Do I need to upgrade my consumer unit?
A consumer unit upgrade is one of the most frequently oversold jobs in the trade. Sometimes it is exactly right. Sometimes it is an expensive way of avoiding the real problem.
Signs an upgrade is genuinely worth doing
The clearest case is a rewireable fuse board, the kind with fuse wire in ceramic carriers. There is no RCD protection, no way to know what has been rewired with what, and no realistic path to bringing it up to standard piece by piece.
The second clear case is a board that is full, so there is nowhere to add a circuit for a shower, an EV charger or a kitchen refit. The third is an EICR with several C3 observations that all trace back to the board.
- Rewireable fuse wire board still in service
- No RCD protection on socket or lighting circuits
- No spare ways for a new circuit
- Signs of overheating, scorching or a burning smell at the board
- Multiple EICR observations tracing back to the protective devices
What an upgrade does not fix
A new board protects circuits better. It does not repair the circuits themselves. If the wiring behind it has degraded insulation, a new board will keep tripping, and that trip is the RCD doing its job rather than a fault in the new equipment.
This is why a good electrician tests before quoting a board change. Fitting a modern unit to a failing installation produces an unhappy customer and a house with intermittent power.
What the work involves
The supply is isolated, the existing board removed, circuits identified and terminated into the new unit, and every circuit tested and recorded. Expect the power to be off for most of the day, and expect a certificate and a labelled circuit chart at the end.
Where the earthing arrangement or main bonding is not up to standard, that is corrected as part of the job. A board change without correcting the bonding is not a finished job.
When repair beats replacement
If the existing board is modern, has RCD protection and has spare ways, a single faulty device can usually be replaced rather than the whole unit. Ask which of the two you are being quoted for and why.
If the answer is vague, get a second opinion. A board change is a significant spend and the justification should be specific to your installation, not general.
Common questions
How long does a consumer unit change take?
Most domestic board changes are a full day, including testing and certification. Larger properties or those needing bonding upgrades can take longer.
Will I get a certificate?
Yes, an installation certificate with test results for every circuit, plus a labelled circuit chart.
Do I need one for an EV charger?
Not always. It depends on the spare capacity and the protection arrangement of your existing board, which we check during the survey.