Fuseboard Upgrades & Consumer Unit Replacements

A fuseboard upgrade replaces your old fuse box with a modern consumer unit that meets the current 18th Edition wiring regulations (BS 7671). If your home still has an older board – particularly one with rewirable fuses, no RCD protection, or a wooden back – it does not have the safety features that modern consumer units provide.

The most important of those features is RCD (Residual Current Device) protection. An RCD monitors the current flowing through your circuits and cuts the power in a fraction of a second – typically 30 milliseconds – if it detects a fault to earth. This dramatically reduces the risk of electric shock and significantly reduces the risk of electrical fires. Older fuseboards with rewirable fuses or cartridge fuses do not have this protection.

Most properties built or last rewired before 2000 will benefit from an upgrade. It is one of the most common jobs we carry out, and one of the most worthwhile – a new consumer unit brings your home's electrical safety up to the current standard in a single day.

We are NICEIC registered, which means the work is self-certified under Part P of the Building Regulations and notified to Building Control on your behalf.

Signs Your Fuseboard Needs Replacing

You do not always need an electrician to tell you your fuseboard is outdated, there are several visible signs you can check yourself:

• Rewirable fuses – the type with a visible wire running through a ceramic or Bakelite holder. These do not trip automatically when there is a fault – the wire melts, which takes longer and provides less protection. If you have rewirable fuses, your board was installed before the 1970s or is significantly outdated.
• No RCD protection – look at your fuseboard and check whether it has switches labelled RCD or RCCB. If it does not, there is no automatic protection against earth faults. This is the single most important safety upgrade a modern consumer unit provides.
• Old-style cartridge fuses – safer than rewirable fuses but still lack the sensitivity and speed of modern MCBs (miniature circuit breakers). Cartridge fuse boards were common in the 1980s and 90s.
• A wooden back board – if your fuseboard is mounted on a piece of wood, it does not meet current fire safety standards. Modern consumer units are metal-clad and provide a degree of fire containment.
• Burning smell, scorch marks, or discolouration around the board – this is urgent. Switch off the main supply and call us immediately on 01252 265094.
  Frequent tripping – while occasional tripping is normal (it means your safety devices are working), a board that trips regularly with no obvious cause may have deteriorating connections or components that are reaching the end of their life.
• You are having other electrical work done – if you are adding a new circuit for an EV charger, having rooms rewired, or installing a new shower, your existing board may not have enough spare capacity. A board upgrade at the same time often makes sense.

If you are not sure whether your problem is an emergency, call us on 01252 265094 and we will tell you honestly. We would rather save you the call-out fee and book a standard appointment than charge emergency rates for something non-urgent.

Dual RCD vs RCBO – Which Board Do We Recommend?

There are two main types of modern consumer unit. A dual RCD board splits your circuits across two RCD-protected banks. It is the most cost-effective option, but if the RCD on one bank trips, you lose all the circuits on that side – typically half your house.

An RCBO board gives each circuit its own individual protection. If one circuit trips, everything else stays on. This is more convenient, slightly more expensive, and is what we recommend for most installations. We will explain the difference and let you decide – there is no wrong answer, as both options provide RCD protection on every circuit.