to LED across the fleet, to one fitting and colour standard.
Read more
Site safety & condition audits
Condition and safety assessment across a store fleet, producing a remediation scope per site.
Read more
Switchboard upgrades
When a store switchboard needs upgrading, and what shapes the scope
When a retail store switchboard needs upgrading, what shapes the scope, who is allowed to do the work, and how to plan upgrades across a store fleet.
Read the guideSwitchboard upgrades
Electrical work in a store: who may do it, and the certificate each state requires
Which electrical work in a store needs a licensed electrician, and the certificate each state and territory requires: its name, where it goes and the deadline.
Read the guideOld switchboards across the fleet?
Tell us the stores. We'll assess the boards and rank the risk.