Electrician in Chelsea: air conditioning, rental properties and units
Need an electrician in Chelsea? Helcro Electrical (REC 35448) works across Chelsea 3196, in the City of Kingston, with our own licensed electricians. Chelsea is about 12 km south-south-east of our Cheltenham workshop. We install air conditioning in houses, units and townhouses, do rental electrical safety checks, upgrade switchboards and handle the everyday repairs in between.
Call 1300 201 358 → Get a Quote →
We take calls 8am to 6pm on weekdays and 8am to 1pm on Saturdays. Send the quote form and we’ll ring you back within 2 business hours.
5.0★ Google (73 reviews)
What our electricians charge
These are our own prices, all including GST. Anything bigger is quoted in writing after the site assessment.
| Job | Price |
|---|---|
| Site assessment for a quote | $50 |
| Service call (first 30 minutes, one electrician) | $165 |
| Split system, standard back-to-back install | from $1,618 (Haier 2.5 kW) |
| Home switchboard upgrade | typically $1,250 to $2,500 |
| Zappi EV charger, supplied and installed | $2,200 to $2,500 single-phase, $2,500 to $3,000 three-phase |
| Tesla Wall Connector EV charger, supplied and installed | about $2,400 |
| Home solar system, installed, STC discount taken off | about $6,000 (6.6 kW), about $12,000 (10 kW) |
| SigenStor 8 kWh battery, federal discount taken off | from $8,400 single-phase, from $10,900 three-phase (October 2026); on solar you already have, priced after the site assessment |
All prices include GST. Prices, rules and figures on this page checked 28 October 2026 by Helcro Electrical (REC 35448).
Air conditioning, heating and cooling
A reverse cycle split system does the heating and cooling from one indoor unit. At the 2021 Census, 36.0% of Chelsea households were one person (Victoria 25.9%), and a smaller home often needs only one split system for the living area, or one more for a bedroom. A split system installed on a standard back-to-back job starts at $1,618 (Haier 2.5 kW, including GST), with no rebate involved (split system prices).
Online calculators, including our sizing calculator, are only a guide: the Victorian Government recommends that installers visit your home to check what size is right. We install Mitsubishi Electric, Daikin, Haier, Rinnai, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Fujitsu, Carrier, Midea and Panasonic, and we don't rank them. We generally don't install air conditioners that customers have bought themselves, because it's unclear who is responsible if something goes wrong.
In a unit or townhouse. If the outdoor unit, its pipework or its cable would sit on common property, the owners corporation has to authorise the work first; the plan of subdivision shows where your lot ends. Under EPA Victoria's rules, cooling must not be heard in a neighbour's habitable room before 7 am or after 11 pm on weekdays, or before 9 am or after 11 pm on weekends and public holidays.
Replacing gas heating. Swapping a gas wall heater (a non-ducted gas space heater) for an efficient reverse cycle system can attract a Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) discount of up to $1,610, and replacing ducted gas with ducted reverse cycle up to $5,530. The discount has to be applied through an accredited provider before any work starts, so it is written into your quote.
You still pay a minimum share per product, including GST: $200 for a single-split under 10 kW, while every ducted system, and any multi-split of 10 kW or more, carries a $3,000 minimum VEU co-payment (raised on 30 September 2026; VEU co-payments).
Near the beach. On the bay side of the Nepean Highway, note that Mitsubishi Electric's installation manual lists a "salty environment as seaside areas" among the places to avoid for an outdoor unit. Salt wears outdoor units faster, so ask us if you want a specially protected model.
We also check whether your switchboard needs an upgrade for the new system. Air conditioning installs come with our 5-year workmanship warranty, which is separate from any manufacturer's warranty.
Chelsea's units, apartments and townhouses
At the 2021 Census, 1,505 of Chelsea's 3,606 occupied homes (41.7%) were flats or apartments, against 12.1% across Victoria, and 847 (23.5%, Victoria 13.9%) were semi-detached, row or terrace houses or townhouses.
In a block, the first question is whose wiring it is. Consumer Affairs Victoria says a lot owner must not alter common property, or a service for the benefit of more than one lot, "unless the lot owner has been expressly authorised by the owners corporation" (formerly body corporate). Before we quote, we work out what is yours and what serves the whole building, such as a shared meter panel.
Depending on the building's wiring and what the owners corporation or job specification asks for, we connect from the main switchboard or your unit's own sub-board.
An EV charger in a car space. If the charger, its cabling or its supply touches common property (the plan of subdivision decides), the owners corporation must approve the work. In Victoria the job must go through a registered electrical contractor, whose licensed electrician does the work and issues a Certificate of Electrical Safety.
A Tesla Wall Connector costs about $2,400 supplied and installed, and a SiGENERGY EV charger about $2,800 including up to 15 m of cable; a typical home EV charger installation takes one day. On United Energy's network we register your charger on myEnergy for you. Charger levels and brands.
Rental properties: what rental providers need
At the 2021 Census, 1,140 Chelsea homes (31.6%) were rented, against 28.5% across Victoria. The rental provider (landlord) must arrange a two-yearly gas and electrical safety check. We do the electrical half and leave a written report, and a licensed or registered gasfitter checks any gas appliances (rental check dates).
From 1 March 2027, a rental with no fixed cooler needs energy-efficient fixed cooling in the main living area when a new agreement starts (or it moves to month-to-month), and from 1 July 2030 rentals need it whenever the agreement started, unless an exemption applies. A non-ducted split system rated 3 stars or more for cooling in the local climate zone meets that standard. Our workmanship warranties carry over to a new owner if you sell the property.
