Service · Blackpool & Fylde Coast
Consumer Unit Upgrades
Blackpool & Fylde Coast
, 18th Edition certified
Replace your end-of-life fuse box with a metal-clad RCBO consumer unit in a single visit, every circuit individually protected, every fault isolated, every install certified.
20+ years combined · NICEIC approved · 12-month workmanship guarantee
20+
Years combined experience
10
Directly-employed electricians
3,500+
Fylde Coast jobs completed
12 months
Workmanship guarantee
24 hours
Avg. response time
Service overview
What consumer unit upgrades actually involves.
What it is, A consumer unit (fuse box) upgrade replaces the old re-wireable fuse or plastic split-load board with a metal-clad enclosure containing individual RCBOs, one breaker per circuit, with combined overload and earth-fault protection on each.
Who it's for, Homeowners with plastic boards installed pre-2016, landlords whose EICR has coded the existing board C2 or C3, and buyers whose surveyor has flagged the consumer unit as needing upgrade.
When you need it, After an EICR codes the existing board C2, when adding an EV charger or solar PV pushes load beyond the existing protection, before letting a property, or when nuisance tripping is becoming routine.
Why it matters, Plastic consumer units installed before the 2016 BS 7671 amendment have caused a documented run of fires from loose neutrals overheating inside the enclosure. Metal-clad RCBO boards contain the fault and isolate only the affected circuit.
What happens if you delay
The cost of putting it off.
Common, concrete consequences we see across the Fylde Coast every month, not scare tactics, just what's documented.
- 1
Plastic enclosures from pre-2016 boards can ignite during a sustained loose-connection fault.
- 2
Split-load RCD boards trip the whole half of the house on a single fault, fridges and freezers off, alarms down.
- 3
Re-wireable fuse boards offer no RCD protection at all, fatal shock risk on any earthing fault.
- 4
Lack of surge protection (SPD) leaves expensive electronics exposed to lightning and grid transients, common in Fylde Coast storm season.
- 5
Old boards without arc-fault detection miss the very faults that cause the majority of electrical fires in older properties.
Our process
A five-step system, no surprises.
Step 1
On-site inspection
We attend the property, photograph the existing installation and confirm the scope in person, never quoting blind from a phone call.
Step 2
Written diagnosis & fixed quote
You receive a clear breakdown by email: what we'll do, the parts used, the certificate issued, and a fixed price with no day-rate surprises.
Step 3
Scheduled installation
Booked into a confirmed slot with a named lead electrician. We turn up on time, in branded vans, with the materials on board.
Step 4
Testing & certification
Every install is tested under BS 7671 and signed off with the relevant NICEIC / Part P certificate uploaded to your portal.
Step 5
Aftercare & 12-month guarantee
12 months on workmanship plus manufacturer warranties on parts. One phone number, Alex or Jack, for anything that needs revisiting.
Benefits
What you actually get.
Per-circuit RCBO protection
One fault = one circuit off, not half the house. Fridges, freezers and security stay live.
Metal-clad enclosure
Contains internal faults to BS EN 61439-3, the post-2016 standard required for new installs.
Surge protection included
Type 2 SPD as standard on every install, protects TVs, computers, EV chargers and PV inverters.
EV & solar ready
Spare ways for future EV charger and PV inverter circuits, no second visit needed.
Same-day install
Standard upgrades completed in a single day with power restored before we leave.
EIC certificate issued
Full Electrical Installation Certificate covering the new board, all circuits tested.
Specification & method
How we deliver, in detail.
We install metal-clad consumer units to BS EN 61439-3 with individual Type A RCBOs on every circuit, Type 2 SPD as standard, and full test results on the new EIC.
Materials & equipment
- Hager Design 10, Wylex Amendment 3 and Crabtree Starbreaker metal-clad enclosures
- Hager and Wylex Type A RCBOs (Type B available where DC-leakage circuits like EV chargers require)
- Type 2 SPDs from Hager, Mersen and ABB
- Henley blocks for tails-side connections, DNO seal stays intact
Method & standards
- Pre-survey to count circuits, photograph cable routes and confirm DNO supply rating
- Tail-side connections via Henley blocks to avoid breaking the meter seal (the supplier's responsibility)
- Every circuit tested after re-termination: insulation resistance, polarity, R1+R2, earth-loop impedance, RCD trip time
- Bonding upgraded to 10mm² main equipotential where existing is below current standard
Variations of this service
- Direct like-for-like board swap (same circuits, modern protection)
- Upgrade with circuit re-arrangement (split overloaded ring finals)
- Dual-tariff Economy 7 boards for properties with night-storage heating
- Garage and outbuilding sub-boards with SWA feed from the main board
Where it applies on the Fylde Coast
- Pre-2016 plastic boards coded C2 on a recent EICR
- 1970s split-load boards with RCD nuisance tripping
- Re-wireable fuse boxes from 1960s–1980s installations
- Boards full to capacity, needing replacement before EV or solar can be added
Residential vs commercial
Domestic consumer units are single-phase up to 100A main fuse. Commercial sites use TP&N distribution boards with MCCB main switches, covered under commercial installation. Both follow the same RCBO-per-circuit principle for modern installs.
Our work
A wider look at recent Northern Tec projects.
A general preview of installations and testing work photographed on site across our recent jobs.
Typically 5–7 hours for a standard 8–12 circuit board, with power off for around 4 hours in the middle. We arrive between 8 and 9am and you have full power back by mid-afternoon.
Ready to book?
Compliant, certified work, booked into your calendar this week.
Free written estimate within 24 hours. No-obligation, no high-pressure follow-up.
NICEIC approved · 12-month workmanship guarantee · Fully insured