Asbestos Meter Panels: How to Spot One and What to Do

An asbestos meter panel is the backing board behind the meter and fuses in an older home, made from a composite that contains asbestos. Left intact and undisturbed, it is generally a low-risk item. It becomes a problem when someone drills, cuts, sands or breaks it, which is exactly what happens during a meter replacement, a switchboard upgrade or a single phase to three phase upgrade. If your Sydney property was built or wired before the early 2000s, assume the panel may contain asbestos until it has been properly assessed, and book a Level 2 electrician before anyone touches it.

TL;DR

• Meter and switchboard panels made or imported before 1 January 2004 may contain asbestos, and most switchboards installed before 1990 are very likely to.
• You cannot confirm asbestos by looking at a panel. Test it, or treat it as asbestos and take precautions.
• An intact panel that nobody touches is not the emergency. Drilling, cutting or repairing it is where the risk starts.
• Upgrades, repairs and metering changes on an asbestos panel usually mean the panel is replaced, and the old board must be disposed of properly.
• Do not open, drill or patch the board yourself. Call a Level 2 electrician who plans the job around the asbestos.

Table of Contents

• What an asbestos meter panel actually is
• Which Sydney properties are likely to have one
• How to tell whether your panel contains asbestos
• Is an asbestos meter panel dangerous if I leave it alone?
• How asbestos affects meter, switchboard and phase upgrades
• What this means for your project
• Our perspective on asbestos meter panels
• Get your meter panel checked by a Level 2 electrician
• FAQ
• Sources

What an asbestos meter panel actually is

Until the 1980s, manufacturers made electrical backing boards from asbestos mixed with resin or coal tar pitch. The NT WorkSafe bulletin on switchboard and meter panels describes older panels as an asbestos/resin or asbestos/coal tar pitch composite. The material was cheap, heat resistant and a good electrical insulator, so it was used widely.

In a typical meter box or switchboard, asbestos can turn up in several places. According to the Queensland Government asbestos guidance on switchboards and meters, asbestos was commonly used:

• as an electrical insulator on meter boards and panels
• as bases for busbars
• in spark arresters and flash guards
• as textile wadding inside porcelain fuse holders

The same guidance notes that brand names such as Zelemite, Lebah, Miscolite and Ausbestos may be stamped on the back of the panels. These are the names an electrician looks for when a board is lifted or removed.

The panel is usually a flat, dark grey or black board, though colour alone proves nothing. It is the board that holds the meter, the main switch, and the old ceramic fuse holders or early circuit breakers. If you have the older style of board with rewireable fuses, you are in the group of homes most likely to have asbestos behind them.

Which Sydney properties are likely to have one

Age is the best clue you have. The Queensland guidance says switchboard panels and meter boards constructed or imported before 1 January 2004 may contain asbestos, and that most switchboards installed before 1990 are very likely to contain it. Safe Work Australia confirms that asbestos use has been prohibited since December 2003, and that it can still be found in older buildings and products, including electrical insulation, switchboards and meters.

In Sydney, that covers a lot of housing stock. Think of:

• Inner West and eastern suburb cottages and semis, such as those around Marrickville, Earlwood and Maroubra, where the original wiring has been patched over decades.
• Post-war brick homes and fibro houses across Western and South-Western Sydney, where the original meter board is still on the wall.
• Older unit blocks and strata buildings, which may have a common meter room with several panels, or individual meter boxes on each landing.
• Older shops, warehouses and small commercial premises that have never had a full electrical upgrade.

A home that has been renovated may still have the original meter panel. Renovations often add a new switchboard or circuit breakers next to the old board without removing the backing panel behind the meter. So a recently updated kitchen tells you nothing about the board outside.

If your property was built after 2004, the risk is low, though a panel imported or manufactured earlier could theoretically still turn up. If it was built before 1990, assume the worst.

How to tell whether your panel contains asbestos

Here is the honest answer: you cannot tell by looking. The Queensland guidance states you cannot tell whether a material contains asbestos just by looking at it, unless it is labelled or has brand names in place. The advice is to have the material tested, or to assume asbestos is present and take suitable precautions.

That shapes what you should and should not do.

What you can safely do

• Look at the board from the front, with the cover closed, and note the age of the property and any obvious signs of age, such as ceramic fuse holders.
• Take photos of the meter box and switchboard from a few angles and share them with your electrician.
• Check your paperwork for earlier electrical certificates or building records that show when the board was installed.
• Tell any tradesperson working on the property that you suspect asbestos, before they arrive.

