installing or replacing Your home Consumer unit

n the UK, you can typically expect to pay between £650 and £850 for a modern, fully compliant consumer unit upgrade in a standard 3-bedroom home.

However, because every home’s electrical system is unique, a fixed "one-size-fits-all" price doesn't exist. Here is exactly what determines where your home falls on that scale:

• The Size of Your Home (Number of Circuits): Every area of your home—from your kitchen sockets to your electric shower—is on a different circuit. More circuits require a larger board with more physical parts, which takes longer to install and test.

• Your Earthing System (e.g., TT Systems): If your home relies on a "TT system" (where your earthing relies on a physical metal electrode driven into the ground rather than a utility cable), we have to install extra specialized protection devices to keep you safe.

• The Condition of Your Existing Wiring: Before we power up a new board, we carry out a full safety test. If your old wiring has hidden faults, we have to fix them first so the new, highly sensitive safety switches don't constantly trip.

What is included in our £650–£850 package?

Unlike cheap "board swaps" that bypass safety regulations, our complete upgrade service includes:

1. A Premium Metal Consumer Unit: Fitted with individual RCBOs (highly sensitive safety switches that isolate only the faulty circuit, meaning a faulty toaster won't plunge your entire house into darkness).

2. Surge Protection Device (SPD): Safeguards your expensive electronics, TVs, and appliances from damaging power surges.

3. Full Electrical Testing & Certification: We test every single circuit in your home to guarantee it is completely safe.

4. Building Control Notification: We handle the official legal paperwork with your local council and issue your Part P compliance certificate.

Older fuse boxes and early‑generation consumer units often lack modern safety features such as RCBO protection, surge protection, and reliable fault isolation. If your board is outdated, overloaded, damaged, or showing signs of heat or deterioration, upgrading ensures your home meets current electrical safety standards and is protected against modern electrical risks. 

• New metal consumer unit (fire‑resistant)

• Full RCBO protection for every circuit

• Surge protection device (SPD)

• Tidy re‑termination of all circuits

• Full testing of the entire installation

• BS 7671 certification

• Building Control notification

Everything is installed neatly, labelled clearly, and tested thoroughly.

Most upgrades take 2–5 hours, depending on the number of circuits and the condition of the existing wiring. If issues are found during testing — such as faults, incorrect wiring, or deteriorated insulation — additional time may be required to make the installation safe and compliant. 

Yes, power is turned off while the old unit is removed and the new one installed. I restore power as soon as testing is complete. You’ll always be told in advance how long the outage is expected to last. 

Yes. A consumer unit upgrade requires full testing of every circuit to ensure the wiring is safe and compliant. If any faults are found, they must be resolved before the new board can be signed off.

If a circuit fails testing, for example:

due to a neutral‑to‑earth fault, damaged cable, incorrect polarity, or deteriorated insulation. 

I would explain the issue clearly and provide options for repair. Some faults can be fixed immediately; others may require additional work. 

• RCD protects against earth leakage and electric shock.

• MCB protects against overload and short‑circuit.

• RCBO combines both protections into one device.

Modern consumer units use RCBOs on every circuit, giving better fault isolation and improved safety.

• Continuity testing

• Insulation resistance

• Polarity checks

• Earth fault loop impedance

• RCD/RCBO testing

• Functional testing of all circuits

• Visual inspection of terminations and wiring routes

These tests confirm the installation is safe, compliant, and ready for long‑term use.

• Continuity testing

• Insulation resistance

• Polarity checks

• Earth fault loop impedance

• RCD/RCBO testing

• Functional testing of all circuits

• Visual inspection of terminations and wiring routes

These tests confirm the installation is safe, compliant, and ready for long‑term use.

Yes. Modern boards are compact, clean, and neatly labelled. I always tidy and re‑terminate circuits to improve layout and accessibility.