Old wiring - replacing consumer unit

_Sam_

We were quoted to install the electric car charger, and the electrician said the existing consumer unit is not suitable and therefore it will be necessary to either install a separate consumer unit for the charger, or (for a bit higher fee) replace the existing consumer unit and test the whole house.

I'm not sure which option would be better to go with. Some of the wiring in the house looks to be the original from 1950s, however I was hoping to do the re-wiring later when the funds allow. Would it be a good idea to replace the consumer unit now, and later do the re-wire on the house? Or should we just install a separate unit for the car charger, and replace the main consumer unit later when re-wiring is done. Below is the photo of the existing unit as you can see some wires coming out of it are quite ancient! 

Bigphil1474

Depends on how much is "a bit higher fee"? You don't need a complete rewire to have a newer unit fitted and have the house tested. It would only be if the wiring was no good. We had our consumer unit replaced earlier this year, and the electrician said the wiring was fine, even though most of it is at least 30 years old. 

Personally, if the electrician says the existing unit is fine, I'd go with a new separate unit for the charger and it's job done until you've got the money to do more, unless the extra cost of an all in one jobbie is acceptable.

_Sam_

£200 extra for replacing the main consumer unit & testing the house. The price looks reasonable but at the same time as you say the existing unit looks in good condition to me, only some of the wiring is old but nothing to be done about it until the re-wire...

Mutton_Geoff

I would pay the extra and at the same time (probably needed anyhow), get a 100A incomer with isolating switch.

fenwick458

think of it this way, if you had a brand new consumer unit with a type 2 Surge protector, and it's got plenty of spare ways and it's possible to get the right part to go into it, all it's going take the EV chargepoint installer is to connect it into that consumer unit, and supply one RCBO so lets assume thats will take 30 mins labour and materials will cost £20.

if the EV installer hasn't got that option, then he has to install another consumer unit, which takes a bit longer, and you need a whole new consumer unit, lets say 2 hours labour and £60 materials

to hypothesise about a scenario I would need to see the existing consumer unit, but lets assume you don't have RCD protection for the lights, and next year you want to re do a bathroom. this means the lighting circuit for that bathroom must somehow be upgraded to have an RCD, but what if theres no possibilty of fitting a type A RCBO in the consumer unit? would mean either adding another separate consumer unit, or upgrading the consumer unit. you could keep adding little consumer units each time and kick the CU upgrade down the road a few years , but it might end up costing more money. or you might say at this time, just upgrade the consumer unit, but by doing that you'd have wasted the extra money on installing the separate consumer unit for the EVCP

one solution is to have a new 14 way consumer unit installed right above your existing unit, and for now only feed the EV charge point from it. then as other circuits need upgraded you could get them moved up into the new consumer unit

_Sam_

That is the inside of the consumer unit:

Mutton_Geoff

With a RCCB, a 100A switch and 3 spare ways, I'd probably leave it then.

ratrace

Its fine sam just get the small unit for the ev installed and save up for the rewire, times are are hard and the extra money will come in handy for other things

Do you have an ev or are you doing this as you are looking to buy one soon

chris_n

If you are intending doing a rewire at some point anyway I wouldn't bother replacing that consumer unit now. It has RCD protection on the sockets so is reasonably safe. If you change it  ow you will probably have to do it again when you do the rewire and find it is no longer compatible with a new installation. 

Ben1989

Our Podpoint charger installers came in off the wiring tails and had a separate consumer unit 

_Sam_

Thank you all so much. Will go with the small separate unit, money are tight indeed! Thankfully already have the EV (out of warranty now so praying nothing goes wrong with it ) and just signed up for Octopus tariff with low price night time electricity.