If you need electrical work completed at your Sydney property, knowing whether to call a regular electrician or a Level 2 electrician is not always obvious. Both are qualified electrical professionals, but a Level 2 Accredited Service Provider has additional accreditation and network authorisation that allows them to perform specified work involving the connection between your property and the electricity distribution network.
If you are unfamiliar with ASP accreditation, our guide to what a Level 2 electrician is and what they can do explains the NSW Level 2 system in more detail.
The simplest distinction is this: a regular electrician handles most electrical work within your property, while a Level 2 ASP can also carry out authorised work on specified parts of the incoming electricity supply and service connection.
At Level 2 Electrician Sydney, we specialise in Level 2 ASP work across the Ausgrid and Endeavour Energy network areas, while also providing general residential and commercial electrical services. That combination can be particularly useful when a job involves both the property’s internal electrical installation and its connection to the network.
Still not sure which type of electrician your particular problem requires? Our guide to when you need a Level 2 electrician in Sydney covers the most common situations in detail.
For most everyday electrical work, a licensed general electrician is exactly who you need.
If the work reaches into certain parts of the property’s electricity supply connection, however, additional Level 2 accreditation and authorisation may be required.
Type of Work | Regular Electrician | Level 2 ASP Electrician |
| Power points and lighting | Yes | Yes, if also licensed for general electrical work |
| Internal electrical circuits | Yes | Yes |
| Safety switches and fault finding | Yes | Yes |
| General switchboard repairs/upgrades | Yes | Yes |
| EV charger installation | Yes | Yes |
| Appliance and general electrical work | Yes | Yes |
| Authorised supply disconnection/reconnection | Generally no | Yes, with appropriate class/authorisation |
| Underground service work | No | Yes, with appropriate Class 2B authorisation |
| Overhead service work | No | Yes, with appropriate Class 2C authorisation |
| Specified energising/service equipment work | No | Yes, with appropriate Class 2D authorisation |
| Network-connected consumer mains/service work | May involve general electrical components | Level 2 involvement may be required depending on scope |
The important qualifier is that “Level 2 electrician” does not replace “electrician”. Level 2 ASP work is an additional specialist capability.
Many Level 2 electricians are also licensed electrical contractors who perform ordinary electrical installation work. What changes is the scope they are authorised to handle when a job reaches the network connection.
A licensed electrician handles the enormous range of electrical work found throughout homes, commercial premises and strata properties.
That can include:
If a light fitting has failed, you need additional power points, an appliance circuit requires upgrading or you want an EV charger installed, there is not automatically any need for Level 2 ASP involvement.
The fact that electrical work is complex, high-powered or located at a switchboard does not by itself make it Level 2 work.
The key question is whether the job involves contestable work associated with the service connection between the customer installation and electricity distribution network, or other work that falls within the ASP Level 2 scope.
Under the NSW Accredited Service Provider Scheme, Level 2 ASPs can be accredited for specified types of service work connecting customer installations to the electricity distribution network.
These are divided into different classes, including:
The practical result is that an appropriately accredited and authorised Level 2 electrician may be able to handle work such as:
That is why a Level 2 electrician is often required for problems that appear to sit somewhere between the street network and the property’s main electrical installation.
There is another important difference that Sydney property owners rarely need to think about when arranging ordinary electrical work.
A contractor carrying out Level 2 contestable work must have the appropriate ASP accreditation, but the workers performing relevant work on a distributor’s network must also satisfy that network’s authorisation requirements.
Ausgrid’s ASP authorisation requirements state that both the ASP/2 company and workers or subcontractors undertaking Level 2 contestable work must be appropriately authorised.
Endeavour Energy similarly requires workers operating on or near its electricity network to be authorised for the tasks they perform.
For Sydney customers, this matters because Ausgrid and Endeavour Energy operate different distribution areas, and relevant Level 2 work needs to comply with the requirements applying to that network.
So when a job genuinely requires a Level 2 ASP, it is worth checking more than whether somebody simply advertises themselves as “Level 2”.
This is where the distinction becomes more interesting.
A single project can contain both ordinary electrical work and Level 2 ASP work.
Consider an older Sydney home’s switchboard.
A general electrician may be able to replace or upgrade many components of the switchboard itself. But during inspection, the existing installation might reveal:
At that point, the project is no longer simply a switchboard job.
The internal installation and network-connected supply need to be considered together.
This is one advantage of using a contractor that specialises in Level 2 work but can also complete general electrical work. Where both scopes are involved, the project can be approached as one electrical system rather than treating the network-side and property-side components as unrelated problems.
A recent project completed by our team shows how quickly the boundary between general and Level 2 work can become relevant.
For a private power pole and consumer mains upgrade in Western Sydney, the property required substantially more than a standard switchboard upgrade.
The work involved:
The property was within the Endeavour Energy network area, and the project required the supply pathway to be considered from the service connection through to the switchboard.
This is a useful example because the switchboard was still an important part of the project, but addressing the switchboard alone would not have resolved the broader supply requirements.
The right question was not simply, “Do we need a switchboard electrician?”
