Do I need a new fuse board? Seven signs and what it costs to replace one

Seven signs it is time

Have a look at your board with the lid closed and see how many of these apply.

• –Rewirable fuses, the ceramic holders with fuse wire, rather than switches
• –No RCD at all, or a single RCD test button covering everything
• –A plastic enclosure, especially under a wooden staircase or in a cupboard with coats
• –Circuits tripping together because one RCD protects half the house
• –No spare ways, so an EV charger, shower or extension cannot be added
• –Scorch marks, buzzing, a warm face or a smell of hot plastic, which is urgent
• –An EICR with a C2 against the consumer unit

What a modern board gives you

A current consumer unit is metal, so a fault inside stays inside. Every circuit has its own RCBO, a combined breaker and RCD, so a faulty kettle trips the kitchen sockets and nothing else. A Type 2 surge protection device sits at the top and protects electronics from the spikes that come down the line when the grid switches or lightning strikes nearby.

Everything is labelled. That sounds small until you are standing at the board at midnight trying to find the circuit for the bathroom.

What it costs in 2026

Our prices in Greater Manchester and Cheshire East including VAT: a like-for-like change on a board of up to ten ways is £449. Eleven to sixteen ways is £549. If the incoming tails or the main earth are undersized, which is common on older properties, a board change with new tails and earthing is £649. A board change combined with an EV charger install is from £1,099 for both.

That includes the board, RCBOs, surge protection, fitting, testing every circuit, the Electrical Installation Certificate and the Building Control notification. It does not include fixing pre-existing faults that the testing reveals, which are priced separately and only done if you say yes.

The day itself

We arrive around nine, switch off, remove the old board and fit the new one. Every circuit is tested for continuity, insulation resistance, polarity and earth fault loop impedance and every RCBO is tripped on the meter. Power is normally back by mid-afternoon. All you need to do is clear access to the board; we bring temporary lighting and can run a lead for a fridge or router if you need it.

The EIC is emailed with the invoice that evening. The compliance certificate from Building Control arrives in the post a few weeks later. Keep both.

When you can wait and when you cannot

A modern-looking plastic board with RCDs and MCBs, fitted after about 2008 with no signs of heat, is not urgent. Get an EICR when it is next due and act on what it says. Rewirable fuses with no RCD are worth upgrading soon, particularly with children in the house.

Do not wait if there is any heat, discolouration, buzzing or a burning smell. Switch off at the main switch if it is safe and ring us. That is an emergency and we answer 24/7.

Questions people also ask