Fuseboard & consumer unit upgrades
Your fuseboard is the safety brain of the house. We replace old rewireable boxes and RCD-less boards with modern RCBO protection — one day's work, certificate included.
Business premises or three-phase supply? See three-phase power & distribution →
£699 + VAT typical · Typically 1 day, power off ~4–6 hours · Certificate included
Identify your fusebox
Open the cupboard, have a look, and pick the closest match.
Why old boards fail modern standards
A fuseboard's job is to cut the power faster than a fault can hurt you. Old rewireable fuses only trip on big overloads — they do nothing about the fault that matters most: current leaking to earth through a person. That protection is an RCD, and boards without it fail today's standard. On an EICR, a rewireable board with no RCD protection is typically coded C2 — potentially dangerous — which makes the report unsatisfactory and, for a rental, non-compliant (see EICR testing).
The modern answer is an RCBO board: every circuit gets its own combined breaker and RCD, so a fault in the shower circuit doesn't black out the fridge, the freezer and the wifi with it. Add surge protection (SPD) and a metal enclosure and that's the spec we fit as standard — the drawn board below is exactly what goes on your wall, label strip and test sticker included.
Upgrade day: power is off for roughly four to six hours while the old board comes out, every circuit is tested, and the new board goes in and gets labelled. You get an installation certificate the same week — the piece of paper your insurer, buyer or letting agent will one day ask for. An upgrade is also often the sensible first step before an EV charger or major extension.
What it costs
Prices are plus VAT and include the board, testing of every circuit and the installation certificate.
Brilliant guys, know what they are doing, honest, no stress and do the job to a great standard.
A Hutcheson — Google review
Fuseboard questions, answered
How do I know if my fusebox is outdated?
Three tell-tales: fuse wire instead of switches, no button marked "Test" anywhere on the board, or a wooden backboard. Any one of those means it predates RCD protection. The identifier above gives you a read in ten seconds — or send us a photo.
How much does a replacement cost?
£699 + VAT for a typical flat or house — that covers the RCBO board, surge protection, testing every circuit and the certificate. Larger properties and commercial boards are priced after a survey.
How long is the power off?
Around four to six hours of a one-day job. We agree the timing with you in advance — fridges and freezers stay shut and are fine, and we'll get essential circuits back first where the layout allows.
Is upgrading a legal requirement?
Not by itself — there's no law forcing a working old board out. It becomes required in practice when an EICR codes it C2 (common for rentals, where the report must be satisfactory), or when new work like an EV charger needs protection the old board can't provide.
Will a new board stop things tripping?
It stops one fault taking out half the house — with an RCBO per circuit, only the faulty circuit trips. But if something is tripping repeatedly, there's a fault to find first; a new board doesn't cure a damaged cable. That's fault finding, and we'll tell you honestly which you need.
Related services
Where we do this: Edinburgh · East Lothian · Midlothian
Get a free estimate
Send a photo of your current board with the door open — that's usually all we need to price the whole job.
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Prefer to talk it through? Call 01620 843 804.