Your consumer unit—often still called the fuse board or fuse box—is the heart of your home’s electrical system. It distributes power to every circuit and, crucially, provides protection against electrical faults that could cause fires or fatal electric shocks. If your consumer unit is outdated, that protection may be inadequate or missing entirely.
Modern consumer units with RCD and RCBO protection detect faults in milliseconds, cutting power before dangerous situations develop. They provide a level of safety that older boards with rewirable fuses or early MCBs simply cannot match.
We install new consumer units across Peterborough, upgrading outdated boards to current standards. Whether your existing fuse board shows signs of age, lacks proper protection, or has been flagged during an EICR inspection, we provide professional upgrades that transform your home’s electrical safety. Most installations complete in half a day with minimal disruption to your daily life.
Dual RCD consumer units provide the standard level of protection for most Peterborough homes. Two RCDs (Residual Current Devices) protect all circuits, splitting them between two banks. If a fault occurs, the relevant RCD trips, cutting power to half your circuits while the other half remains live. This provides good protection at an affordable price point. Dual RCD boards suit most domestic installations where budget is a consideration and partial power loss during faults is acceptable. Properties across Bretton, Werrington, and Orton commonly choose dual RCD boards for reliable protection without premium costs. Installation typically completes within 3-4 hours.
RCBO consumer units provide individual protection for every circuit. Each RCBO (Residual Current Breaker with Overcurrent protection) protects a single circuit, so faults only affect the specific circuit involved—your freezer keeps running if a fault occurs on your lighting circuit. This premium protection avoids the inconvenience of losing multiple circuits when faults occur. RCBO boards cost more than dual RCD alternatives but offer superior convenience and protection. They’re particularly valuable for homes with vulnerable occupants, medical equipment, or where power continuity matters. Properties across Longthorpe, Woodston, and Stanground benefit from RCBO protection that minimises disruption when faults occur.
Larger Peterborough homes with extensive electrical installations need consumer units with sufficient capacity for all circuits. High-capacity boards accommodate additional circuits for EV chargers, electric showers, home offices, garden rooms, and modern electrical demands that older boards cannot support. We assess your current and future requirements, specifying boards with appropriate capacity and room for expansion. Adding circuits to an already-full consumer unit isn’t possible without replacement, so planning ahead makes sense. Properties across the larger homes in Eye, Thorney, and surrounding villages often require high-capacity boards that accommodate substantial electrical installations and future additions.
Current regulations (18th Edition Amendment 3) require enhanced protection including AFDDs (Arc Fault Detection Devices) in certain circumstances. AFDDs detect dangerous electrical arcs that standard RCDs miss—arcs that can cause fires even when current flow appears normal. We install fully compliant consumer units meeting current requirements, ensuring your upgrade provides the latest safety standards. While AFDD protection isn’t mandatory for all installations, we can include it for homeowners wanting maximum protection. Properties throughout Peterborough benefit from Amendment 3 compliant installations that meet or exceed current regulations and provide protection against emerging electrical risks.
Consumer unit installation requires genuine expertise. Incorrect specification, poor installation, or inadequate earthing arrangements can compromise safety or cause nuisance tripping that makes daily life frustrating. We bring years of experience to every consumer unit upgrade, ensuring proper specification, professional installation, and full testing.
We’re NICEIC registered, meaning our work meets the highest industry standards. Consumer unit upgrades are notifiable work—we handle all certification and building control notification automatically, providing documentation for your records.
We explain your options clearly, recommending appropriate protection levels for your situation without pushing unnecessary upgrades. Whether a straightforward dual RCD board suits your needs or RCBO protection makes sense for your circumstances, we advise honestly.
We install new consumer units throughout Peterborough and surrounding areas including Werrington, Bretton, Orton, Longthorpe, Woodston, Stanground, Fletton, Eye, Thorney, Whittlesey, Yaxley, Sawtry, Stilton, and surrounding Cambridgeshire villages. Contact us for a free assessment and quotation.
When circuits trip repeatedly, your consumer unit may be revealing underlying problems. Our Peterborough electricians use professional testing equipment to trace electrical faults quickly and accurately, identifying issues that less experienced electricians struggle to find. Sometimes faults indicate wiring problems; sometimes they reveal inadequate consumer unit protection. We diagnose issues including earth faults, short circuits, overloaded wiring, and nuisance tripping, then recommend appropriate solutions—whether repairs, upgrades, or consumer unit replacement.
EICR
Protect your Peterborough home with a professional rewire. We carry out full and partial rewires across the city, replacing outdated cabling, installing modern consumer units, and bringing your electrical system up to current BS 7671 standards. Whether your property still has rubber-sheathed wiring, rewirable fuses, or circuits without adequate earthing, we work methodically room by room to minimise disruption while delivering a completely safe and compliant installation. Full testing and certification included with every rewire.
Charge your electric vehicle at home with a professionally installed dedicated charging point. A 7kW home charger delivers a full overnight charge for most vehicles, saving time and money compared to public charging across Peterborough. We install all major brands including Easee, Zappi, Ohme, and Pod Point, handling the full process from electrical assessment through to commissioning and certification. Every installation includes a dedicated circuit with appropriate protection from your consumer unit.
Ready to improve your home’s electrical safety? Call our Peterborough team to arrange your consumer unit upgrade at a time that suits you.