A consumer unit, the fuse box in everyday terms, should be replaced when it can no longer protect you the way a modern one does. The clearest prompts are an old board with rewireable fuses rather than switches, a wooden or plastic back on very old units, and the absence of any safety switches, the RCDs that cut the power in a fraction of a second when a fault could give someone a shock. Signs of heat, such as scorching, a burning smell or switches that feel warm, mean it wants looking at now rather than later. A replacement is also the natural moment when you rewire, when you add a demanding circuit like an electric shower or an EV charger, or when an EICR flags the board as no longer up to standard.
Across Liverpool's older housing the consumer unit is the part we most often find lagging behind the rest of the home, and it is usually a job we complete in a day, with the power off for only a few hours in the middle. We test every circuit before the changeover so there are no surprises, fit a quality board with an individual safety device on each circuit and surge protection as standard, and label everything clearly. As a NAPIT registered firm the work is tested, certified and notified, so it is properly signed off. And if the new board catches a fault the old one silently ignored, we find it and price the fix honestly.
Know when it is due
Rewireable fuses, no safety switches, a wooden back, or any sign of heat all mean the board is worth replacing.
Natural upgrade moments
A rewire, a new shower or EV charger circuit, or an EICR that flags the board are all the right time to change it.
Fitted and certified in a day
Most upgrades are done in a day, tested, certified and notified under our NAPIT registration.
Your questions, answered
How do I know if my fuse box is out of date?
If it has rewireable fuses, a wooden back or no safety switches (RCDs), it is behind modern standards and worth upgrading. If yours is already sound, we will say so, as we never fit a board that is not needed.
Do I have to replace the board when I get an EV charger?
Not always, but a charger needs its own protected circuit and the board has to be able to take it safely. We check as part of the survey and only recommend an upgrade if your existing board genuinely needs it.
Why does a new consumer unit trip when the old one never did?
Modern boards catch faults the old one silently ignored, which is exactly the protection you are paying for. We test every circuit at the changeover, so anything the new board flags is found and fixed properly.
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