Consumer unit replacement
Fuse board upgrades and consumer unit replacement in Greenhithe, Dartford and north Kent: an old board out, a new one with RCBOs and surge protection in, every circuit tested, and the work notified to Building Control with a certificate for your records.
Registered with NICEIC under the Domestic Installer Scheme since September 2020 Check it on the NICEIC register
A finished replacement board, main switch and surge protection labelled.
Before and after
One job, from an EICR on a house in Tonbridge. The numbers on the new board are explained underneath.
Old style Fuseboard whick we carried out a EICR on ( No RCD or SPD to Fuseboard )
Replaced with RCBO / SPD Filuseboard
- Surge protection device (SPD)The two black modules. They send a voltage spike from the network to earth before it reaches the house.
- Main switchMarked 100A. Turns off everything on the board at once.
- RCBOsOne per circuit, each marked 30mA. A fault on one circuit trips that circuit and nothing else.
RCBOs and SPDs, in plain words
An old board like the one in the first photograph protects the cables from overload and short circuit, and that is all it does. What it does not do is protect people. An RCD watches the current going out on the line and coming back on the neutral, and if the two differ by as little as 30 milliamps, which is what happens when current is leaking to earth through a damaged cable or through a person, it switches off in a fraction of a second. An RCBO is an RCD and a circuit breaker in one device, fitted to each circuit separately, so a fault in the garden socket turns off the garden socket and leaves the fridge, the freezer and the lights alone. Older RCD boards often put half the house behind a single RCD, which is why one faulty kettle could plunge a whole floor into darkness. The surge protection device is the other half of a modern board: a voltage spike from the network, from a lightning strike or heavy switching nearby, is diverted to earth at the board instead of travelling on into the television, the boiler controls and the chargers. A fuse board upgrade puts both in, and the main switch, the labelling and the earthing are checked as part of the same job.
Consumer unit replacement cost
The price turns on the number of circuits, the state of the earthing and bonding, and whether any circuit fails its tests when it is reconnected, because a new board cannot be switched on over a fault. A photo of your existing board, sent with the form, lets David price most boards without a visit.
Notification
A new consumer unit is notifiable under Part P. As a NICEIC Domestic Installer, J D Kent Electrical can notify Building Control of notifiable work such as a new consumer unit, and the compliance certificate goes to the occupier within 30 days.
Source: legislation.gov.uk, Building Regulations 2010 reg 12; Approved Document P (2013), para 3.4
Consumer unit questions
Is a consumer unit replacement notifiable?
Yes. Replacing a consumer unit is notifiable under Part P of the Building Regulations. The installer or their registration body gives the occupier a copy of the Building Regulations compliance certificate within 30 days of the work being completed.
Will the power be off?
Yes, for most of the job. The supply is isolated while the old board comes out and the new one goes in, then every circuit is tested before it is switched back on. Plan for a working day without power.
Will my solicitor want the certificate?
If you ever sell, the TA6 form asks about electrical work and lists the replacement of a consumer unit among it. Keep the certificate with the house deeds.