Consumer Unit Replacement Cost — 2026 Price Guide
Replacing a consumer unit costs from £550 for a small property and from £795 for a large family home, including the new 18th Edition metal board, full testing, certification and Part P notification. Here is exactly what drives the price.
Fuse Box Replacement Prices
| Job | Price |
|---|---|
| Consumer unit replacement, flat or small 2 bed (up to 6 circuits) | from £550 |
| Consumer unit replacement, typical 3 bed home (7–10 circuits) | from £650 |
| Consumer unit replacement, 4–5 bed home (11–16 circuits) | from £795 |
| Surge protection device (SPD) fitted at the same time | from £120 |
| Main earthing and bonding upgrade where required | from £150 |
| EICR carried out alongside the upgrade | from £160 Inc VAT |
Every quote is fixed before we start. If we find something during the survey that changes the job — a damaged tail, an unbonded gas supply, a buried junction box — you hear about it before any work begins, not after.
What Changes the Price
Number of circuits
Each circuit needs its own protective device and its own set of tests. Circuit count, not house size, is what a consumer unit quote is really priced on.
RCBOs vs split load
We fit full RCBO boards as standard so one faulty appliance cannot take out half the house. They cost more than a split-load board and are worth it in a family home.
Earthing and bonding
Older homes often need main protective bonding upgraded to 10mm² and an earth rod or improved main earth before a new board can be signed off. Budget from £150 where needed.
Condition of existing wiring
If circuits fail insulation resistance testing once the new board is on, they cannot simply be reconnected. We test before quoting so this is identified early rather than mid-job.
Position and access
Boards buried in cupboards, mounted high in stairwells or fed by short tails sometimes need relocating or extending, which adds labour and materials.
Extras fitted at the same time
A surge protection device, an EV charger supply or a garage sub-main is far cheaper fitted during the board change than as a separate visit later.
Signs Your Fuse Box Needs Replacing
Rewireable fuses with fuse wire, a wooden or plastic enclosure, no RCD protection, or a board over 25 years old are all reasons to replace. So is a board that trips repeatedly, gets warm, buzzes, or shows any scorching around the main switch.
Since the 18th Edition, domestic consumer units must have a non-combustible enclosure, which in practice means metal. Anything plastic is not automatically dangerous, but a plastic board combined with no RCD protection is the combination that most often turns up as a C2 on an EICR and stops a rental property being certified.
Full technical detail on the upgrade itself is on our consumer unit upgrades page, and if you are also planning home charging, read the EV charger installation page — the two jobs are much cheaper combined.
Consumer Unit Upgrades in Your Area
Consumer Unit Replacement Cost FAQs
- NICEIC registered
- Part P notified
- Full RCBO boards
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