Electrician in Cheltenham 3192
Our workshop is at Factory 45, 148 Chesterville Road, Cheltenham VIC 3192. Cheltenham is not a service area we drive out to, it is the address we start the day at.
Free written quote, no obligation. Online enquiries answered within two business hours.
Helcro Electrical is a licensed electrician in Cheltenham, Victoria 3192, working across Melbourne South East. Jobs here are handled by Fedya or Rhys directly and we do not subcontract.
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Electrical work in Cheltenham
Non-urgent work is typically scheduled within three to five business days, urgent faults are confirmed by phone, and an urgent fault called in from a Cheltenham street goes to the front of the queue; call and we will confirm availability directly.
Everyday residential electrical jobs we carry out here:
- Switchboard upgrades, safety switch (RCD) installation and ceramic fuse box replacement
- LED downlights, power points, ceiling fans and circuit extensions
- Oven, cooktop and rangehood connection, and dedicated circuits for induction cooktops
- Outdoor, garden and security lighting
- Smoke alarm installation and compliance, for owner-occupiers and rental providers
- Fault finding and emergency electrical repairs
- Full and partial rewiring, for older homes and renovation work
- CCTV cameras, alarm systems, intercoms, and phone and data cabling
You get a free site assessment and a written quote before any work starts, and anything the job turns out to need (a spare way on the board, a dedicated circuit) is in that quote rather than added on the day. Where a Certificate of Electrical Safety is required, we issue it on completion, the same day, and our workmanship carries a 12-month warranty.
We are open Monday to Friday 8:00am to 6:00pm and Saturday 8:00am–1:00pm. We do not claim to be a 24-hour operation, because we are not one. Saturday trading and a workshop inside the postcode do more for a Cheltenham job than an after-hours phone promise.
Commercial and industrial electricians in Cheltenham
Cheltenham is not only houses. The Chesterville Road and Keys Road industrial estates sit on the Moorabbin edge of the suburb, and our own premises are in one of them.
For factory units, warehouses, business estates, offices and the retail frontage we handle three-phase supply and commercial switchboards, factory and warehouse wiring, machine and plant circuits, lighting and fit-outs, emergency and exit lighting, test and tag, and RCD testing. We also install commercial EV charging and run commercial Victorian Energy Upgrades work on air conditioning and heat pump hot water.
Two things matter to a tenant more than the service list. Where a Certificate of Electrical Safety is required we issue it on completion, the same day. And we schedule commercial work around your operating hours where we can, so a switchboard change is booked rather than sprung on a shift; tell us your window at the site visit.
If you are building here: from 1 January 2027 a building surveyor cannot issue a building permit for the construction of a Class 1 to 7, 9 or 10 building where a new reticulated natural gas connection forms part of the work. New offices, retail and warehouses are caught. Class 8 factories are not, which is why the state's wording is "most new commercial buildings" rather than all. Renovating an existing building does not trigger it, though from the same date an existing building without a reticulated gas connection cannot get a new one.
Call 1300 201 358 to book a commercial site visit or send your site address and operating hours and we will come back within two business hours.
Why Cheltenham households and businesses call us
- We are in the suburb. Factory 45, 148 Chesterville Road. Nobody drives across town to get to you.
- You get Fedya or Rhys, not a subcontractor. Refrigerant work is not subcontracted either; we hold a current ARC licence.
- One contractor for the whole job. Electrical, air conditioning, solar, batteries, EV chargers and heat pump hot water under one team: one Certificate of Electrical Safety, one warranty path, one rebate off the invoice, and one number to call when the switchboard and the inverter disagree instead of two trades pointing at each other.
- Credentials you can look up. REC 35448 with Energy Safe Victoria, VEU Accredited Supplier A003039, ARC licensed for refrigerant handling (AU50700), VBA registered for air conditioning work, NETCC Approved Seller, NatHERS accredited.
- Written quotes. Free site assessment, written quote, then we install. If the job does not need doing, we will say so.
We once got a bad review for driving too fast to get to a job. We would rather have that than leave someone waiting.
What our Cheltenham customers say
Marianne P, Cheltenham (Oneflare, December 2022)
Air conditioning in Cheltenham
Air conditioning is our most requested service across Melbourne South East, and Cheltenham is a solid share of it.
We supply and install ducted, split and multi-split air conditioning systems from Mitsubishi Electric, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Rinnai, Carrier, Daikin and Fujitsu. The two Mitsubishi ranges are our primary brands for both multi-split and ducted, but we are not tied to one supplier, so the recommendation follows your layout, your budget and rebate eligibility.
