Cost to replace consumer unit and old fuses

tm9

My parents have just been quoted £575 to replace their old fuse box with a new consumer unit with switch fuses and an RCD across all circuits. The electrician is fully qualified and says that the price includes testing of all existing wiring, installation and connection of the new box/switch fuses and RCD, and notification to the local authority. He suggests that this will take best part of a day to complete. I just wondered if this sounds a reasonable price. Another quote came in around £400 but there was no mention of testing all the existing wiring and my parents said they had more confidence in the other chap. Many thanks

tlh858

Price depends on exactly what was quoted for, but £575 is not unreasonable.

Whatever the price, it must include a full inspection and test of all the circuits.
It's usually the case that some minor repairs are required, and there are some types of faults which will not cause any issues with fuses, but will cause an RCD to trip.

If someone just shoves a new consumer unit in there, you can look forward to things tripping off all the time, and even if not, how exactly could the installer fill in the certificate with all of the test results if they hadn't tested everything?

tm9

I should add that this price is for a modern two bedroom house with 7 fuses

macman

Could just be that one is including VAT and one isn't?
Or that one is using a decent branded CU and the other a cheap Chinese clone?
You have to actually compare like with like.
What are their respective qualifications?

xyz123

tm9 wrote: »

My parents have just been quoted £575 to replace their old fuse box with a new consumer unit with switch fuses and an RCD across all circuits. The electrician is fully qualified and says that the price includes testing of all existing wiring, installation and connection of the new box/switch fuses and RCD, and notification to the local authority. He suggests that this will take best part of a day to complete. I just wondered if this sounds a reasonable price. Another quote came in around £400 but there was no mention of testing all the existing wiring and my parents said they had more confidence in the other chap. Many thanks

where are ur parents living? that can have an affect on quote. Take full testing with a pinch of salt, if all wiring is concealed, all the guy can do is to check if all sockets / lights work and look for obvious signs of any short circuits (e.g. burning in sockets, which even you can take).

If the electrician is Part P registered they should do all safety checks. Get written quotations from both electricians and compare them.

also agree on how to fix any faults that come up during testing!. this can be done by agreeing a hourly rate in advance.

I am in london and was recently quoted £285 for consumer unit swap (6 circuits, 3 bed house). by a locally well known, part P registered electrician including testing required for certification for BS 7671.

Ectophile

xyz123 wrote: »

where are ur parents living? that can have an affect on quote. Take full testing with a pinch of salt, if all wiring is concealed, all the guy can do is to check if all sockets / lights work and look for obvious signs of any short circuits (e.g. burning in sockets, which even you can take).

I would expect a proper electrician to do more than that. They should also check the insulation resistance of every circuit. They also need to check for neutral-earth faults and "borrowed neutrals" which can cause constant tripping of the RCDs in modern consumer units.

AdamJK_2

Whilst the quote seems reasonable for replacement board up to 17th, just be aware that depending on the age of the existing installation, other works may be required.

The RCD protection is very sensitive and we had to separate out some circuits (upstairs sockets and kitchen sockets) as every socket in our property when we bought it was on a single ring - if we'd have left it I'd have expected the RCD to kicking in every day.

When quoting I'd want the sparky to quote the board brand (can't go wrong with 12-way MK) and to check that the installation is sound prior to work commencing - i.e. any existing faults on the circuits.

rsooty

A consumer unit change isn't as simple as changing the board. The bonding to gas and water pipes usually requires upgrading to 10mm+ cable. If this is a long run it will soon add a large lump onto the bill. There will also be a full installation test carried out which takes time.
A reasonable board will be around £100, cheaper ones will be fine, just tend to take longer to fit as they aren't as well designed. These can be picked up from £50+ including RCD's and MCB's.
Ensure the sparky is registered with a Part P Scheme and you will receive a guarantee of their workmanship.
Just bare in mind that in the modern world everything requires electricity. Would you rather save a few quid or know your installation is safe?

spaceboy

I recommend Crabtree stuff. A bit more unusual than MK but very good quality, and I prefer their light and socket switches.

Kernel_Sanders

When I had solar PV installed the electrician agreed to replace existing fusebox with a cheap Volex CU that I had bought years earlier from B&Q (and never had fitted because of the labour costs!) I think he may have had it wired and fitted within an hour, so I've no idea why someone would say it takes the best part of a day.
(Actually I do.....)

rsooty wrote: »

Just bare in mind that in the modern world everything requires electricity. Would you rather save a few quid or know your installation is safe?

A little patronising, IMHO.