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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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!

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.