House Rewires (Full & Partial) in Norwich, Wymondham and South Norfolk

Not always. Many boards are perfectly safe and serviceable. You are most likely to need an upgrade if your board has rewirable fuses, no RCD protection, a plastic enclosure flagged on an EICR, or if you are adding an EV charger, heat pump, extension or rewire. We check the existing board at the quote stage and only recommend a replacement when it is genuinely needed.

A straightforward domestic consumer unit replacement in Norwich and the wider Norfolk area typically costs between £650 and £1,100 supplied and fitted. A full 18th Edition upgrade with surge protection and AFDDs is usually £900 to £1,500. The final price depends on the number of circuits and whether the main switch, tails or earthing also need upgrading. We always provide a fixed written quote after a free survey.

For a typical domestic upgrade your power is off only while we transfer the circuits, usually a few hours within a single working day. We plan the work to minimise disruption and will always agree the timings with you in advance so you can prepare.

They are the same thing: the main distribution board that splits your incoming supply into circuits and houses the protective devices. "Fuse box" usually refers to older boards with rewirable fuses, while "consumer unit" describes a modern board with circuit breakers and RCD or RCBO protection. Replacing an old fuse box with a modern consumer unit is one of the most common upgrades we carry out.

An RCD protects against earth faults but is usually shared across several circuits, so a single fault can trip multiple circuits at once. An RCBO combines earth-fault and overload protection in one device on a single circuit, so a fault only ever affects that one circuit. Modern 18th Edition boards use individual RCBOs on every circuit, which is what we fit as standard.

For most domestic installations, yes. The 18th Edition wiring regulations require consumer units in domestic premises to have a non-combustible (typically metal) enclosure. All the boards we install meet this metal-enclosure specification.

Surge protection devices (SPDs) and arc fault detection devices (AFDDs) are 18th Edition amendments that are increasingly expected, and required in certain situations. SPDs protect your electronics from voltage spikes; AFDDs detect dangerous arcing faults. We will advise where they are required or recommended for your property and include them in your written quote.

Yes. Replacing a consumer unit is notifiable work under Part P of the Building Regulations. As NAPIT-registered electricians we self-certify and notify Building Control on your behalf. You receive an Electrical Installation Certificate on the day and a Building Control compliance certificate in the post.

Yes, and it often makes sense to. A rewire or a new EV charger circuit frequently requires board work anyway, so combining the jobs saves a second visit and a second round of testing. We will quote the whole package up-front as a single fixed price.

There is no fixed expiry date, but age is a useful guide. Boards with rewirable fuses (typically pre-1990s) and early plastic-enclosure boards with only one or two RCDs (1990s to 2000s) are the ones we most often replace, because they no longer meet current safety standards. If your board is more than about 20 years old, or you do not recognise the protective devices inside it, it is worth having it assessed.

Yes. We replace and upgrade three-phase distribution boards for shops, offices, salons, small workshops and light industrial units across Norfolk. Commercial projects are priced per site and we are happy to work out of trading hours where needed to avoid disruption.