As a VEU Accredited Supplier (A003039), the Victorian Energy Upgrades discount comes off your invoice on the day. You lodge nothing, you wait for no refund, and there is no third party in between. A003039 is our own accreditation number, and it is the one to check us against before you book. A 2.5 kW or 3.5 kW split system starts from $1,359 supply and installed after the rebate, and multi-splits covering two to four zones typically land between $3,500 and $6,500.
### What changes on 30 September 2026
The VEU minimum co-payment is what you contribute yourself before the rebate applies. It is $3,000 including GST on ducted systems at any capacity and on multi-splits of 10 kW or more, and $200 on other non-ducted systems under 10 kW. From 30 September 2026 it is set by system type and total rated cooling capacity:
| System type | Total rated cooling capacity | Minimum co-payment (inc GST) |
|---|---|---|
| Non-ducted (not multi-split) | Below 10 kW | $200 |
| Non-ducted (not multi-split) | 10 kW or above | $1,000 |
| Multi-split | Below 10 kW | $1,000 |
| Multi-split | 10 kW or above | $3,000 |
| Ducted | Any capacity | $3,000 |
Only ducted systems and multi-splits of 10 kW or more are affected. A non-ducted system under 10 kW, which covers most single-room installs in the suburb's units and townhouses, keeps the $200 minimum. For multi-splits the capacity is summed across the indoor units, not taken from the outdoor unit's rating. From the same date a residential cap of 20 kW of multi-split capacity applies to the incentive calculation: larger systems can still be installed, but capacity above the cap earns no extra incentive, and the cap does not apply to ducted.
Booking early does not hold the current rate for you. What counts is the date the system goes in and the upgrade is claimed (both have to happen before the new tiers start), and we will tell you at the quote whether your job can realistically make it.
We recently replaced a 15-year-old window unit in a home in south Cheltenham with a Daikin 7.1kW split system. Under four hours on site, and the VEU rebate covered a meaningful portion of the cost.
Free power from 11am to 2pm: the Midday Power Saver
From 1 October 2026, Victorian retailers with 1,000 or more customers must offer the Midday Power Saver: three hours of grid electricity usage a day at $0.00 per kWh, 11am to 2pm, when state-wide solar generation peaks. Around 2.6 million households are eligible, and it needs a smart meter rather than solar, a battery or a roof, which is why it matters more on this page than anything else here.
Three qualifications. It is opt-in, so you contact your retailer from 1 October, and the government expects small increases in the price of electricity used outside the free period to fund it. A fair use cap of 24 kWh during the free period per day applies, set by Ministerial direction, and usage above it can be charged. And there is a cooling-off period with no exit fees, so you are not locked in.
Government estimates are $149 to $428 a year without an electric vehicle, on the basis of shifting 5% to 30% of consumption into the window; EV-charging households are estimated to save a further $674, up to $1,102. Tariffs are set per distribution zone, and Cheltenham sits in the United Energy zone, which also handles every grid connection in the suburb.
What we can do with the window: heat pump hot water on a timer for 11am to 2pm, the simplest large load to shift and no roof required; a hardwired EV charger on a timer, including in a townhouse garage; a battery charged in the window and discharged through the evening peak; reverse-cycle pre-cooling before the afternoon peak. All of it depends on the switchboard carrying the load.
Call 1300 201 358 to find out what your switchboard can shift into the free window
Switchboards, safety switches and fuse boxes in Cheltenham
The switchboard gates everything else. Solar, a battery, an EV charger, a ducted system and an induction cooktop all land on it, so it is the first thing we look at.
The rule worth knowing is regulatory, not local, and it is not retrospective. AS/NZS 3000:2018, the current Wiring Rules, requires residual current protection (the safety switches that cut power on a fault) on residential final subcircuits, but it applies to new and altered work rather than to a board installed decades earlier. Nothing obliges a homeowner to retrofit one where no work is being done. So a switchboard that has never been touched may have no residual current protection at all, whatever year the house went up, which is why we check it rather than assume it.
Ceramic and rewireable fuse boards are the other flag. A rewireable fuse does operate on overload and short circuit, because the element melts; what it lacks is speed, repeatability and a defined trip characteristic, and it has to be rewired by hand instead of reset. It offers no protection against electric shock, which is the RCD's job.
Rather than guess what is behind your meter box, we check it: available supply, board condition, spare ways, and whether the circuits can carry the new load. If a switchboard upgrade is needed, the cost is in the written quote before we start.
