The Complete Home Service
Consumer Unit and Fusebox Replacements and Repairs
The Consumer Unit or Fusebox is the heart of your electrical installation. It's job is to provide a means of isolation for maintenance and to disconnect the circuits automatically in the event of a fault or accident.
The provision or adding of new circuits in your home will likely require the Consumer Unit or Fusebox to comply with the latest edition of BS7671 Wiring Regulations before it can be carried out. If you are looking for a local electrician to carry this out for you, Me Time in Tonbridge can help.
In most circumstances, all new installations or replacement fuseboxes and Consumer Units now require RCD Protection, Surge Protection and in some cases Arc Fault Detection.
All Consumer Units installed by Me Time - The Complete Home Service are branded, top quality products. Our process is to carry out a pre-installation EICR on the installation, highlighting any faults or potential electrical hazards before installation day.
On completion we will issue all the required documentation, such as the Electrical Installation Certificate, EICR, Part P Building Regulations Notification and Manufacturers information on your new Consumer Unit.
Me Time in Tonbridge - Consumer Unit Services
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Old style Wylex fusebox replacement
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Full RCBO Consumer Unit Installation
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Dual RCD Consumer Unit Installation
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Surge Protection Devices SPD Installation
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Arc Fault Detection AFDD Installation
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Full wiring tests prior to installation
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Building Control Compliance Certification
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Part P Compliant and Certified
Frequently Asked Questions - Consumer Units
My Wiring is old, do I need a re-wire?
Not necessarily. We carry out a full test on all circuits before committing to replacing the unit. This way you will be able to take a view on whether to rewire or replace the Consumer Unit.
How much is new Consumer Unit?
This depends on the amount of circuits and the age of your property. Costs also vary wildly between lower priced units and branded ones, with may differences in quality and operation. Please do get in touch to discuss and arrange an estimate and we'll talk you through all of it.
Why are some Consumer Units much cheaper than others?
There are many differences between less recognised brands against premium brands such as Wylex. We prefer to fit branded products because the components will be top quality, with the added benefit of parts availability in the long term. Having access to UK manufacturer technical backup and the reassurance of the component quality makes for peace of mind in our opinion.
Often, cheap Consumer Units are protected by 2 RCD's, each one protecting multiple circuits. This means if something trips, it will trip half of the house electrics with it. This is now outdated and in our opinion unacceptable. We install RCBO consumer units, whereby each circuit is individually RCD protected, meaning that if you cut a cable in the garden for example, only that circuit will trip.
RCBO Consumer Units are also better than cheap Split Load Dual RCD units in terms of fault diagnosis. Each circuit is isolated, meaning that it can save significant time in the event of investigating a damaged cable somewhere in your home.
Are Consumer Unit installations notifiable under Part P of Building Regulations?
Yes, most definitely. You should ensure that any contractor quoting for work is registered with a Competent Persons Scheme such as NAPIT or NICEIC, or if you are completing the work through a non-registered contractor you will need to have applied to the Local Authority Building Control Office to notify and pay their inspection fees prior to starting.
Most electricians will not retrospectively certify an installation carried out by a non-registered installer, so always check. Me Time in Tonbridge are NAPIT registered and able to carry out a compliant and fully certified installation.