Hello everybody. So I got this quotation from an electrician after he inspected my house.

Replace new main switch 63A: RM140
Replace new RCCB 63A: RM140
Remove old ceiling fan and install new: RM 45
New water heater point: RM130
Install water heater (+ wire and pipe): RM120
Remove old light fixture and install new: RM15
Replace fluorescent down light with LED down light (price includes new down light): RM25

I've already purchased the ceiling fans, water heaters and light fixtures. The electrician will provide the main switch, RCCB, any wires and pipes not included with the water heater and the LED down lights.

I did a search on the forums, found some prices but those were from years ago. I also did a search on Shopee to find out the prices of a main switch and RCCB, but I have no idea how much the labour cost of installing these items should be. Hoping some experienced homeowners or electricians out there can share their knowledge and up to date info and advise me if this quotation is reasonable. I'm not looking for cheap, just don't want to get chop.

Thank you in advance!

This post has been edited by epep: Apr 15 2025, 12:30 AM

reasonable price.

For the main switch and RCCB, I asked which brand the electrician will be using but he hasn't gotten back to me yet. I saw prices for Schneider and ABB on Shopee but those are more than what the electrcian quoted me, so I'm assuming he is going to use Maxguard. Is this Maxguard any good? I don't care about brand, I just want everybody at home to be safe.

Make sure not to use plug and socket connection for water heater, as this is against Suruhanjaya Tenaga guideline.


You can either:

1. connect the correct size electrical cable (4mm for water heaters with power rating below 5.711kW) from the bathroom switch outside your bathroom directly to the water heater, or

2. if the developer unit had mistakenly pre-installed with a 3-pin socket in the bathroom (which is definitely not compliant according to Suruhanjaya Tenaga), and u find it tedious to cover the junction box back with cement and paint, then alternatively u can replace it with a Water Heater Connector (eg. shown below, Shopee / Lazada). It is not a necessary product for water heater connection, just a quick fix for mistakes made by developers that have pre-installed 3-pin socket in the bathroom.








Also check to make sure the MCB, switch, and electrical cable for the water heater power connection are up to spec (refer to Suruhanjaya Tenaga guideline below). Power connection for water heater has to be a dedicated one, cannot be shared with any other appliances.

Thanks for the advice, Selene. Good to know! Is this a new guideline? Or is it just that, since it's a guideline and not a law, some electricians don’t follow it? My old water heater has a plug and is connected to a wall socket, but now I’m a bit concerned the electrician didn’t mention this during his inspection.

very cheap.......
At johor
remove old and install new ceiling fan can go rm80 to 120..
LED down light, rm 30 to 50

quite cheap lo, you expect pay him RM200 for everything issit?

I should’ve mentioned that I live in PJ. Around Klang Valley, installing a new ceiling fan through the big electrical/electronics shops usually costs between RM70 to RM100. But I’ve noticed that if you hire an electrician for multiple jobs or a full day, the rates tend to be much more reasonable.

Like I said, I'm not looking for the cheapest option—I just don't want to get overcharged. I'm sure you wouldn't want to pay RM200 if a reliable, honest electrician can do it for RM150. That said, I’m willing to pay more if it means better quality and safety for me and my family.

Price point looks reasonable but does it include running concealed or just external trunking? Also the lights/fans charges seems reasonable as you are doing multiple jobs so he can exclude transportation charges from the single charge.

Just need to confirm with him that all cables, switch, plug n socket are Sirim approved.

reasonable price compare with mine 5% discount, like ceiling fan charge me 50 but yours 45

This Suruhanjaya Tenaga guideline has been there for many years, and have to be followed by all SIRIM certified water heaters, which means that their instruction manuals will state the same requirements as the Suruhanjaya Tenaga guideline.

Here is Suruhanjaya Tenaga's contact details if u need further clarification.





What's the possible downside for not following the Suruhanjaya Tenaga guideline and the water heater's instruction manual?

1. Safety issue | The risk of electrocution and fire hazard is higher (especially true if your electrical components are wayyy under-spec'ed).

2. Liability / insurance / warranty claims issue | Since you are not following the instruction manual and Suruhanjaya Tenaga guideline, this provides a justification for the insurance companies to void your insurance claims / for the supplier to void your warranty claims, if your water heater is damaged or even (touch wood) caused harm to you (eg. fire / electrocution).

It's quite reasonable price...

Just make sure everything used is sirim approved

Overall, I would say your pricing is on the cheaper side of what is usually quoted in PJ

I just had a second electrician come to inspect the house. I'll provide an update on his pricing for future reference once he submits his estimates.