Townhouses, units and body corporate electrical work
This is where Cheltenham differs most from the suburbs around it. At the 2021 Census, of 9,463 occupied private dwellings, 5,532 (58.5%) were separate houses, 2,148 (22.7%) were semi-detached, row, terrace or townhouse, and 1,748 (18.5%) were flats or apartments. Cheltenham has more townhouses in absolute terms than Bentleigh East, despite roughly 6,000 fewer residents.
That changes the work, not just the wording:
- Body corporate consent. Anything touching a common area, a shared riser or an external wall usually needs owners corporation approval first, and common-area work such as stairwell lighting, exit lighting, intercoms and gate motors is quoted to the owners corporation rather than to one owner.
- Shared supply, load limits and metering. A block of four on one point of supply does not have four houses' worth of capacity, so a 7 kW charger or a ducted system gets checked against the shared supply first. Older blocks often have a board in the unit with the mains and meters elsewhere, which makes getting the right circuit onto the right meter most of the job.
- Tandem and basement garages. Cabling distance drives the cost, not the charger. A basement bay 25 metres from the board is a different quote to a garage behind the meter box.
- Smaller roof areas. A townhouse roof with two orientations and a skylight may take 4 kW rather than 6.6 kW, and sometimes a battery or a heat pump hot water system is the better spend.
For new townhouse and unit developments, the same 1 January 2027 all-electric building rules apply; that is a new-build permit requirement, not a requirement to retrofit an existing property.
Average household size here is 2.4 people, so a fair share of this stock is downsizers and small households, and it is part of why we lead with split and multi-split systems rather than pushing every job toward ducted.
If your job touches a common area, we quote it to the owners corporation rather than to one owner, and the site assessment and written quote are free either way, so you can take a real number to the committee instead of an estimate.
Call 1300 201 358 about a townhouse, unit or common-area job
Solar panel installation in Cheltenham
Start with the part most solar pages leave out. 41.2% of occupied Cheltenham dwellings are attached or apartment stock, so a meaningful share of people reading this cannot put 6.6 kW on a roof they control. If that is you, say so on the call and we will not quote you for panels: efficient reverse-cycle, heat pump hot water, an EV charger and load-shifting into the Midday Power Saver window all work without one.
For everyone else, we have installed 6.6 kW and 10 kW systems across the suburb. A typical 6.6 kW system is $4,800 to $6,500 supply and installed, depending on roof access, inverter type and storey count. We use Enphase microinverters, Fronius string inverters and LONGi panels, all on the Clean Energy Council's approved product list, which is a product listing rather than an installer accreditation.
Our own credentials on solar installation are our Registered Electrical Contractor registration REC 35448 with Energy Safe Victoria and our NETCC certification. We handle the roof assessment, grid connection with United Energy and the final Certificate of Electrical Safety.
Some Cheltenham properties sit inside a heritage overlay under the Bayside or Kingston Planning Scheme. Panels that are not visible from a street other than a lane, or from a public park, generally do not need a planning permit under the overlay, but a property on the Victorian Heritage Register may need Heritage Victoria approval or a permit exemption, which is a separate process from a planning permit, so we check VicPlan at every site assessment and answer the permit question before the quote rather than after the racking is up. Solar quotes include a free switchboard assessment, because an undersized board with a new solar system on it is a compliance failure waiting to happen.
Solar batteries
SiGENERGY SigenStor is our most-installed solar battery: modular LFP from 5 kWh to 48 kWh, about 5 ms blackout switchover, V2H capable where the vehicle and the supporting equipment support it. We are also a Tesla Powerwall Certified Installer and a Sonnen Certified Partner, with GoodWe and Sungrow covering other budgets and system sizes.
On rebates, be careful what you read. There is no Victorian battery rebate. The federal Cheaper Home Batteries discount is national, applies per kWh of usable capacity, and steps down over time, which is the one genuine reason to install sooner rather than later; our battery rebate guide carries the current rate and the eligibility rules, because those move and this page should not be where you check them. No Victorian battery rebate does not mean no Victorian rebates, though: Solar Victoria's Solar Homes program still runs for other products, hot water included.
EV charger installation in Cheltenham
At the 2021 Census, 4,777 Cheltenham households, 50.5% of 9,463, ran two or more vehicles. That is a real market, but a more apartment-heavy one than the detached suburbs nearby, so the question here is usually where a charger can physically go.
