What is underground power installation?
Underground power installation is the conversion of an overhead (aerial) electrical service to an underground supply. Instead of the cable running from the street pole to your roof or wall via an overhead point of attachment, the consumer mains run underground in conduit from the network pillar, pit or pole to your switchboard. It is a popular upgrade for aesthetics, bushfire and storm resilience, and to clear overhead obstructions during a renovation or landscaping project. As network-side work, it must be performed by a Level 2 ASP.
The process involves trenching from the network connection point to your meter position, laying the consumer mains in approved conduit at the required depth, installing the underground point of attachment or connection pillar, and removing the redundant overhead service. Where the network pole or pit is on the far side of the street, the distributor may need to be involved in the connection at their asset. We confirm the route, manage the Ausgrid or Endeavour Energy application, coordinate any required council or restoration work over the trench, and complete the conversion to standard.
Underground power removes the most storm-vulnerable part of your supply, eliminates the visual clutter of aerial lines, and is often a prerequisite for a clean architectural result on a renovation. It also removes the risk of vegetation contact with your service line. Castellano Electrical has converted homes across Sydney from heritage cottages in the Inner West to large homes on the North Shore, and we manage trenching, conduit, connection and overhead removal as one coordinated job, leaving your supply underground, compliant and certified.
Why only a Level 2 ASP can do this work
Underground Power Installation is work on the network side of your electricity supply — the connection between the distributor's network and your meter. A standard electrician is licensed for the wiring inside your property, but only a Level 2 Authorised Service Provider (ASP) is authorised to connect, disconnect or alter that supply. If this work is done by a non-ASP, the distributor will not energise it and it has to be redone.
Castellano Electrical holds Level 2 ASP authorisation for both Ausgrid and Endeavour Energy, so we can carry out underground power installation anywhere in Greater Sydney and manage the distributor process for you. You can read more about electrical licensing in NSW via NSW Fair Trading.
The process, step by step
- Route & feasibility. We confirm the underground route from the network point to your switchboard and check feasibility with the distributor.
- Application & approvals. We lodge the connection application and arrange any council or restoration requirements over the trench.
- Trench & conduit. We trench the route and lay the consumer mains in approved conduit at the required depth.
- Connect underground. We install the underground connection and switchboard provisions and energise the new supply.
- Remove overhead. We remove the redundant aerial service and point of attachment and make good.
Key benefits
- Removes storm- and tree-vulnerable overhead lines
- Cleaner result for renovations, landscaping and heritage homes
- Consumer mains laid in approved conduit at correct depth
- Overhead service and point of attachment removed and made good
- Ausgrid or Endeavour Energy application coordinated for you
Distributor coverage & service areas
We provide underground power installation across both Sydney network areas. Your property's distributor determines the application process and standards, and we are authorised for both:
- Ausgrid: Ausgrid operates the electricity network across the Sydney CBD, eastern suburbs, inner west, lower and upper north shore, northern beaches, the Central Coast and the Hunter.
- Endeavour Energy: Endeavour Energy operates the network across Greater Western Sydney, the South West, the Blue Mountains, the Southern Highlands and the Illawarra.
Not sure which network covers you? Our Ausgrid vs Endeavour Energy service areas guide breaks it down suburb by suburb, or see all the Sydney areas we cover.
What does it cost?
Underground conversion cost is driven by trench length, surface type (lawn, driveway, road crossing) and restoration. Site-specific quote provided.