Rewire cost checkCost check

Warning signs

Signs You Need a Rewire

The clearest signs are an old fuse box with pull-out fuses, no RCD on the board, black rubber or fabric-covered cable and round-pin sockets. Scorch marks, a burning smell or a warm socket are urgent. A test by a registered electrician (€150 to €350) tells you for certain.

What each sign means, which ones can wait for a quote, and which can't.

Check my rewire costSee the price guide

Free, no obligation. One registered electrician prices it, not five.

  • Scorch marksor a burning smell: get it looked at now
  • €150 to €350an inspection and report
  • 42%of Irish homes built before 1981
  • Every 5 yearsSafe Electric's advice for testing a home

Rewire cost check

What will your rewire cost?

Six quick taps. You see our price range for your home and whether it sounds like a full rewire, a partial one, a new fuse board or an inspection first. Want a written price? One Safe Electric registered electrician who covers your county rings you.

Step 1 of 7

What kind of home is it?

Pick the closest.

How many bedrooms?

Size is the biggest thing in the price.

When was it built, or last rewired?

A rough guess is fine. The age of the wiring matters more than the age of the house.

Do you see any of these?

Tick all that apply.

The whole house, or part of it?

A partial rewire only makes sense when the rest is sound.

Will you be living in it during the work?

An empty house is quicker and costs less.

Our price range

€7,000 to €14,500

A full rewire of a 3-bed house: new cables, a new fuse board, testing and the Safe Electric certificate.

Answer the six questionsYou'll see whether it sounds like a full rewire, a partial one, a new fuse board or an inspection first.
  • About 4 to 10 days on site for a 3-bed house.
  • A new fuse board on its own: €350 to €1,400.
  • An inspection and report: €150 to €350.
  • A guide, not a quote. The written price comes after the electrician has seen and tested the house.

Get a written price

Only your county and phone number are needed. Your answers go with it, so the electrician knows the job before ringing.

Free, no obligation. One electrician, not a list. Nothing is booked until you say yes.

The signs

What to look for, and what it means

SignWhat it usually meansHow soon
Scorch marks, a burning smell, a socket or switch that feels warmA loose or overheating connection, or a circuit carrying more than it shouldNow. Stop using it
A fuse box with pull-out or rewireable fusesThe board predates trip switches and RCDs. The cables may be as oldGet a test and a price
No RCD: no switch with a test button on the boardNo protection if current leaks through a person or a faultGet a test and a price
Black rubber or fabric-covered cableWiring from before the 1960s. Rubber insulation goes brittle and cracksPlan a rewire
Round-pin or two-pin sockets, old brown or black switchesAn installation from before modern socketsPlan a rewire
Lights flicker, fuses blow, the RCD trips oftenA loose connection, an overloaded circuit, or insulation breaking downGet it looked at
Not enough sockets, extension leads everywhereThe wiring was laid out for a different way of livingWorth pricing

Safe Electric's own advice is that changes in how the installation behaves, like fuses blowing more than once or lights flickering, should be looked at by a registered electrician, and that a home should be inspected and tested about every five years.

Age

Is the age of the house enough to go on?

It's a clue. Houses wired before the 1960s often have rubber-insulated cable, and there a full rewire is usually the answer. Wiring from the 1960s to the 1980s is PVC and can be sound, but often sits behind an old board with no RCD, so a test decides between a rewire, a partial rewire and a new board. Newer wiring rarely needs replacing; what's dated is the board.

Testing. A registered electrician tests the insulation and earthing of every circuit and writes it up in a Periodic Inspection Report. The age of the house is a clue, not an answer.

Services

Rewiring jobs we take requests for

Every job is done and certified by a Safe Electric registered electrician.

Two new consumer units on a board in an old house mid-rewire, with new cables coiled readyFull rewireEvery circuit replaced, a new board, tested and certified. €7,000 to €14,500 for a 3-bed house.More on full rewire →An electrician levelling a new back box in a tiled wallPartial rewireA kitchen, an extension or a few circuits, when the rest tests sound. €1,200 to €4,000+.More on partial rewire →A modern white consumer unit and a double socket on a plywood boardFuse board upgradeA new consumer unit with RCD protection. €350 to €1,400.More on fuse board upgrade →An old fuse box with pull-out fuse carriers and old cables around itElectrical inspectionA Periodic Inspection Report on every circuit. €150 to €350 for most houses.More on electrical inspection →Very old ceramic fuse holders on a brick wallRewiring an old houseRubber cable, ceramic fuses and period ceilings: what changes in an older house.More on rewiring an old house →CertYour completion certificateSafe Electric certOnly a Registered Electrical Contractor can issue it. Keep it with the deeds.More on Safe Electric cert →

Counties

House rewiring in every county

One registered electrician per county. Pick yours for local housing figures, prices and the council grants.

Guides

Rewiring guides

Questions

Questions people ask

What are the signs a house needs rewiring?

An old fuse box with pull-out fuses, no RCD, black rubber or fabric-covered cable, round-pin sockets, scorch marks or a burning smell, and lights that flicker or fuses that blow.

Is a burning smell from a socket an emergency?

Treat it as one. Stop using the socket or that circuit, switch it off at the board if you can do so safely, and get a registered electrician out.

My house is from the 1980s. Does it need a rewire?

Probably not a full one. Wiring of that age is usually PVC and often sound. The board may well need replacing, and a test shows whether any circuits do.

Can I tell from the fuse box?

Partly. Pull-out fuses and no RCD mean an old board, and often old wiring. But a new board can sit on old cables, so a test is the only certain answer.

How much does a test cost?

€150 to €350 for most houses, and up to €600 for a big house with more than one board.

Find out what your rewire costs

Six taps for our price range, then a written price from one Safe Electric registered electrician who covers your county. Free, no obligation.

Check my rewire costSee the price guide