We install Zappi, Tesla Wall Connector, Wallbox, Schneider, Ocular, GoodWe and SiGENERGY units. SiGENERGY's range runs from 7 kW single-phase to 22 kW three-phase and pairs with SigenStor for V2H charging. Installation typically costs $800 to $1,500 depending on cabling distance and switchboard condition, and every EV charger quote includes a check of your switchboard, so if an upgrade is needed we confirm that cost upfront rather than adding it on the day.
If you do not own the wall you want to mount to, the Mode 3 decision is the one to get right. A Mode 2 portable unit plugs into a standard outlet, is slow, and is the sensible answer for a shared bay you have no authority to alter. A hardwired Mode 3 unit is typically faster and needs a dedicated circuit under AS/NZS 3000:2018, plus either your own garage or owners corporation consent. More on charger types and brands is on our EV chargers page.
Solar and a charger work well together, because we can configure the charger to draw from your panels during daylight. Without solar, the Midday Power Saver window does much the same job for a car that sits at home.
West of the railway line you are in Bayside, which has the Love Bayside, Home Energy Upgrades program, delivered with the Yarra Energy Foundation. It covers solar, home batteries, hot water heat pumps, split system air conditioners rather than ducted, induction cooktops, EV chargers and bulk insulation. East of the line you are in Kingston and not eligible through Bayside, so we check before anyone counts on it.
Heat pump hot water in Cheltenham, and the 2027 gas rules
A heat pump moves heat instead of generating it, which is why it runs on a fraction of the electricity of a resistive storage tank. We supply and install iStore and Sanden Eco Plus systems; the Sanden Eco Plus runs at a coefficient of performance of 5.96, so for every kilowatt of electricity it draws it delivers nearly six kilowatts of heat. The full range is on our heat pump page.
A Solar Homes hot water rebate and a Victorian Energy Upgrades discount stack, but they stack in order rather than simply adding up, and the VEU amount depends on what you are replacing. Coming off gas, which is what this section is about, the VEU discount is up to $560. Solar Victoria then rebates 50% of what is left, capped at $1,000, or $1,400 where the model is on Solar Victoria's locally made list. For a customer eligible for both programs, that makes the gas-replacement maximum up to $1,560, or up to $1,960 for an eligible locally made system. The $2,030 figure published elsewhere uses the $630 VEU rate for replacing an inefficient electric system, so it overstates a gas job. Solar Homes is a rebate and the VEU portion is a point-of-sale discount through an accredited supplier, which is us, so the two arrive by different routes on the same job. The higher tier depends solely on the product being on that list, which changes model by model, so we check the register at the quote. On running cost, Solar Victoria puts the saving from replacing a gas hot water system with a quality heat pump at around $400 a year, and DEECA estimates about $590 a year with solar.
From 1 March 2027, a gas water heater in an existing Class 1 or Class 2 home generally cannot be installed or replaced with another gas unit, so efficient electric becomes the default at end of life. Exemptions are listed, including insufficient or unsuitable outdoor space and cases needing switchboard or network augmentation.
Because the market is full of scare copy, what it is not: not a forced disconnection, and not a deadline to replace a working system. Repairs are still allowed, because the trigger is end of life rather than a breakdown. Gas cooking is unaffected. Gas space heating in an owner-occupied home is unaffected, and rentals have separate minimum standards covered below. Gas systems can also be temporarily removed and reinstalled during renovations. More detail is on our Victorian gas ban page.
Rental electrical safety checks in Cheltenham
At the 2021 Census, 2,561 of 9,463 occupied Cheltenham dwellings were rented. More than one in four Cheltenham homes is rented, and with 2,148 townhouses and 1,748 apartments here, much of that is agent-managed stock.
Rental providers must ensure an electrical safety check of all switchboards, wiring and electrical fittings is carried out every two years by a licensed or registered electrician, in accordance with Section 4 of AS/NZS 3019:2022, "Electrical installations: Periodic assessment". The duty is to ensure the check happens, which is separate from, and additional to, disclosing it on request.
From 13 October 2026 that obligation applies to every rental agreement, whether it commenced before, on or after that date; it currently binds only agreements signed on or after 29 March 2021. It is part of a broader package of rental law changes rather than an electrical-only reform, and Consumer Affairs Victoria pairs gas and electrical safety checks in the same requirement.
From us you get a written report, hard copy or digital, stating which parts of the tenancy the check covered and which it did not. Keep it: a rental provider must produce the most recent check to a renter within 7 days of a written request, and where no check has been done in the previous two years when a renter takes occupation, one must be arranged as soon as practicable. RCDs have been required on rental power and lighting circuits since 29 March 2023, so for most rented homes a board with none is a live non-compliance rather than a future one.
