Electrician Lara
Power points, safety switches, switchboards and lighting for Lara homes, by CabledIN
CabledIN Electrical Solutions is the licensed electrician Lara households have booked more than 40 times, more than in any other suburb, mostly for power points, switchboards, safety switches and smoke alarms. Our base is in North Geelong, our registration is REC 30925, and every street in postcode 3212 is inside our area.
Power points lead our Lara job list, followed by switchboard and safety switch work. A power point or light is usually one short visit, and a switchboard upgrade takes longer. Pricing happens on site, after the electrician has looked at the job.
- Our busiest suburb
- More than 40 jobs in Lara
- Most common job
- Power points
- Licence
- REC 30925
- Emergencies
- 24/7 call-outs on 1300 025 555
Electrician Lara: the work we do most
Lara tops our job records. We have done more than 40 jobs there, more than in any other suburb, and power points lead the mix by a clear margin.
- Power points. Close to half of our Lara jobs have included power point work: extra double power points, and weatherproof ones outside.
- Switchboards. Switchboard upgrades and repairs.
- Safety switches. Safety switch (RCD) work is close behind, usually a combined circuit breaker and safety switch fitted to one circuit at a time.
- Smoke alarms. More than one in five jobs, old alarms replaced among them.
- Fault finding and lighting. Circuits that trip, power points that have stopped working, lights that flicker, new switches and LED downlights.
- Appliances and outdoor work. Oven, cooktop, split system and EV charger connections, plus power and lighting outside. More on these below.
Why Lara homes need what they need
Lara is a township between Melbourne and Geelong with 19,014 residents and 6,843 private dwellings at the 2021 Census. Its population more than doubled between 1954 and 1966 and it is still growing, with a council growth area at Lara West planned for about 11,000 more people. So the town has homes that are around 60 years old and homes that are nearly new, often a few streets apart.
Older Lara homes were wired for a handful of appliances. That is why power points top our Lara list, and why adding one can lead to the switchboard. We fit safety switch protection to every new circuit, and an old board may have no room for it. Energy Safe Victoria's advice is to have any house over 30 years old checked by a licensed electrician, and an old board with no safety switch is on its list of warning signs.
Newer Lara homes have sound wiring and a modern board. The calls are for more: extra power points in the garage or outside, ceiling fans, data points for a home office and an EV charger.
Nine in ten Lara homes are separate houses (89.5 per cent), which usually means a roof space we can cable through and a yard that needs outdoor power.
Talk to a licensed Geelong electrician (REC 30925).
How booking an electrician in Lara works
- Start with a call or a message. 1300 025 555 is answered around the clock, or use our contact form. Tell us the job, or the fault and anything you have already tried.
- We book the visit. Routine jobs go into the diary on a day you choose. Anything unsafe is handled as an emergency call-out instead, whatever the hour.
- The electrician checks the job on site. That includes the switchboard, because that is where most surprises are.
- Nothing starts until you have agreed the price. If the board needs work to take a new circuit, the price says so up front.
- We do the work, then test it. Every new or altered circuit is tested before it is switched on.
- You receive a Certificate of Electrical Safety. Lights, power points and safety switches are non-prescribed work, so your copy should reach you within 30 days.
Which appliances are Lara homes adding, and what do they need?
Behind the power points and switchboards, our Lara records show a steady run of bigger appliances being connected. Each one adds load, which is why the electrician looks at the switchboard before the job is priced.
- Oven and cooktop installation. The cooktop rules are specific: its isolating switch must be in plain view and easy to reach, no more than 2 m away and not fixed to the appliance, while switches and power points stay at least 150 mm clear of the cooking surface.
- Split system installs. New and replacement split systems for Lara homes, covered on our air conditioning installation page.
- Electric car charger installation. A wall charger in the garage or carport, explained on our EV charger page.
Powercor lists EV chargers, larger air conditioning and new appliances among the common reasons a home's power supply needs an upgrade. Only a registered electrical contractor can apply for that change, and we lodge the application with Powercor if your home needs one.
Smoke alarms and safety checks in Lara
Smoke alarms come up in more than one in five of our Lara jobs, including old alarms being replaced. What a Lara house needs depends on its build date:
- Before 1 August 1997: battery alarms are the legal minimum.
- From that date on: houses completed later need alarms connected to the 240 V supply, each with a battery backup.
- Built or substantially renovated after 1 May 2014: where the home needs more than one alarm, they are linked so that one sets off the rest.
