Electrical Wiring & Installation in Jeddah
Wiring and electrical installation are the parts nobody sees once the work is finished, which is precisely why quality shows up years later rather than days later.
New builds: planning before pulling cable
Before any cable is pulled we calculate expected loads for each area — air conditioning, kitchen, water heaters, and the lighting and socket points. That determines the number of circuits, the cross-section of each cable and the size of the board. Mistakes here are expensive because correcting them later means opening walls, whereas correcting them on paper costs nothing.
Existing buildings: when rewiring is the right answer
Older properties were designed for far lower loads than we use today. When faults recur in different places, when insulation has gone brittle or discoloured, or when cable cross-section is undersized for actual load, a partial repair treats the symptom and leaves the cause. We survey first and tell you plainly which option is cheaper over time — even when the cheaper option is the smaller one.
The Saudi electrical standard, briefly
Supply in the Kingdom is 230V at 60Hz — a frequency that differs from most countries running a similar voltage, which matters if you import an appliance built for 50Hz. The standard socket for new work is the British three-pin Type G, though older Jeddah buildings may still have other socket types or remnants of lower-voltage circuits from the unification programme. The regulatory reference for electrical work is the electrical part of the Saudi Building Code, SBC 401, which is derived from the American NEC. In practice that comes down to three things on every job: a conductor sized for the load and the installation method, appropriate protection at the board, and a sound, continuous earthing system.
When a property genuinely needs rewiring
A full rewire is expensive and age alone is not a reason for one. The real indicators are: circuits with no earth, or only two-pin sockets; insulation that has gone hard and cracks or crumbles when a cable is moved; a board with no residual current protection and no room to add any; circuits extended over the years through undocumented joints buried in walls; or repeated heating and tripping despite several localised repairs. Where two or more of those are present, patching becomes repeated spending on a single problem. Where there is one indicator confined to a particular circuit, renewing that circuit alone is usually enough.
What first fix and second fix mean
First fix is the conduit and cable pulled through walls and ceilings before plastering, with back boxes set and positions fixed. Second fix comes after painting: fitting faceplates, switches, sockets and light fittings, terminating the board and testing the circuits. The expensive mistakes all happen at first fix, because correcting them means opening a wall — which is why we ask for the positions of heavy furniture, appliances and televisions before anything is pulled. Any power or data point added at that stage costs a fraction of what it costs later.
Conductor sizes you'll typically see in a home
What is commonly found in residential installations, not a specification to work from. Final sizing depends on run length, installation method, ambient temperature and how many cables are grouped together, and is determined on site.
| Conductor size | Typical use | Common protection |
|---|---|---|
| 1.5 mm² | Lighting circuits | 10 A |
| 2.5 mm² | General socket circuits | 16 – 20 A |
| 4 mm² | Water heater, small AC | 20 – 25 A |
| 6 mm² | Air conditioner, electric oven | 32 A |
| 10 mm² | Sub-circuit, large AC | 40 A |
| 16 mm² | Sub-main feeding a board | 63 A |
You may also need internet and network cabling — the cheapest moment to pull data cable is during a rewire, before the walls close.
Signs your installation needs review
Breakers tripping repeatedly across different circuits
Lights dimming when a large appliance starts
Cable insulation that is brittle, cracked or discoloured
Permanent reliance on extension leads and adaptors
A full board with no room for another circuit
No earth-leakage breaker present in the board
Frequently Asked Questions
Not necessarily. If the existing conduit is sound and wide enough, new cable can often be drawn through it without breaking anything. We establish that at survey and set out the expected extent of work before starting, not after.
In most cases yes. We work in stages so parts of the property stay live while others are worked on, and we agree the order of those stages with you in advance around how you use the space.
The number of circuits, the floor area, the length of the runs, material quality, and whether existing conduit can be reused. A survey is necessary for an accurate figure — any estimate given without one is guesswork.
We always recommend it during a rewire. The earth-leakage breaker is what protects against electric shock, and it's missing from many older boards. Adding it while the work is open is far cheaper than as a separate job later.
Sometimes. If the new socket is close to an existing one on the same circuit and the conduit allows another cable to be drawn through, it can be done without breaking out. Adding a new circuit from the board, or a point some distance away, needs a new route. We assess that on site before promising anything.
It depends on the area, the number of points, and whether the building is under construction or occupied. Wiring a building under construction is quicker because the walls are open. Rewiring an occupied apartment is usually staged so parts of the home keep power throughout. We give a schedule after surveying, not before.
Yes. Earthing is what gives a residual current device a path to detect leakage and disconnect before current passes through a person. A circuit without an earth may run for years with no visible problem, but the first insulation failure in a metal-cased appliance becomes a direct hazard instead of an instant trip.