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Fuseboard changes across Test Electrical
A fuseboard is the box the whole property depends on. When an EICR shows the old one can no longer protect the circuits, we replace it. From £600, priced in writing before we start.
Fuseboard, consumer unit, fusebox
They are three names for the same thing: the grey or white box where the incoming supply is split into the circuits that feed your sockets, lights, cooker and shower. Electricians call it a consumer unit. Everyone else calls it the fusebox. We will use whichever word you use.
Its job is not to distribute power. Its job is to cut power off fast when something goes wrong. That is why an old board matters even when everything appears to work.
Why EICRs uncover fuseboard work
Most fuseboard changes we do in Test Electrical start life as a line on an EICR. The report is the first time anyone has properly tested what the board does under fault conditions, rather than just glancing at it.
- No RCD protection. The board cannot cut the power fast enough to protect a person who touches a live part.
- Old rewireable fuses. A wire fuse cannot be relied on the way a modern breaker can, and it invites the wrong wire being fitted.
- A plastic board in a poor position. Under a wooden staircase or in the only escape route, an enclosure that can burn is a problem.
- No spare ways. The board is full, so any new circuit has nowhere to go and the report notes it.
- Damage or heat marks. Scorching, cracked casing or loose bus connections all get coded.
Not every old board fails. If yours is doing its job, we say so and leave it alone. Replacing a sound board to make an invoice bigger is not how we work.
What a modern board adds
RCD protection
An RCD watches the current flowing out and back. If some of it leaks away, through a person or a damaged cable, it cuts the supply in a fraction of a second. That is the difference between a shock and something far worse.
Circuits kept apart
On a well arranged board, a fault on one circuit does not black out the whole property. The freezer stays on when the outside light gets wet.
Labelling that makes sense
Every breaker marked with what it feeds. A tenant can find the right switch in the dark, and the next electrician is not guessing.
How we price it
Fuseboard changes start at £600. The final figure depends on what we find behind the board: the number of circuits, the state of the main earthing and bonding, and whether the supply arrangement needs anything doing before a new board goes on.
We confirm the price in writing before the job is booked. We also tell you how long the power will be off, so a tenant or a family can plan around it. Small remedials found during the EICR are quoted line by line, so you can pick what gets done and when.
One contractor, start to finish
We do the EICR, we quote the board, we fit the board. You are not managing two trades or explaining the report to somebody who never saw the property.
Ask about a fuseboard change
Tell us the address in Test Electrical and what the board looks like now. A photograph of the open board helps, but it is not essential.