Moving electric mains and consumer unit outside

SuseOrm

Hello I wanted if anybody had had this done recently ?  The only prices I’ve been able to find were in 2011 for about two grand.  

TIA 

CliveOfIndia

Is there a reason you want it outside?  It could be a right pain if it's the middle of the night on a cold rainy winter's night, a circuit breaker trips and you're there in your dressing gown getting soaked whilst you reset it!

Would the meter also need moving?  If so, this has to be done by your supplier, adding to the cost.

There's an old thread on a similar subject here: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/1828611/can-a-consumer-unit-go-outside/p1

I do realise it's pretty old, so I'm not sure if regulations have changed since then.  But it contains some useful suggestions.

SuseOrm

Thank you,  some good points made there. 

I wonder if i can just move it to the other side of the living room instead and box it in there 

bris

Moving the consumer unit is easy enough but if you mean you actually want to move the main incoming supply then you would need your electricity provider to organise that.

Even moving it a few feet will cost a lot of money.

CSI_Yorkshire

SuseOrm said:

Hello I wanted if anybody had had this done recently ?  The only prices I’ve been able to find were in 2011 for about two grand.  

TIA 

Moving a consumer unit would probably count as "installing a consumer unit" for the purposes of the regulations - so that would mean getting one up to the newest standards.

Swapping old for new without changing location was discussed recently - https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6439332/comparing-quotes-for-upgrading-consumer-unit - and moving it would be more expensive.

As others have said, if anything 'upstream' of the consumer unit is involved that can get quite complicated.

I'd never even think of putting a consumer unit outside.

Ectophile

If the consumer unit will end up more than 3 metres away from the electricity meter, then the electrician will have to install a fuse or circuit breaker to protect the long cable run.

Any competent electrician will be able to do that, but the new fuse or breaker will have to go somewhere.

SuseOrm

I’m absolutely fine with the moving the consumer unit and replacing it for I believe a metal box it needs to be now.  However, I do believe it’s the supplier I want moving which sounds very very expensive.

DullGreyGuy

SuseOrm said:

I’m absolutely fine with the moving the consumer unit and replacing it for I believe a metal box it needs to be now.  However, I do believe it’s the supplier I want moving which sounds very very expensive.

Then get a quote from someone else? Locality and current demand can have a significant influence on pricing

SuseOrm

It would literally be from one side of the living room to the other.  

TELLIT01

Moving it from one side of the room to the other will presumably require a timber floor to be lifted to feed cables to their new location.  If floors are concrete it will need to be chased into walls.  Neither will be cheap.

SuseOrm

Timber floors yes,  can’t imagine thats a big job though