Fuse Board and Consumer Unit Upgrades
If you plan to have electrical work done in your home and the fuse board is out-of-date, it will usually need replacing with a modern consumer unit. In most cases additions or alterations to an electrical installation will require a 30mA RCD for additional protection – most older boards do not have this.
Replacing a fuse board
Upgrading from an old fuse board to a modern consumer unit is beneficial even if no other electrical work is planned. RCDs are life saving devices, greatly reducing the risk of fire and electric shocks. Old rewireable fuses, and other outdated protective devices, are not as sensitive. Having an old fuse board upgraded provides peace of mind, as you can be sure that your home conforms to the most up-to-date safety standards.
An RCD, or Residual Current Device, switches off the electricity supply in the event of an earth fault. It offers a level of protection which ordinary fuses or circuits breakers cannot provide.
An RCD monitors the electric current flowing through the circuits it is used to protect. If it detects electricity flowing through an unintended path, such as through a person who has touched a live part, it will switch off immediately and greatly reduce the risk of death or serious injury. RCDs have been shown to be around 97% reliable and, when installed in a consumer unit, will protect all circuits and any appliances connected to those circuits.