Two further sets of obligations are already law and trigger differently. Heating and hot water trigger on unrepairable permanent failure, and from 1 March 2027 the replacement must be efficient electric. Ceiling insulation to a minimum R5.0 by a qualified installer, required only where none exists, and draughtproofing from 1 July 2027 trigger instead on a new rental agreement or a conversion to month-to-month. Where there are gas appliances a licensed plumber must complete a gas safety check before draughtproofing, which is plumbing scope rather than ours.
Call 1300 201 358 to book a rental electrical safety check or send the property address and we will come back within two business hours.
Cheltenham 3192: two councils, one postcode
We are based at Factory 45, 148 Chesterville Road, Cheltenham VIC 3192, and we work every street in the suburb, from the residential pockets near Southland to the industrial and retail frontage along Chesterville Road itself.
Cheltenham 3192 straddles two local government areas. The western side falls under Bayside City Council and the eastern side under the City of Kingston, with the boundary running roughly along the railway line and Charman Road. It matters in three practical ways: which planning scheme governs an overlay at your address, which council's energy programs you can access, and whose planning process affects what gets built next door. We work both sides and know which is which.
The working map here is arterial rather than scenic. Nepean Highway and Bay Road are why response times in this part of Melbourne South East are realistic rather than aspirational, and the railway corridor is the line that splits the councils; the Park Road and Charman Road level crossings were removed by lowering the rail line into a trench, with new Cheltenham and Mentone stations opening in 2020.
The suburb is also growing: 23,992 residents at the 2021 Census, Kingston forecasting 192,026 people across the municipality by 2046, and an underground Suburban Rail Loop station planned here for about 8,000 passengers a day from 2035. That means new dwellings, supply and switchboard upgrades and EV-ready provisioning. Census figures on this page come from ABS QuickStats for Cheltenham (SAL20539).
We also service nearby suburbs
From Cheltenham we regularly work in neighbouring suburbs we service across Melbourne South East, including Highett, Mentone, Moorabbin, Bentleigh East, Bentleigh and Beaumaris. For the full service area, see our locations page.
How a Cheltenham job runs
- You call or send an enquiry. Online enquiries get an answer within two business hours.
- Free site assessment. We look at the switchboard, the supply and the access before anyone quotes a number.
- Written quote. Free, no obligation. If the job does not need doing, we will say so.
- Install, certificate, warranty. Non-urgent work is typically scheduled within three to five business days, a Certificate of Electrical Safety is issued on completion the same day where one is required, and our workmanship carries a 12-month warranty.
Frequently asked questions about electrical work in Cheltenham
How quickly can you get to Cheltenham?
Our workshop is at Factory 45, 148 Chesterville Road, in the suburb, so Cheltenham is our fastest response area. Non-urgent work is typically scheduled within three to five business days. For an urgent fault, call 1300 201 358 and we will confirm availability directly.
Do you offer emergency or after-hours electrical work in Cheltenham?
We are open Monday to Friday 8:00am to 6:00pm and Saturday 8:00am–1:00pm, and we do not advertise round-the-clock availability we cannot honestly staff. What being based in the suburb does buy you is speed inside those hours: call in the morning with an urgent fault and we will confirm availability directly rather than leave you waiting on a callback.
Is the VEU rebate available for air conditioning in Cheltenham?
Yes. As a VEU Accredited Supplier (A003039) we apply the Victorian Energy Upgrades discount directly to your invoice on qualifying installations, so you lodge no paperwork. Since 30 September 2026 the minimum co-payment has been $3,000 for ducted systems at any capacity and for multi-splits of 10 kW or more, and we will tell you at the quote which tier your job falls into.
Can you install an EV charger in a townhouse or unit?
Usually, but it depends on the shared supply, the distance from the board to the bay, and whether the owners corporation needs to approve the work. We check all three before quoting, and we will tell you if a Mode 2 portable unit is the honest answer for your bay.
Are your technicians licensed for refrigerant work?
Yes. We hold a current ARC licence for refrigerant handling, which is a legal requirement for air conditioning installation and servicing in Australia, and we do not subcontract refrigerant work.
What warranty do you provide?
All Helcro Electrical workmanship carries a 12-month warranty. Manufacturer warranties on installed products run longer and are separate, and we confirm the relevant product warranty at the quote stage.
Get a free quote in Cheltenham
Call us Monday to Friday 8:00am to 6:00pm, or Saturday 8:00am–1:00pm, and we will talk through the job before anyone drives anywhere. Or send an enquiry online and we will respond within two business hours. Free written quote, no obligation, no pressure.