What you should not do

• Do not remove the cover of the meter box. The meter box and the area behind the meter are the supply authority’s equipment, and live parts are exposed.
• Do not drill, screw, cut, sand or scrape the board to fix something to it.
• Do not use a household vacuum cleaner or broom on dust or debris inside the box.
• Do not break a cracked panel off to see what is behind it.

A brand name on the back of a panel is a strong sign, but you will only see it when the board is already off the wall or lifted away. A Level 2 electrician can inspect the board, note what they can see safely, and arrange sampling by an appropriate professional if you want a definite answer rather than an assumption. In practice, with an older board, most electricians simply treat the panel as asbestos-containing and plan the work that way.

Is an asbestos meter panel dangerous if I leave it alone?

Not usually. The risk with asbestos comes from fibres released into the air and breathed in. A solid, intact backing board that is firmly fixed, undamaged and behind a closed cover does not release fibres in any meaningful way. That is why the sensible position for many homeowners is to leave it alone until there is a reason to work on it.

There are exceptions worth taking seriously:

• Damage. A cracked, crumbling or broken panel is a different situation. The Queensland guidance notes that meter boxes fitted with such panels may contain friable asbestos dust or debris inside, and that the inside of the front covers of older electro-mechanical meters may contain asbestos as well.
• Heat and arcing. Old boards with overloaded circuits, scorching or burnt fuses carry an electrical risk on top of the asbestos one. Burn marks are a reason to call for an inspection promptly.
• Planned work. If you plan to add circuits, change the meter, install solar, a battery or an EV charger, the panel will probably be disturbed.

If the panel is damaged or the electrical supply is faulty, our emergency electricians can make the situation safe. Keep people and pets away from the board, leave it closed, and do not clean up any debris yourself.

Why the caution about drilling? The NT WorkSafe bulletin says that if drilling, cutting or sanding of asbestos panels is to be undertaken, a risk assessment and an asbestos management plan must be prepared. That is a requirement placed on those carrying out the work, and it is a good reason not to let a handyman bolt a new device to the old board.

How asbestos affects meter, switchboard and phase upgrades

The moment you ask for any change at the board, the asbestos question moves from background to project-defining.

Work on the panel triggers replacement

The NT WorkSafe bulletin states that any modification, maintenance or repair on a metering panel at the customer’s request requires replacement of asbestos-type panelling. Its broader position is that panels containing asbestos should be replaced with modern materials whenever possible, to reduce ongoing hazards. Those are Northern Territory rules, but the approach reflects the national direction: asbestos panels are not repaired and patched, they are replaced.

In practice, this means these jobs will usually involve a new panel:

• a switchboard upgrade
• a single phase to three phase power upgrade or other service and mains changes
• a meter relocation or replacement
• adding solar, a battery, an EV charger or a generator that needs a new connection arrangement
• repairs where a component is mounted on the asbestos board

Old fuses must go

If your board still has rewireable fuses, there is a second issue. The Western Australian guidance, Switchboard panel repair work and asbestos safety, notes that the wiring rules prohibit replacing a semi-enclosed rewireable fuse with another semi-enclosed rewireable fuse. The fuse has to be replaced with a circuit breaker. So a simple fuse replacement on an old board can turn into a bigger job, because the circuit breaker may not fit onto the old panel without disturbing it.

That is why a quick call to “just replace a blown fuse” on an older Sydney home often ends with a recommendation for a switchboard upgrade. It is not an upsell. It is the correct way to do the work.

How the work is done safely

The Queensland safe work procedure for removing a small package electrical switchboard gives a clear picture of what proper practice involves. Electrical workers should be trained, carry out a risk assessment, and use personal protective equipment and dust suppression. The listed PPE includes a P2 disposable mask or half-face respirator and disposable coveralls. The board is sprayed with water, or water mixed with PVA glue, to suppress dust and residues.

This is why a licensed electrician arriving with a drill and no plan is the wrong answer for an older board. The preparation matters as much as the electrical work.

Disposal is not optional

The Queensland switchboard guidance says that if a switchboard contains asbestos, it can only be transported for disposal. Older boards can no longer be reused and must be decommissioned and safely disposed of. You cannot keep the old panel for the shed, hand it to a mate, or put it in the household bin.

Who can remove it in NSW

In NSW, the licensing rules depend on the type and amount of asbestos. According to Service NSW, a Class A licence covers any amount of friable asbestos, while a Class B licence covers any amount of non-friable asbestos, and Class A holders can also do Class B work. No licence is required to remove less than 10 square metres of non-friable asbestos or asbestos-containing material.

A typical meter panel is a small, non-friable board, so it often falls below that threshold. That does not make it a casual job. The safety steps above still apply, and a damaged panel with dust or debris is a different matter altogether, because friable material needs a licensed removalist. If you are unsure which category applies, ask before work starts, and do not accept vague answers.