However, there are a couple of things he said that are making me a bit concerned:
1.He said it's okay to use a socket for the water heater.
2.He also said that he can install an ELCB/RCCB for the water heater circuit (and that it would be more expensive than the main house ELCB/RCCB), it's not necessary.

So I googled around and I found a document called "Guideline for the Design, Installation, Inspection, Testing, Operation and Maintenance of Water Heater Systems" on Suruhanjaya Tenaga's website. (Document link)

On page 18, it clearly states that sockets are not allowed for water heaters (this matches the diagram in Selene's post). And on page 16, there's a diagram that mentions "installation of RCD with leakage current sensitivity of 10mA in a wet area is a statutory requirement." I’m assuming an RCD refers to an ELCB/RCCB, right?

For point #1, I’m planning to buy a waterproof connector on Shopee and ask the electrician to use that instead of a regular socket.

For point #2, could someone explain in simple terms why the electrician says the RCD/ELCB/RCCB isn't needed? (The electrician was very nice and patiently explained it to me, but I don't fully understand, and since he was at my place for an hour, I didn’t want to hold him up any longer.) Edit: I found this link: RCCB for Water Heater

This post has been edited by epep: Apr 16 2025, 11:52 AM

There are rules and regulations that has to be followed for electrical installations. Some are technical based (like the size of a wire for a given load) some are safety based (like having a 10 mA RCCB for wet areas) and some are arbitrary (like all water heaters should have a minimum wiring of 4 mm²)

Let's expand a bit on the 4 mm² requirement for water heaters; an installer might try to convince you that your WH is only 3000 W so 2.5 mm² wire can be used as the current flowing is (3000W/230V = 13A) under the wire limit of 20 A. So this is an arbitrary requirement from ST. If you know what you are doing and accept the risks and consequences, then by all means save some money and use 2.5 mm² wiring. My professional opinion would be to strongly recommend you don't cut corners though.

(Aside for a complete look at the issue : The requirement for 4 mm² was introduced in 2000 (I think?) so there probably are millions of WH installations using 2.5 mm² wiring with no issues. They also do not have that 10 mA RCCB protection, again with no issues. But both of these are statutory requirements now)

In conclusion, follow everything that is stated as a requirement in the ST document that you downloaded, and do not hire any so called "electrician" who tells you otherwise.

Thanks for the input stormer.lyn! Will definitely keep these things in mind when talking with the electricians again.

Do electricians have to be registered under Suruhanjaya Tenaga? I ask because I couldn't find the first electrician or his company at the following links:
Senarai Kontraktor Elektrik Berdaftar
Senarai Orang Kompeten Elektrik Berdaftar

Thank you everybody for your input!

This post has been edited by epep: Apr 16 2025, 11:59 AM

Update:

Item	Electrician A	Electrician B	Electrician C
Replace new main switch 63A	RM140	RM800 (to change MCB, ELCB and main switch)	RM2000 (EPS, including new distribution box)
Replace new RCCB 63A	RM140	See above	See above
Remove old ceiling fan and install new	RM45	RM50	RM100
New water heater point	RM130 (repurpose aircon wiring)	RM560 (new wiring with ELCB)	RM1500 (includes installing water heater)
Install water heater (+ wire and pipe)	RM120	RM100	See above
Remove old light fixture and install new	RM15	RM20	RM35
Replace fluorescent down light with LED down light	RM25	RM28	RM35

Although electrician A is very cheap, I don't think he's following the Suruhanjaya Tenaga regulations.

Electrician B recommends to change everything in the DB box, as everything in there is almost 30 years old.

Probably will go with electrician B or C.

Update 2: Electrician C provided his quotation.

This post has been edited by epep: Apr 21 2025, 07:21 AM

Yeah curious about this too, am finding a contractor for reno but these contractors are like main con who handles the whole reno then they will ask their friends/contacts to do tiles, then another contact to do painting etc. etc. For electrician, I want to see how we can verify that they are actually competent and verified.

I know! It's a bit frustrating. I contacted 3 electricians to get their advice and price. Only the second electrician had his name and company listed on the ST website. The first electrician seemed a bit inexperienced, but the second and third in my "worthless" opinion seem to know what they were doing.

Are unlisted electricians even legal? I’ve been reading a lot on the forums, but most of the info doesn’t address this specific concern. Hopefully some experienced members here can share their insights.

Well, with cert doesn't mean do things the right way, and without cert doesn't mean things are done wrong/badly. This is M'sia so anything goes like chicken farmer (That's poultry, not anything other.....) from Indonesia coming here and becoming the "Kepala" at construction site.

