We recently completed a consumer unit upgrade in Milton Keynes, replacing an old fuse board with a modern FuseBox 18th Edition unit fitted with RCBOs on every circuit and surge protection built in.
What the new board does that the old one did not
An RCBO on every circuit. Older boards either have no RCD protection at all, or split the house across two shared RCDs. Shared protection means one fault takes out half the house, and background leakage from ordinary appliances pools together until the RCD sits permanently on the edge of tripping. Individual RCBOs give every circuit its own protection, so a fault affects that circuit and nothing else.
Surge protection (SPD). A surge device clamps the voltage spikes that come in from the incoming supply — lightning activity on the network, switching on the local grid. Modern homes are full of electronics that do not survive a surge: EV chargers, heat pumps, solar inverters, boilers with PCBs, TVs and computers. An SPD is a small part of the cost of a board change and protects all of it.
A metal enclosure. Consumer units in domestic premises have needed to be non-combustible since the 17th Edition Amendment 3. A loose connection inside a plastic board can burn through it; a steel enclosure contains a fire rather than feeding it.
Testing and certification
A board change is not finished when the cover goes on. Every circuit is tested — continuity, insulation resistance, earth fault loop impedance, RCD trip times — and the results recorded on an Electrical Installation Certificate. That certificate is what proves the work is compliant with BS 7671, and it is what you will be asked for when you sell the property.
The work is also notifiable under Part P of the Building Regulations. As a registered competent person we notify Building Control on your behalf, and you receive the certificate for your records.
If your board still has rewireable fuses, no RCD protection, or a plastic enclosure, it is worth having it looked at. Get in touch for a free quote, or read more about EICR testing and house rewires.