When Do You Need a Level 2 Electrician in Sydney?

A Level 2 Accredited Service Provider (ASP) is a licensed electrician who holds an additional accreditation from the NSW Distribution Network Service Provider (DNSP) — either Ausgrid or Endeavour Energy — to work on the network side of the meter. This includes work on the service line between the street network and your property, the main service fuse, the metering equipment, and certain underground and overhead service infrastructure.

The distinction matters because the electrical installation in your home is divided into two parts: the consumer installation (everything from the meter board into your home — your domain, managed under the NSW Electricity (Consumer Safety) Act) and the service infrastructure (the network side — regulated by the DNSP and requiring Level 2 accreditation to touch).

Level 2 ASP accreditation is issued separately for Ausgrid and Endeavour Energy service areas, and an electrician must hold the relevant accreditation for your area. Greater Sydney is split between the two: Ausgrid covers the eastern, northern, and inner western suburbs; Endeavour Energy covers the western, south-western, and southern outer suburbs.

The following jobs can only legally be performed by a Level 2 ASP — a standard licensed electrician cannot do this work regardless of their experience:

• 1. New overhead service connection — when a new home or granny flat requires a connection to the overhead distribution network for the first time.
• 2. New underground service connection — trenching and connecting a cable from the street pit to your switchboard. Required for new builds and many extensions.
• 3. Supply capacity upgrade — increasing the amperage of your main service (e.g., from 63A to 100A) to support high-demand equipment, EV chargers, or large solar systems. This requires the main service fuse to be upgraded by the DNSP.
• 4. Solar metering installation — connecting a solar system to the grid requires the installation of a bi-directional or export meter. Only a Level 2 ASP can work on the metering side of the installation.
• 5. Off-peak metering and reconnection — if you have or want hot water or pool heating on a controlled (off-peak) tariff, the relay and ripple receiver circuit is on the metering side and requires Level 2 access.
• 6. Temporary builder's supply — a Level 2 is required to connect a temporary construction supply for a building site.
• 7. Reconnection after disconnection — if power has been disconnected by the DNSP (e.g., after a significant fault or during a property sale), reconnection requires a Level 2 to liaise with the network.
• 8. Underground main replacement — replacing an aged or damaged underground cable from the pit to the meter board.

A standard licensed electrician holds a NSW Fair Trading electrical contractor licence and can perform all wiring work within your home, including switchboard upgrades, new circuits, power points, lighting, air conditioning, EV charger installation (the consumer side), and solar system inverter wiring.

The standard electrician cannot touch the service fuse, the metering equipment, the overhead service line, the underground cable from the pit to the meter, or any equipment on the network side of the meter. Attempting this work without Level 2 accreditation is illegal under the National Electricity Law and DNSP connection agreements.

For EV charger installations and solar systems, you will typically need both a standard electrician (to run the circuit from the switchboard to the charger or inverter) and a Level 2 ASP (to upgrade metering or service capacity if required). In many cases, one contractor holds both qualifications and can manage the entire scope.

Sydney's electricity distribution is split between two network operators. Ausgrid covers approximately 1.7 million customers across the eastern, northern, and inner-western suburbs — including the City of Sydney, North Shore, Eastern Suburbs, Northern Beaches, and inner west. Endeavour Energy covers the western and south-western suburbs, including Parramatta, Penrith, Blacktown, Liverpool, and the Blue Mountains.

Level 2 ASP accreditation is issued separately for each network, and a Level 2 ASP must hold accreditation for the relevant network to work in that area. When engaging a Level 2 electrician, confirm they are accredited for the correct DNSP for your location.

Connection timeframes and application processes also differ between the two networks. Ausgrid connections typically require a formal network application and can take four to eight weeks for capacity upgrades. Endeavour Energy processes vary by work type. Your Level 2 ASP handles all DNSP liaison as part of the job.

When searching for a Level 2 electrician, ask the contractor to confirm their ASP number and which network (Ausgrid, Endeavour Energy, or both) they are accredited for. This can be verified on the respective network's approved contractor lists.

All Level 2 ASP electricians in the Connect Electric network are pre-verified against both the NSW Fair Trading licence register and the relevant DNSP accreditation register. When you submit a job request flagged as Level 2 work, we match you only with contractors who hold the correct accreditation for your suburb.

A Level 2 job almost always requires a standard electrical contractor licence as well — most Level 2 ASPs hold both qualifications and manage the full scope of the network connection and internal wiring.