- At any age of house: an alarm is due for replacement at 10 years old, and only a licensed electrician may fit a hard-wired one.
Home owners can book an electrical safety check and a smoke alarm check together, so the home is visited once. Owners and property managers of Lara's rented homes (about one in five, 21.6 per cent) can book them the same way.
Not sure what you need? Tell us what is happening and we will talk it through.
Emergency electrician in Lara, and what to do first
We take emergency call-outs 24/7 in Lara. Three quick, safe checks tell you who to ring first:
- Has the whole street gone dark? That points to the network, which is Powercor's job: their faults line is 13 24 12.
- Is it just your house? Look at the switchboard for a safety switch in the off position. Unplug what was running on that circuit and switch it back on. If it refuses to stay on, or drops out again, ring us. If you want the background first, our guide to why a safety switch keeps tripping walks through it.
- Is anything hot, sparking or giving a tingle? Stay away from it. A tingle from a tap or an appliance is a Powercor call first, on 13 24 12, then ours. Fire means 000.
Do not open the switchboard beyond its switches, and never try a repair yourself.
How to check your electrician is licensed
Anyone can look up a contractor on Energy Safe Victoria's public register. Search for REC 30925 and you will find us. A Registered Electrical Contractor must show that number wherever it advertises, so an advertisement without one is worth a second look.
CabledIN has more than 20 years' experience, a lifetime workmanship warranty and 2,000+ five-star Google reviews, which you can read on our reviews page.
Nearby suburbs we also cover
Two of Lara's council neighbours have their own pages here: Corio to the south and Anakie. Lovely Banks, Norlane and North Geelong, where we are based, are on the same run, and the residential electrician Geelong page lists every other suburb and township we work in.
Recent electrical jobs around Lara and northern Geelong
Frequently asked questions
Electrician Lara: is anyone on call overnight?
Yes. Our emergency call-outs run 24/7 in Lara, the suburb we work in most, and 1300 025 555 is answered at any hour. When the whole street has gone dark, the fault is on the network, so Powercor's faults line, 13 24 12, is the first call. Fire, or anyone injured, means 000 straight away.
How do I find out if an electrician is licensed in Victoria?
Search Energy Safe Victoria's public register for the contractor's REC number or the electrician's licence. Energy Safe Victoria also advises asking to see the electrician's licence, and a registered contractor has to print its number on advertising for its electrical work. Our registration is REC 30925.
Can I install a power point myself in Victoria?
No. In Victoria a power point has to be installed by a licensed electrician, and that covers swapping an old one for a new one as well as adding one. The electrician must also hand you a Certificate of Electrical Safety, however small the job, and lodge a copy with Energy Safe Victoria.
The power is out in Lara. Do I call Powercor or an electrician?
It depends on who else is affected. When the neighbours have lost power as well, the fault is on Powercor's network, so ring their faults line on 13 24 12. When the street is lit and only your home is dark, look for a tripped safety switch; one that will not switch back on needs a licensed electrician, at any hour.
Is my Lara house on Powercor?
Powercor is the electricity distributor for the Geelong region. To confirm the network for your own address, check the distributor named on your electricity bill or use Powercor's online distributor finder. Your retailer, the company that sends the bill, is a separate business.
Can you add a power point in a Lara garage?
Yes. Power point work comes up in close to half of our Lara jobs. Before a garage outlet goes in, we check the switchboard has room for the circuit, and the new outlet goes on a circuit with safety switch protection.
Does a safety switch protect the whole house?
Only the circuits it is connected to. Many older boards have one safety switch on the power points and none on the lights. If the whole board is replaced, the new one has to give every final circuit safety switch protection, lights included, so an upgrade closes that gap.
Is a wiring check worth it in a 1960s Lara house?
Yes. Lara's population more than doubled between 1954 and 1966, so many houses date from that period, and Energy Safe Victoria's advice for any home over 30 years old is a wiring check by a licensed electrician. An inspection tests the circuits and the switchboard and tells you what needs attention and what does not.
Do smoke alarms have to be hard-wired?
Only in homes built after 1 August 1997, which need 240 V alarms connected to the mains with a backup battery; older homes can legally rely on battery alarms. Either way, replace each alarm when it reaches 10 years old, and have a licensed electrician fit or swap any hard-wired one.
Do you come out to Lara for small jobs like one power point?
Yes. Lara is the suburb we work in most, and small jobs such as a single power point, a light or a smoke alarm are welcome there. Booking a few small jobs together means one visit, and the electrician can check the switchboard while there.
Still have a question? Ask the CabledIN team.