It was:
What work does the complete electrical upgrade require, and which parts need Level 2 authorisation?
Not necessarily.
Many switchboard upgrades can be completed by a suitably licensed electrician without becoming a Level 2 project.
For example, replacing outdated protection devices, installing safety switches or modernising components within an existing compliant supply arrangement may fall within general electrical work.
Level 2 involvement can become necessary when the upgrade also requires work such as:
This is why it is better to have the existing installation assessed before assuming the scope of an upgrade.
Two Sydney homes may both need a new switchboard but require very different work behind the scenes.
What About Consumer Mains?
Consumer mains are another area where property owners can understandably become confused.
In simple terms, consumer mains form part of the electrical supply pathway between the point of supply and the property’s main switchboard. Their exact arrangement depends on the property and connection type.
If consumer mains are old, damaged, undersized or need to be altered as part of a supply upgrade, the project can involve Level 2 work depending on the connection arrangement and scope.
This commonly arises during:
The electrician assessing the job should determine which parts are general electrical installation work and which parts require ASP Level 2 accreditation and network authorisation.
That is far more reliable than trying to decide based on the words “consumer mains” alone.
Again, not automatically.
Installing an EV charger is generally electrical installation work. However, a property may not have sufficient available capacity for the proposed charger without changes to its existing electrical supply.
Similarly, adding three-phase equipment does not automatically mean Level 2 work is required, but upgrading the property from single-phase to three-phase supply can involve changes extending beyond the internal installation.
A project could therefore begin with a general electrical objective:
“I want a faster EV charger.”
and ultimately involve questions about:
The desired appliance does not determine whether you need a Level 2 electrician. The electrical work required to safely support it does.
An electrical defect notice can involve either relatively contained issues or problems associated with the property’s supply infrastructure.
Examples can include defects involving:
The notice itself should identify the defect and the timeframe or actions required.
If the rectification involves Level 2 contestable work, an appropriately accredited and authorised ASP will be required for that component.
This is another reason to provide the electrician with a copy of the actual defect notice when first making contact. It helps determine the likely scope and whether specialist Level 2 capability is required.
If you have lost power, the right contact depends on where the fault is located and whether the outage affects only your property or the surrounding network.
A widespread local outage may be an electricity distributor issue.
A fault within your property’s internal circuits may require a general electrician.
A problem involving the incoming service connection, damaged consumer mains, point of attachment or other relevant supply infrastructure may require a Level 2 ASP.
You should never approach, touch or attempt to inspect damaged electrical supply equipment yourself, particularly following storms, vehicle impacts, fallen trees or damaged overhead lines.
If there is an immediate electrical danger, keep clear of the affected area and contact the appropriate emergency service or electricity distributor as required.
Yes, provided they hold the appropriate electrical licence and operate within that scope.
“Level 2” describes additional accreditation for particular contestable service work. It does not prevent an appropriately licensed electrician from carrying out ordinary electrical work.
This is an important point because the distinction is sometimes presented as though customers must choose between two completely separate professions.
In reality, an experienced Level 2 electrical contractor may also undertake:
For our team, Level 2 work is a specialist capability, while general electrical services allow us to help where a project extends beyond the network connection or turns out not to require ASP work at all.
That can be particularly practical for older properties and larger upgrades, where the final scope is not always obvious until the existing electrical installation has been inspected.
Do not rely solely on advertising terminology.
For Level 2 work, the important considerations include whether the provider:
Ausgrid explicitly requires ASP/2 companies to hold appropriate accreditation for the contestable work they intend to undertake, while workers carrying out Level 2 work require individual authorisation. Endeavour Energy likewise uses an authorisation framework based on training, qualifications, experience and competency.
For homeowners, the practical takeaway is simple:
Level 2 is a specific accreditation and authorisation framework, not just a description of an experienced electrician.
If the job is entirely within your property’s normal electrical installation, a general licensed electrician will usually be the appropriate starting point.
If the work involves specified parts of the incoming service connection, overhead or underground services, supply disconnection and reconnection, consumer mains or other contestable service work, you may require a Level 2 ASP electrician with the appropriate class and network authorisation.
And sometimes you need both skill sets on the same project.
You do not need to diagnose that distinction yourself.
If you explain what is happening at the property, share any defect notice or network correspondence and describe any upgrade you are planning, a suitably experienced electrician should be able to identify what work is required and whether Level 2 involvement is necessary.
For Sydney properties across the Ausgrid and Endeavour Energy network areas, the Level 2 Electrician Sydney team can assist with specialist Level 2 ASP work as well as general residential and commercial electrical services.
If you are unsure which type of electrician your job requires, call 0468 088 764 and tell us what is happening. We can help identify the likely scope, explain your options and arrange the appropriate electrical work.
Whether you have an urgent 21-day defect notice to clear on a family home, need everyday enhancements like architectural lighting and rapid EV charger installations, or require high-capacity three-phase switchboard upgrades for a commercial business or strata portfolio, our team is ready to assist.
Contact Level 2 Electrician Sydney today to speak with our team about your property’s requirements.
Call 0468 088 764 now or request a callback here for a prompt follow up.