So you have to decide based on other people's recommendation or from gut feeling

I get what you're saying. Malaysia is bolehland.I started this thread because I didn’t want to be charged unfairly, but now it’s more about figuring out which electrician is the most competent and safest.

You have your regular electrician?

Sure. But no need to ask who as he is also very choosy about customers. Not worth his time to layan all the lousy customers and end up with plenty of headache.

Ermm perhaps can PM me his contact? Kinda serious and need someone to check my electrical board

Sorry la, I introduced his number to a few members in LYN before, but he already tell me not to send his number to this board. He say here members always talk like millionaire, but in the end compare price with PATI worker then complain to him his price too expensive.

I've finally chosen electrician B based on the following factors:
1) He took the time to explain things clearly, offered options, and discussed the pros and cons of each.
2) He advises against replacing things unnecessarily, often saying, "Can change if you want, but the price will be higher."
3) He doesn't cut corners or suggest shortcuts (e.g. looping wire from an existing socket).
4) He's listed on the Suruhanjaya Tenaga website.
5) He works with his dad, and both his father and his father's company (which has been around over 25years) are also listed on the Suruhanjaya Tenaga website.
6) He's neither the cheapest nor the most expensive.
7) His office is just near my house

I'll post an update once he's done with the work—hopefully next week. Here's hoping for the best!

Mind to pm me his contact? I am looking for a qualified wireman or chargeman. Thank you

Sounds good. Let us know how it goes, and perhaps can share the person's contact through PM as well? Looking for electrician to check my subsale house electrical box as well, lots of sockets which I'm not sure what is what. Previous owner also I can't get in touch so couldn't ask the previous owner what did he do last time.

Just sharing my experience here...No intention to be sarcastic or what....

Based on my discussion with wiremen, most of the them are not certified or registered...If they are certified, they told me, they wont be doing such small jobs already like installing water heater and etc...

Hmm I think I understand. You mean they will be doing bigger jobs with bigger companies like MNC's right? Those professional industrial stuff etc.

Yes, you are right..the money from those big jobs are lucrative...especially with factories, hotels and etc...

Charges is one thing, but do you know what kind of material are they using ?

Some quote u cheap but using questionable material...

Some quote u mahal but they used high quality industrial grade material..

It can be subjective...

Just sharing this as I have been dealing with wiremen for a while...

Before they quote I have told them the exact specific material I want ...

For ie, electrical wires ...ada different brand..I used one of the best brand in MY...

Then you need to tell them the size coz got 1.0mm, 1.5 mm and etc...smaller size is cheaper...

Then conduit piping...got High Impact one or not...

DB box or fuse box...guna plastic or metal...Metal is better....

Fuse ler, ada banyak jenis...

The list just goes on....

Please review take pic and share his business card. Good job should be pinned

I would think lucrative is a relative term.

I got my bro's electrical contractor to lay new wiring for whole house, add plug points, lighting points, replace main db plus add sub db. He is on the registered competent electrician list. He told me his earnings from doing large project vs small ad hoc works does not differ much, but the larger project mean longer duration and more stable income.

True also...big projects ada risk, as collection is an issue...Main contractor sometimes delay payment....unless you are dealing direct with the factory or hotel...

Small project like homeowner rennovation, easy to collect money..payment sure okay one as homeowner will not lari payment...

Any fuse brand you recommend?

Your bro's electrical contractor sounds good. Can recommend to me please? PM

Heard of Hager ? There are also other renowned brands apart from Hager ...

I think you are mistaking contRactor for contactor

Apologies, he is more of doing my Bro a favour as he is already booked for other projects.

Good electricians seem to be in high demand. Even the guy I'm hiring (I don't know if he's good coz I haven't seen his work yet! Hopefully he turns out okay!) told me last week he could only come later this week. I'm not sure he even wants more work from the forums but I'll ask if he's okay with me sharing his contact.

I don't know if these companies make what you're looking for, but this is what the electricians told me when it comes to the components in the distribution box:

Branded (most expensive): Hager, Schneider, ABB
Midrange: Maxguard, EPS
Cheap: Molti9 (not to be confused with Schneider's Multi9 brand), many brands from China

People say good things aren't cheap and cheap things aren't good, but plenty of expensive things are just crap, and some cheap ones are actually decent. The previous owner of my house used Schneider, and every electrician who inspected my distribution box says it's a good brand, so I will be sticking with the same brand for the newer components.

epep

Hi, any update? If he is good, can you share his contact? In need of one in KL/Selangor area. Thanks.

Have you looked for Mah bayu? the famous electrician on FB