Consumer Unit Upgrades

Your consumer unit, commonly known as a fuse board or fuse box, is the heart of your home's electrical system. It distributes electricity to every circuit in your property and provides the critical safety devices that protect you, your family, and your home from electrical faults. If your consumer unit is more than 20 to 25 years old, it almost certainly lacks the safety features now required by the current 18th Edition wiring regulations (BS 7671), and upgrading it is one of the most impactful improvements you can make to your home's electrical safety.

Older consumer units typically use rewirable fuses or cartridge fuses without Residual Current Device (RCD) protection. RCDs detect tiny imbalances in electrical current that indicate a fault, such as current flowing through a person (electric shock) or through damaged insulation (potential fire). Modern RCDs operate in milliseconds, cutting power before a lethal shock can occur or before overheating wiring can ignite surrounding materials. Without RCD protection, your home lacks this critical safety net.

Beyond the safety argument, a consumer unit upgrade is often a prerequisite for other electrical work. If you are planning to install solar panels, an EV charger, or a battery storage system, your existing consumer unit may not have sufficient spare ways for the additional circuits required, or the unit itself may not be suitable for the increased electrical load. Upgrading at the same time as installing renewable energy equipment is both more cost-effective and less disruptive than doing it separately.

A consumer unit upgrade from Amppro Electrical typically takes one working day and involves the complete replacement of your existing fuse board with a modern, metal-clad consumer unit meeting the latest Amendment 2 of BS 7671. The new unit features Miniature Circuit Breakers (MCBs) for every circuit, dual RCD or RCBO protection, surge protection devices (SPDs) where required by the regulations, and sufficient spare ways for future circuit additions.

The process begins with a thorough assessment of your existing installation. We check all circuits, test the earthing and bonding arrangements, and verify that the main incoming supply and meter tails are in good condition. During the upgrade, the power to your property will be off for several hours while we disconnect the old unit, install and wire the new one, and reconnect all existing circuits. We then carry out a complete set of electrical tests on every circuit and issue a Building Regulations compliance certificate, which is registered with the local authority on your behalf.

If we discover any defects in the existing wiring during the upgrade, such as missing earth connections, incorrect cable sizes, or damaged insulation, we bring these to your attention and can carry out remedial work as part of the same visit. This might include earth bonding to gas and water services, replacing damaged cables, or adding additional protection to specific circuits. Our aim is to leave your entire electrical installation in a safe, compliant condition, not just the consumer unit itself.