Switchboards and safety switches in houses
Chelsea has 1,250 separate houses (34.7% of homes). Nearly half of its residential land is in Kingston's Neighbourhood Residential Zone schedule 7, "Incremental Change - Garden Suburban". The council's Housing Strategy and Neighbourhood Character Study describes those areas as a "Mixture of dwelling styles from post-war era onwards", with "Some older buildings in weatherboard".
In Victoria, new wiring has needed a safety switch (RCD) on power circuits since the early 1990s and on lighting circuits since 2001. Wiring older than that may still have none, unless it has been upgraded (when safety switches became compulsory).
Buying an older house or an investment unit? Energy Safe Victoria's advice for a home built before the 1980s is to have the wiring checked "by a licensed electrical inspector or registered electrical contractor prior to moving in". We do that inspection and quote any rewiring it turns up.
A split system, an EV charger and an induction cooktop each add load to the switchboard, or fuse box. We look at the board before adding any of them, and quote a switchboard upgrade together with the job that needs it (electrifying a home).
Everyday electrical work
Small jobs run from tracing why the power or a safety switch keeps tripping to extra power points, LED downlights and outdoor lights, hard-wired smoke alarms, ceiling fans, and connecting an oven or induction cooktop (residential electrical work).
On security jobs we do the electrical side only: power for CCTV cameras, alarm panels, intercoms and gate motors, plus security lighting.
Solar and batteries
Adding a battery to solar you already have? The federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program aims at around a 30% discount on the upfront cost, normally taken off at the point of sale. It steps down every 1 January and 1 July, and the rate that applies is the one in force on the date the Certificate of Electrical Safety is issued. There is no Victorian battery rebate, and we check eligibility for your battery and set-up before we quote (battery rebate guide).
For home batteries we hold SiGENERGY Certified Installer, Tesla Powerwall Certified Installer and Sonnen Certified Partner status, and we install solar panels in systems from 5 kW to 30 kW. On United Energy's network, a single-phase home can export up to 5 kW, with the limit for each address set at United Energy's pre-approval. Our 10-year workmanship warranty on solar and battery work runs from the commissioning date on the Certificate of Electrical Safety.
Heat pump hot water and the March 2027 gas rule
From 1 March 2027, when a mains gas water heater in an existing home breaks and cannot be repaired, or needs to be replaced for any other reason, the replacement must be electric. A gas water heater that still works can stay, and existing gas appliances can continue to be used, maintained and repaired. Apartments served by a centralised gas hot water system are among the exemptions (Victoria's gas rules).
We install heat pump hot water systems from iStore, Sanden, Emerald and Haier. An iStore 270L straight swap is about $3,900 installed, including GST, before rebates; our licensed plumber disconnects and caps the gas, and we remove the old heater.
We apply the VEU discount on our heat pump hot water installations, up to $560 when a heat pump replaces gas. Eligible households can also get Solar Victoria's hot water rebate of up to $1,000, or up to $1,400 for an eligible locally made product.
Licences you can check, and our own team
Looking for a reputable electrician? Licences can be checked; adjectives can't. Your job is done by our own electricians, usually Fedya or Rhys, and nothing is subcontracted. Helcro Electrical has worked across Melbourne South East since 2006. EV charger, security and general electrical work carries a 12-month workmanship warranty, which starts on the date your certificate is issued. More about our electricians.
- Registered Electrical Contractor REC 35448, registered with Energy Safe Victoria (search the ESV public register)
- VEU Accredited Provider A003039
- ARC Refrigerant Trading Authorisation AU50700
- Team members registered with the Building and Plumbing Commission (formerly the VBA) for air conditioning work
- NETCC Approved Seller for solar and batteries
- Clean Energy Council member
Where we work in and around Chelsea
Chelsea, home to 8,347 people at the 2021 Census, is wholly in the City of Kingston, which names it one of its six major activity centres. We work across the suburb, from Chelsea station and the Station Street shops to the streets between the Nepean Highway and the beach. It shares borders with Bonbeach, Edithvale and Chelsea Heights, and we work in all three, as well as in Aspendale beyond Edithvale. Every suburb we cover: service areas.
How we price and finish a job
- Tell us about it on 1300 201 358 or through the quote form.
- A small job can often be priced over the phone, at no cost: describe it, or email a photo to team@helcro.com.au.
- Anything larger starts with a $50 site visit, then a written quote.
- When we finish, you receive a Certificate of Electrical Safety wherever the work requires one.
Questions before you book
Do you take emergency calls?
We are open Monday to Friday 8:00am–6:00pm and Saturday 8:00am–1:00pm. We do not advertise round-the-clock callouts. For an urgent electrical fault, call 1300 201 358 and we will confirm availability directly.
Is Chelsea Heights the same as Chelsea?
No. Chelsea Heights is a separate suburb further inland, west of the Mornington Peninsula Freeway: mostly houses (78.9% separate houses at the 2021 Census), with the same council (Kingston) and postcode (3196). We work in both.
How much does an electrician charge per hour?
We don’t publish an hourly rate. A service call is $165 for the first 30 minutes of one electrician, and further work is priced and agreed with you before it starts.
Who do I call in a power outage?
Call United Energy, the distributor, not an electrician. Chelsea is on its network, and its faults line is 13 20 99.
Get a quote from an electrician
A split system for the living room, a charger in the car space or a rental safety check: tell us the job and we’ll call you back within 2 business hours.
Helcro Electrical, 45/148 Chesterville Road, Cheltenham VIC 3192. Phone 1300 201 358.