Sparkies aim to call you within the hour.
Get matched

Invercargill, Southland

Electricians in InvercargillCold winters, buried cables and the faults line to save.

We match Invercargill electrical jobs with one licence-checked local electrician who does that type of work. For a fault on the lines, PowerNet manages the Invercargill network and takes calls 24/7 on 0800 808 587.

Need a sparky in Invercargill?

  1. Your postcode and a few quick questions
  2. We match a licence-checked local electrician who specialises in your kind of job
  3. They call you to talk it through. No obligation to go ahead.
  • Practising licence and insurance checked before they hear about your job
  • One specialist for your kind of job, not a list of five to ring around
  • Only the electrician who takes your job gets your contact details
The red-brick Invercargill Water Tower under a cloudy sky.
Photo: Bernard Spragg, Wikimedia Commons

How power reaches Invercargill homes

Two lines companies, one manager

Electricity Invercargill owns the network across most of the city and Bluff, and some outer parts of the city are on The Power Company's surrounding network. PowerNet manages both, and its faults line is 0800 808 587. It asks people not to report faults by email.

Mostly underground

Electricity Invercargill's city network is almost entirely underground, with only a few streets still on overhead lines. It says that's why its network consistently performs as one of the most reliable in New Zealand.

The October 2025 storm

On 23 October 2025 Invercargill recorded a gust of 137 km/h and uprooted trees in Queens Park. PowerNet says more than 50,000 customers lost power in that storm, and some waited over two weeks.

Frosts and heating

NIWA says Invercargill averages 41 days a year below 0 °C. The Southland Warm Homes Trust, backed by local funders including Electricity Invercargill and the city council, has funded insulation and heating retrofits for over 10,000 Southland and West Otago homes since 2008.

Underground streets, overhead sections

Buried cables don't stop your own wiring having a bad day. PowerNet says you own the low voltage service lines on your property, including any poles, cables and fuses up to the isolating fuse at your boundary or the nearest pole, and you typically pay to fix faults on your side.

If you have an overhead service line, keep trees at least half a metre from it. PowerNet says that trimming has to be done safely by an experienced, qualified contractor, not off a ladder by the owner.

The jobs that come up in Invercargill

Heating. Long, cold winters put the switchboard to work. A heat pump, a heated towel rail or underfloor heating each want their own circuit, and an older board may not have room. WorkSafe says new lighting and power point circuits from the switchboard in a home need RCD protection, so adding circuits often brings a board upgrade with it.

Standalone houses. The 2023 Census found Invercargill households living in 19,440 separate houses and 2,580 joined dwellings. Most jobs are on a single house with its own board and service line, not a shared building.

Storm and lightning damage. A thunderstorm on 17 January 2009 flooded basement garages across the city and brought 160 lightning strikes. If water has reached a power point, light or appliance, leave it off until a licensed electrician has checked it.

Solar. Only about 1% of connections on Electricity Invercargill's network had solar in January 2026, below the national 2.80%. It's possible here, but ask the installer what output to expect in winter.

Before you ring PowerNet

  • See whether the neighbours' lights or the street lights are on. If they are, the problem may be at your place, such as a blown fuse.
  • Check your switchboard for a tripped breaker or RCD and reset it once.
  • Fallen line? Treat it as live, keep at least 10 metres away and call 111.
  • Note that PowerNet's outage map only shows outages on key parts of the network, so a small outage may not appear.

Our take for Invercargill

Before the next winter, we'd get an electrician to check the board can carry the heating you actually run, and add circuits properly rather than leaning on extension leads and plug-in heaters. If you have an overhead service line through trees, get them cut back by a qualified contractor while it's calm.

Want a specialist to sort it?

Tell us the job and your postcode. We match the licence-checked local electrician who does this kind of work, and they call you. No ring-around, and your number goes to them alone.

Get matched

Questions

Straight answers.

Who looks after the power line on my Invercargill section?

You do. PowerNet says the low voltage service lines, poles and fuses on your property are yours up to the boundary isolating fuse or nearest pole. An electrician can repair or replace them.

Is Invercargill's power less likely to go out?

The city network is almost entirely underground, which Electricity Invercargill says makes it one of the most reliable in New Zealand. Grid faults and big storms still cause outages, as October 2025 showed.

Can a landlord install a heat pump in an Invercargill rental?

Not themselves. Tenancy Services says heat pumps need a licensed electrician to install them, and landlords can't do electrical work in a rental unless they're licensed. A heat pump used for the healthy homes heating standard must have a thermostat.

Ready for a sparky in Invercargill?

Pop in your postcode and answer a few quick questions. We find the licensed local specialist for the job.

Related help

Helpful next

Electricians in SouthlandPowerNet's faults line, the October 2025 storm, cold-climate jobs and house records across Southland.Heat pump wiring and circuitsThe circuit, switchboard space and certificates behind a heat pump, and what the rental heating standard asks.Switchboard upgradesOld fuses, no RCDs or no room for a charger: when to upgrade, and the certificates and inspection to expect.Emergency electricians111, the lines company or an electrician? What to do first in an electrical emergency at home.Meter boards and mainsWho owns the meter, the meter board and the line to your house, and who to call when something's wrong.Electricians in GoreThe Power Company and PowerNet's faults line, the 2020 Mataura flood, frosty winters and older Gore wiring.

Where this information comes from

Rules change, so check with the EWRB, WorkSafe or Tenancy Services if something matters to your job. How we write and check these pages.

Get matched with a sparky