Electrician Price List Singapore (2026): Trips, Sockets, Fans

Diagnosing a power trip costs from $80; the repair is then priced by what the diagnosis finds.

HDB explains that an MCB trips on an overload or short circuit on its circuit, and an RCCB trips on earth current leakage (HDB: electrical accessories and wiring). Leakage usually comes from a faulty appliance or from damp or damaged wiring. In most HDB flats, the usual suspects are the water heater, the oven, the washing machine and sockets in damp spots such as the service yard or balcony. A trip traced to one appliance is settled at the diagnosis stage. A fault hidden in concealed wiring, or one that comes and goes, is traced circuit by circuit (from $100) or quoted after diagnosis.

1. Check whether your neighbours and the corridor lights still have power.
2. Open the DB box door and note which switch is down: the RCCB or one of the MCBs.
3. Unplug the appliances on the affected circuit.
4. Push the tripped switch back up once.
5. If it holds, plug the appliances back in one at a time; the one that trips it is the suspect.
6. If the RCCB won't stay up, switch every MCB off and reset the RCCB.
7. Switch the MCBs on one at a time; leave off the one that trips it.
8. If a switch trips with everything unplugged, or the RCCB trips with every MCB off, leave it off and get a licensed electrical worker.

The electricity meter sits outside your flat and the DB box inside it; a fault from the DB box inwards is yours to arrange. Related guides go further:

• who to call for an HDB power trip
• why the power keeps tripping
• an RCCB tripping but not the MCB
• why the power trips at night
• an oven or other appliance tripping the power
• a power trip during a thunderstorm
• a water heater that keeps tripping

Replacing a standard 13A socket costs from $70; a new surface-mounted power point costs from $120, because it needs a new cable run.

A like-for-like swap is the cheapest socket job. A burnt socket costs more (from $80) because the wiring behind it may be damaged too. HDB pairs a burnt mark at a socket with a plug not fully inserted or an overloaded circuit, so stop using that socket and any adaptor stacked on it. New and relocated points cost more again. HDB doesn't allow wiring to be embedded in reinforced concrete slabs, beams, columns, walls or wall plaster (HDB: electrical works), so a new point in an HDB flat runs on the wall surface, usually in trunking. Concealed new wiring is quoted on site.

HDB needs no permit for extra 13A points. A new 15A point or 20A aircon isolator needs an HDB permit in flats without higher electrical loading, but blocks completed on or after 1 Jan 1994, or upgraded under MUP or HIP, have a 40A main switch and need none. In an HDB flat, a 20A isolator is allowed only for an air-conditioner, and power points aren't allowed in bathrooms. Avoid universal sockets: the Consumer Product Safety Office says they can't carry a valid SAFETY Mark and warns against installing them (CPSO: universal socket outlets).

Related guides cover a burnt or melted power socket, power socket replacement cost, and 13A, 15A and 20A sockets.

Replacing a simple existing light costs from $60; a new light point costs from $120.

The price follows the fitting and the point. A like-for-like swap on an existing point is the cheapest job, and a downlight replacement costs from $60. Pendant and track lights cost more because they take longer to hang and align, and a large chandelier is priced by its weight and the ceiling height. A new light point needs a new cable run, which in an HDB flat runs on the surface. Many owners buy the fitting themselves.

A light that flickers, or won't work after a new bulb, is diagnosed first (from $80). Many LED panels and downlights have a separate driver; if it has failed, replacing it costs from $80, plus the driver. Changing a bulb or LED tube is the one lighting job the law lets you do yourself; replacing the fitting is LEW work. Related guides cover LED lights flickering, light installation cost in Singapore, and a light not working after changing the bulb.

A standard switch costs from $70 to replace, a two-way switch from $80, and a smart switch from $100.

Two-way switches control one light from two places, such as both ends of a corridor. Smart switches cost more to fit because the wiring at the switch decides which model works. Many smart switches need a neutral wire at the switch box, and older HDB switch boxes often have none. A no-neutral switch can make LED lights glow faintly or flicker when they're off. A dimmer needs dimmable LED bulbs, or the lights may buzz or flicker. For more, read smart switches for HDB flats and light switch replacement cost.

Swapping an old ceiling fan for a new one costs from $90, and a fan with a light from $110; the fan itself is extra.

A fan on an existing fan point is the simple case. Where there's no fan point, a new electrical point is added to the fan price. HDB needs no permit for a ceiling fan, but it sets limits: the fan must weigh 6 kg or less, and its blades must be at least 2.4 m above the floor. Check both before you buy a large or heavy model. A high ceiling or awkward access is quoted separately.

On repairs, a wobble usually comes from loose blade screws, a bent blade or a loose mount, and is checked first (from $80). A fan that hums but won't spin often has a failed capacitor, which costs from $90 to replace, plus the part. A remote-controlled fan can also fail at its receiver. Guides on ceiling fan installation cost in Singapore, a wobbling ceiling fan, a ceiling fan that isn't spinning, and ceiling fan repair cost go further.

