What Are the Electrical Requirements for a Retail Shop Fitout in Sydney?

What are the electrical requirements for a retail shop fitout in Sydney? A new retail tenancy needs a switchboard sized to AS/NZS 3000's own retail shop demand figures, RCD protection across every circuit, dedicated power for point of sale and signage, and a supply capacity check before the fitout is even designed, since many strip shop and shopping centre tenancies inherit a board that was never meant to carry a modern fitout's lighting and equipment load. Getting this assessed early avoids the common and expensive problem of a fitout finished on paper that the existing supply cannot actually run.

⚡ Quick Answers: Retail Shop Fitout Electrical Requirements

• How much power does a retail shop actually need? AS/NZS 3000's energy demand table for non domestic installations lists retail shops at 40 to 100 VA per square metre for light and power, plus 20 to 40 VA per square metre for air conditioning, giving a genuine baseline to size the fitout against.
• Do retail shops need safety switches on every circuit? Yes. Non domestic final subcircuits up to 32 A supplying socket outlets, lighting and equipment all need 30 mA RCD protection under AS/NZS 3000.
• Why does my existing tenancy's switchboard feel undersized? Many strip shop and older shopping centre boards were installed decades ago for a previous, much lighter use, and never upgraded as tenants added signage, point of sale systems and feature lighting.
• Do I need three phase power for a retail fitout? Larger format retail, anything with commercial refrigeration, or a shop running significant feature lighting and air conditioning usually needs three phase power, while a small single room shop can often stay on single phase.
• When should the switchboard be checked in a fitout timeline? Before the fitout is finalised, not after the shopfitter has already ordered lighting and signage based on an assumed supply that was never confirmed.
• Who pays for a switchboard upgrade in a leased tenancy? This depends on the lease terms, but it is worth resolving with the landlord before works start, since an undersized board is often a pre existing condition rather than something the new tenant caused.

1. Sizing the switchboard to real retail demand

AS/NZS 3000 gives retail shops their own named line in its non domestic energy demand table, at 40 to 100 VA per square metre for light and power with an average of 70, plus 20 to 40 VA per square metre for air conditioning. That is meaningfully higher than a typical office fitout once feature lighting, point of sale systems, security systems and any food or beverage equipment are added in, which is why sizing a shop fitout board on the previous tenant's circuit count alone is a common mistake.

A straightforward electrical safety inspection of the existing switchboard before design work starts tells the shopfitter and the electrician exactly what headroom is available, so lighting and equipment selections are not made against guesswork.

2. RCD protection across the whole fitout

Every circuit in a retail fitout, from general power points through to dedicated circuits for signage, point of sale and feature lighting, needs 30 mA RCD protection under AS/NZS 3000's non domestic rules for final subcircuits up to 32 A. This is one of the most commonly missed items in older tenancies that have been fitted out several times over by different tenants, each adding circuits without necessarily extending protection to match.

Checking this properly matters even more in a space with any food handling, water use, or an attached storeroom with its own power, since these are exactly the areas where a missing safety switch poses the most real risk.

3. Dedicated circuits for signage and point of sale

Illuminated signage, window displays and point of sale terminals all benefit from their own dedicated circuits rather than sharing a general power circuit with staff kitchenettes or storeroom equipment. A storeroom fridge or microwave tripping the same circuit as the shopfront point of sale system is a common, avoidable headache that a properly planned fitout circuit design simply does not run into.

This is a detail worth specifying directly with the shopfitter and electrician at the design stage, rather than discovering it once trading has already started.

4. Three phase power for larger format retail

A compact single room shop can often run comfortably on a single phase supply, but larger format retail, anything with significant commercial refrigeration, or a fitout with heavy feature lighting and air conditioning running together usually needs three phase power. A single phase to three phase upgrade is routine for these larger tenancies, and it is far easier to plan into a fitout budget upfront than to retrofit once trading has begun.

5. Checking for existing defects before the fitout starts

Older retail tenancies sometimes carry an outstanding defect notice or non compliant wiring left over from a previous tenant's fitout that nobody formally rectified. Picking this up during the pre fitout inspection, rather than during a council or insurance inspection after opening, saves a tenant from inheriting someone else's compliance problem. See our guide to defect notice rectification for how this process works in NSW.

Why it's Level 2 ASP work

Internal fitout wiring, circuit design and switchboard upgrades are licensed electrician work, but any tenancy needing a new connection, a bigger consumer mains, or a three phase supply for a larger format store needs a Level 2 Accredited Service Provider. A Level 2 electrician in Sydney is the one authorised to work on the service mains and connection point itself.

How High Demand Electrical helps

High Demand Electrical is a licensed local team, not a call centre, and we work directly with shopfitters, landlords and tenants to check what a tenancy's existing supply can actually carry before a single light fitting is ordered. We handle everything from switchboard upgrades through to full three phase connections for larger format retail, and we service fitouts across Sydney's West, South West and Sutherland Shire on timelines that respect a retailer's opening date.

Retail Shop Fitout Electrical FAQs (Sydney)

How do I know if an existing tenancy's switchboard is big enough for my fitout?

An electrical safety inspection against the fitout's planned lighting, signage and equipment load is the only reliable way to know, rather than assuming the previous tenant's setup will cover a new concept. See electrical safety inspection.

Do all retail shops need three phase power?

No. Smaller single room shops often run fine on single phase, while larger format retail, heavy refrigeration or significant feature lighting and air conditioning usually tip the balance toward three phase.

What is the most commonly missed electrical item in shop fitouts?

RCD protection on circuits added by a previous tenant, and dedicated circuits for signage and point of sale kept separate from storeroom power. Both are easy to miss without a proper pre fitout inspection.

Can I find out if my shop already has a defect notice against it?

A licensed electrician or Level 2 ASP can check this as part of a pre fitout inspection. See defect notice rectification for how outstanding defects get resolved.

How far in advance should the switchboard be checked before a fitout starts?

Before the shopfitter finalises lighting and equipment selections, ideally at the lease negotiation stage, so any supply limitations are known before money is committed to a design.

Planning a new retail fitout or expanding an existing tenancy? Get a Switchboard Upgrade Quote or call High Demand Electrical on 0402 559 777. Every job needs a site assessment before scope or pricing is confirmed, so we know exactly what your tenancy's existing supply can carry.

See HD Inner West's guide to optimising a commercial electrical fitout with a Level 2 electrician for more on planning supply capacity into a new shop fitout from day one.