Consumer Unit upgrade

Have you noticed electrical issues such as the electricity tripping or the fuse blowing? If so, your fuse box may not be designed to function when there is an overload of power. Sometimes this can happen when you use too many electrical appliances on a basic fuse box.

Yeovil Electrics suggests that you consider upgrading to a new consumer unit.

What is a consumer unit?

A consumer unit plays a crucial role in your Yeovil home, it is responsible for controlling the electrical supply at a certain point in your property before being distributed throughout each room. 

Having numerous years of experience as electricians in Yeovil and the surrounding areas, Yeovil Electrics are well educated on consumer units so we have listed the key components that make up a consumer unit for you.

• Main switch. The main switch supplies the consumer unit with electricity from the meter, this is the only switch in the fuse board that can be manually turned on and off which can be handy especially when carrying out major repairs on your property. We suggest you use the main switch to turn off the electricity supply before any large construction work to your property.
• RCD. A residual current device is a series of switches which are responsible for monitoring all the electrical currents in your home. Any power surges or imbalance in power flow is identified and the RCD will immediately turn off.  A safety feature like this can prevent electric shocks as well as identifying faults that can cause electric fires.
• MCB. A consumer unit is composed of horizontal rows of MCB’s mini circuit breakers. Like the name suggests, each MCB contains a switch which turns off in case of a surge in electricity.
• RCBO. A residual current breaker with overcurrent integrates the use of an RCD and MCB, this allows it to limit any tripping in the case of an overload.

Benefits of a consumer unit upgrade

There are many potential benefits to a consumer unit upgrade at your Yeovil area home:

Energy efficiency- Consumer units can be used with a smart meter to monitor your daily energy consumption, this can be handy as you can reduce your electricity usage which is better for the environment and can help you reduce the cost of your energy bill.

Modernisation- A fuse box and consumer unit are essentially the same things and carry out the same role. The key difference is that fuse boxes are the older version of consumer boxes, fuses usually contain a thin wire which melts when there is a surge in electricity. Modern consumer units have a built-in circuit breaker which automatically switches off in the event of a surge in electricity. 

Safety- Consumer units are compliant with current electrical regulations unlike older fuse boxes. Yeovil Electrics suggests that you upgrade your older fuse box with a consumer unit to make sure your property, family and neighbours are safe and free of risks such as electrical fires.

Value- Modern consumer units are more desirable and can add value to your property if you ever decide to sell. Increasing the safety and electrical efficiency of your property by installing  a consumer unit which meets modern regulations can increase the appeal of your property.

Reset- If the circuit trips, a consumer unit can be reset easily. In comparison, if you have an older fuse box, you may find that you are replacing the fuse wire after it has tripped.

Which consumer unit do I need?

The key components and responsibilities of a fuse board remain the same, there are however different aspects which can accommodate for different requirements but our friendly team of electricians at Yeovil Electrics can share our expertise and guide you through the different types of consumer units to find the best one for you and your property.

Aside from being unsafe and performing less efficiently, older fuse boxes deteriorate over time, the external case of the fuse box may have worn down due to wear and tear, exposing the inner electrical components which can most likely pose safety hazards and increase the risk of electrical fires.

Consumer Unit Electrician Yeovil

If you’re local to the Yeovil area, get in touch with Yeovil Electrics so we can answer any more of your questions about upgrading your consumer unit.

We advise our customers as best we can and can discuss factors such as the size of your property, electrical inspections which take place once we conduct the installation, labour costs and the current condition of any existing wiring at your property.

We pride ourselves on providing our customers with exceptional workmanship, with years of experience and highly skilled professionals servicing a range of your electrical issues. All our services are in line with current regulations to ensure safety is paramount.

Get in touch with Yeovil Electrics to discuss upgrading to a consumer unit