An MCB costs from $120 to replace, an RCCB from $180, and a full distribution board from $450.

The DB box, or distribution board, holds the main switch, the RCCB and one MCB per circuit. Since 1 Jul 2023, every home in Singapore must have an RCCB or a working ELCB (an older-style earth leakage circuit breaker). New installations have needed an RCCB since Jul 1985, so older homes may still have only fuses (HDB and EMA: RCCBs required). The two-year grace period ended on 1 Jul 2025; EMA says homes with neither can be fined up to $5,000, and asks owners of HDB flats with neither to call the HDB Branch Service Line on 6225 5432 (EMA on Ask Gov: RCCB requirement). When the rule was announced in 2023, the Government funded most or all of the cost for sold HDB flats completed in or before 1985 without an RCCB, through HDB's RCCB Installation Assistance Programme.

A faulty RCCB isn't penalised, but it should be repaired or replaced by an LEW. EMA estimates the cost of installing an RCCB at about $500 in an HDB flat and about $600 in a private home, suggests getting quotations from a few LEWs, and says repair or replacement isn't eligible for HDB's subsidised installation (EMA on Ask Gov: faulty RCCB).

A new breaker fixes a faulty breaker, not a fault further down the circuit. If a breaker keeps tripping because of an appliance or damaged wiring, a new one will trip too, so ask for the diagnosis result before agreeing to a replacement. HDB also asks residents to test the RCCB monthly by pressing its test button. Related guides cover HDB DB box replacement cost and whether an RCCB is compulsory in Singapore.

Rewiring is worth considering when wiring nears HDB's 25-year cable life or deteriorates; it's quoted after a site survey.

HDB puts the life of PVC cable at about 25 years, and says wiring should be replaced when its lifespan is over or its condition has deteriorated, with an LEW to advise. Common signs that it's time for an assessment:

• The flat's wiring is near or past 25 years old.
• Trips keep coming back and are traced to the wiring, not an appliance.
• Sockets or switch plates are discoloured, warm or burnt.
• The flat was wired before Jul 1985 and has neither an RCCB nor an ELCB.
• A renovation is adding circuits, points or heavy appliances.

Rewiring needs no HDB permit, but HDB's guidelines still apply, and your LEW submits HDB-endorsed Form CS/5H to SP Services (part of SP Group) for testing. Rewiring only the DB box costs from $300. A full rewiring depends on the flat size, the number of points and the trunking route, so it's priced after a site survey. For more, read HDB rewiring cost and whether to rewire a resale HDB flat.

Parts, new cable runs, height and concealed faults raise the price; extra items of the same kind on the same visit lower it.

This price list is per job, not per hour. When you compare electricians, ask whether each quote is per job or per hour, and what it covers. These things raise the price:

• Parts: fan capacitors, receivers and LED drivers are added to labour where marked.
• New versus replacement: a new point needs a new cable run; a like-for-like swap doesn't.
• The HDB wiring rule: new cables run on the surface or in trunking, which takes longer to route neatly.
• Height and weight: high ceilings, chandeliers and heavy fans need more time and access.
• Hidden faults: a trip that comes and goes, or a fault in concealed wiring, takes longer to trace.
• Permits: a new 15A point or 20A aircon isolator in a flat without higher electrical loading needs an HDB permit first, which can add time.

Which jobs are priced after a site check?

• A complex concealed wiring fault: its position isn't known until the circuit is traced.
• Concealed new wiring: the route decides the work.
• Full rewiring: it depends on the flat size and the number of points.
• A large chandelier or a fan on a high ceiling: weight and access decide the method.

What photos help get an accurate price?

• The DB box with its door open, showing which switch has tripped and any labels.
• The socket, switch or light, close up, and any burn marks.
• The model of the fan, fitting or smart switch you've bought.
• The ceiling height, and where a new point should go.

What should you ask any electrician before booking?

• Is the price per job, and which step of the job does it cover?
• Are parts included, or added?
• Is there a call-out, transport or after-hours charge?
• Is the person doing the work a licensed electrical worker?
• If a breaker is to be replaced, what did the diagnosis find?

Only replacing a lamp or a household-type fuse; EMA says rewiring, repair and replacement works must be done by a licensed electrical worker.

Under section 82 of the Electricity Act, a person must not carry out electrical work unless they are an LEW or supervised by one, and an owner must not knowingly engage an unlicensed person (Electricity Act 2001). The Act says it is not unlawful to replace a lamp or a household-type fuse in your own installation. EMA says rewiring, repair and replacement works must be done by a licensed electrical worker, so have an LEW swap a fitting, LED driver, fan, capacitor, switch or socket. HDB puts it plainly for sockets: only a licensed electrician can replace socket outlets. The guide on replacing a socket or switch yourself explains the rule in detail.