Electrical

House rewiring

Replacing the wiring through a whole house or a floor of it, usually in a property built before the current standards.

Whether this needs a licence in Ireland

Ireland

Licence required

Registered Electrical Contractor (Safe Electric)

Registered Electrical Contractor (Safe Electric), issued or supervised by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities. Ask for the registration number before the work starts and check it on the public register. Check the register: www.safeelectric.ie

Wording approved by Talqero; not yet reviewed by a solicitor

Commission for Regulation of Utilitieswww.safeelectric.ieChecked 11/10/2026

House rewiring: what the job involves

Replacing the cables, accessories and usually the fuse board throughout a house or a floor of it, because the wiring is old, rubber- or lead-sheathed, unearthed or no longer matches how the house is used. It is the biggest electrical job in a home and is always certified by a registered electrician.

Also asked for as: house rewire · rewiring old house · full rewire · old wiring replaced · partial rewire

How the job is usually done

Inspect and test the existing installation and agree a layout of sockets, lights and circuits room by room.
Agree a plan for living in the house: rooms done in turn, or the house empty.
Lift floorboards, chase walls and run new cables to every point (first fix), keeping a temporary supply where needed.
Plaster or make good, then fit sockets, switches and fittings (second fix).
Fit a new distribution board with RCD protection, surge protection where specified, and new earthing and bonding.
Test every circuit, energise, and issue the Completion Certificate with the test records.

House rewiring: what is included

Usually included

All new cable, back boxes and standard accessories
A new fuse board with RCD protection, unless the existing one is modern and suitable
Main earthing and protective bonding to water and gas pipes
Smoke and heat alarm wiring if agreed in the scope
Testing and the Completion Certificate

Usually not included — agree it separately

Replastering and redecorating after chasing
Lifting and relaying fitted carpets and wooden floors
Light fittings beyond basic pendants
Moving the meter or the ESB Networks supply cable

Materials and who supplies them

Cable, back boxes, accessories and distribution board, supplied by the electrician
Decorative fittings, chosen and usually bought by the customer
Interlinked mains smoke and heat alarms where included

How long it takes

About one to two weeks for a typical three-bed house with the electrician working around the family, less in an empty house, and longer with solid walls, high ceilings or a staged renovation.

When to book

Plan a rewire before plastering, new floors or a new kitchen, since doing it afterwards means opening up finished work.

House rewiring: the rules in Ireland

What the official sources say, checked against them on the date shown. A summary, not legal advice — follow the link to read the rule itself.

New circuits, changes to a distribution board (fuse board), work in special locations such as bathrooms and outdoors, and inspection and testing are Restricted Electrical Works: only a Registered Electrical Contractor may carry them out. Like-for-like replacement of a switch or socket is excluded as minor work.
Applies to: the electrician, and the homeowner who engages one
Electricity Regulation Act 1999 and S.I. No. 264 of 2013, run by Safe Electric Ireland for the Commission for Regulation of Utilities · safeelectric.ie · Checked 9 October 2026
A Registered Electrical Contractor must issue a Completion Certificate for all electrical work except minor works, and give the customer the original copy when the job is finished, with the post-connection tests confirmed on it.
Applies to: the electrician
Electricity Regulation Act 1999; Safe Electric Ireland · safeelectric.ie · Checked 9 October 2026
Every Registered Electrical Contractor can be looked up on the Safe Electric register by name or registration number before work starts.
Applies to: the homeowner
Safe Electric Ireland · safeelectric.ie · Checked 9 October 2026
Where a rewire is part of an extension or a major renovation that needs a Commencement Notice, the electrical design and certificate feed into the building control file for the project.
Applies to: the homeowner and the assigned certifier
Building Control Regulations; local building control authority · fingal.ie · Checked 9 October 2026

What house rewiring costs, and why

What jobs on Talqero came to

Not enough comparable jobs yet to publish a range here. Talqero shows a price range only once at least five comparable jobs, agreed prices or offers exist — a range from fewer would describe a handful of jobs, not the market. Post your job and compare the offers you get.

What affects the price

Size of the house and number of points and circuits
Occupied or empty: working around furniture and people is slower
Wall and floor construction, and how much has to be chased or lifted
Specification: number of sockets, downlights, data points and alarms
Whether plastering and decorating are in the same contract
VAT: work on a home is charged at the reduced 13.5% rate by a VAT-registered contractor, unless materials exceed two-thirds of the price; ask whether the quote includes it
VAT: building work on a home is charged at the reduced rate of 13.5% by a VAT-registered business — unless the materials come to more than two-thirds of the price, when Revenue’s two-thirds rule applies the goods rate to the whole job. Ask whether a quote includes VAT.

Paperwork to ask for at the end

Safe Electric Completion Certificate for the whole installation
Schedule of test results and a circuit chart inside the fuse board
Manufacturer instructions for the smoke and heat alarms

Safety

Houses rewired before the 1980s may have asbestos in old fuse board backing boards or textured ceilings; ask for it to be checked before anything is broken out.
There will be days with the power off; plan for fridges, freezers, medical equipment and home working.
Chasing creates a lot of dust; keep children and pets out and cover what cannot be moved.

House rewiring: before you hire

Questions to ask a tradesperson

What is your Safe Electric registration number?
Does the quote include a new fuse board, smoke alarms and bonding?
How will we live in the house while the work is going on?
Who fills and plasters the chases?
How many sockets per room are you allowing for?

What you can do yourself

A rewire is Restricted Electrical Works from start to finish; the useful thing a householder can do is clear rooms and lift carpets in advance.

What to put in your task

What kind of home is it?
How many bedrooms?
How much needs rewiring?
Will you be living in the house during the work?
Is other work happening at the same time?

Photos that help

The fuse board and meter, cover off if safe to do so
A typical socket and light switch, and any old round-pin or brown sockets
The attic space and, if possible, under a lifted floorboard
Each room quickly, so the number of points can be estimated

Electrical

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Questions about house rewiring

Does house rewiring need a licence in Ireland?

Yes. Registered Electrical Contractor (Safe Electric), supervised by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities. Source: www.safeelectric.ie. Ask for the registration number and check it on the public register. Wording approved by Talqero; not yet reviewed by a solicitor.

How do I know my house needs a rewire?

Warning signs are rubber or fabric-covered cable, round-pin sockets, a fuse board with rewireable fuses and no RCD, and scorched or warm sockets. A periodic inspection report from a registered electrician is the proper way to decide.

Can we stay in the house?

Usually yes, with rooms done in turn and power restored to the kitchen at night. It takes longer and is dustier than an empty house, so many people time it with a holiday or before moving in.

Will I need planning permission?

No, rewiring is internal work. If it is part of an extension or a renovation that needs a Commencement Notice, the electrical certificate becomes part of that project’s paperwork.

Often booked with house rewiring

Electricians