Fuse Board & Consumer Unit Upgrades | Green Earth Electrical

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Fuse Board & Consumer Unit Replacements

Consumer Units and Fuse Boards are replaced or upgraded when they no longer meet the current 18th edition regulations (BS 7671) or otherwise unsuitable for continued use. Fuse Boards were installed many years ago in domestic homes as the major electrical unit to power all circuits within each property. Each circuit would be protected from overload current by a rewirable fuse. Consumer Units were later introduced and also installed as basically the modern and safer version to Fuse Boards. These contained circuit breakers (MCB) which again were a modern equivalent to a rewirable fuse.

Over time, as we modify our homes with new kitchens, bathrooms, homes offices and loft extensions, we are constantly putting more demand on the existing electrical installation and as a result, the Fuse Boards or Consumer Units may not be capable to carry the ‘electrical load’ or ‘amount of circuits’ it was originally designed for when it was installed, so will therefore need upgrading. This can also be proved from an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR), this is a formal document that is produced following an assessment of the electrical installation through a series of tests.

As we live in a world of changing times, the electrical regulations (BS 7671) are constantly changing too, many Fuse Boards and Consumer Units are now no longer compliant and as a result of this, for example, in domestic properties, all circuits are now required to have RCD protection. This is a life saving device which is designed to isolate the electrical supply and prevent you from getting an electric shock in the event of something going live. If your Consumer Unit doesn’t contain one of these safety devices, then urgent remedial action is required to remove potential danger.

A Consumer Unit upgrade is classed as notifiable work under PART P of the building regulations and should only be replaced by an NIC EIC registered electrician. Included in our price, the main tails and earth are checked and updated if required. All new consumer units come with a 12 month warranty, Electrical Installation certificate and building control will be notified after completion.

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