What this means for your project

Before you book any upgrade on an older board, run through this short checklist:

1. Check the age. Built or wired before 1990? Assume asbestos.
2. Photograph the board (cover closed) and list what you want done.
3. Ask the electrician how they handle suspected asbestos. You want to hear about a risk assessment, PPE, dust suppression and licensed disposal.
4. Ask what is in the quote. Panel replacement and disposal should be spelled out, not left as a surprise on the day.
5. Plan for a power outage. Replacing a panel means the supply is off for a period, so organise around fridges, medical equipment and work-from-home needs.
6. Keep your paperwork. Certificates of compliance and records of the work help with future sales, insurance and property management.

Property managers and strata committees should add one more step: record any known or presumed asbestos in the building’s asbestos register and plan the meter room work in advance rather than waiting for a fault.

Our perspective on asbestos meter panels

We see older meter boards every week, and the pattern is consistent. Most people find out about asbestos in the middle of a job: a smart meter or solar installer turns up, spots the old backing board and stops. That is the correct response, but it leaves the homeowner with a delay and a lot of questions.

Our view is that the best time to deal with it is before the installer arrives. If you know your board is old, get a Level 2 electrician to look at it first. A Level 2 accredited service provider can work on the connection point, the service mains and the metering side of the installation, which an ordinary electrician cannot. That matters, because an asbestos panel often sits right at the point where the network supply meets your wiring.

A few principles guide how we approach these jobs:

• Safety first, always. If we suspect asbestos, the plan changes before a tool is picked up.
• Be upfront. Customers should know what a panel replacement involves, and what it will mean for the power supply on the day.
• Fix the cause, not the symptom. Replacing a panel because it is faulty, then leaving an overloaded board in place, only moves the problem. If the board is at its limit, upgrade it properly.
• Compliance is the baseline. We work to NSW standards, and we would rather lose a quick job than cut a corner on one.

We also offer free site inspections for Level 2 work, so you can find out what is involved before you commit to anything. If you are a senior, ask us about our discounts.

— Christopher

Get your meter panel checked by a Level 2 electrician

If you suspect an asbestos meter panel, or you are planning an upgrade on an older board, we can help. High Demand Electrical is a certified Level 2 electrical contractor serving Sydney, with 24/7 emergency support and over 300 five-star reviews. Our team handles switchboard upgrades, metering, power supply upgrades and defect rectification, and we offer free site inspections for Level 2 work.

If you want a first look at an older board before you plan an upgrade, book through our Level 2 electrician page. For homes in the Inner West, our Marrickville switchboard upgrade page has local details. If you also want the rest of the installation looked at, our electrical maintenance service covers safety switch testing and standard checks.

FAQ

When was asbestos banned in Australia?

Asbestos use has been prohibited in Australia since December 2003, according to Safe Work Australia. Products made or imported before 1 January 2004 may still contain it. That is why older meter panels and switchboards remain a concern today.

Can I tell if my meter board has asbestos by looking at it?

No. You cannot confirm asbestos just by looking, unless the panel is labelled or carries a brand name such as Zelemite, Lebah, Miscolite or Ausbestos. The safe approach is to have the material tested or to assume it contains asbestos and take precautions. A Level 2 electrician can inspect the board and advise.

Do I have to replace an asbestos meter panel?

Not if it is intact and untouched. But any modification, maintenance or repair at the metering panel generally means the asbestos-type panelling is replaced, as set out in NT WorkSafe guidance. In practice, upgrades, meter changes and fuse-to-breaker conversions on an older board lead to a new panel.

Can an electrician remove an asbestos meter panel in NSW?

In NSW, no licence is required to remove less than 10 square metres of non-friable asbestos-containing material, which can include a small meter panel. Friable asbestos or larger amounts need a licensed removalist. Either way, the electrician should carry out a risk assessment, use PPE and dust suppression, and dispose of the board correctly.

Can I drill into or mount something on an old meter board?

No. Drilling, cutting or sanding an asbestos panel needs a risk assessment and an asbestos management plan, and it releases fibres if done carelessly. Leave the board alone and call a licensed electrician before attaching anything.

Sources

• Electrical switchboard panels and meter panels containing asbestos, NT WorkSafe
• Electrical switchboards and meters, Queensland Government asbestos guidance
• Asbestos, Safe Work Australia
• Removing a small package electrical switchboard, Queensland Government
• Switchboard panel repair work and asbestos safety, Government of Western Australia
• Apply for an asbestos removal licence, Service NSW

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