EV-Ready Consumer Unit Upgrades
Fuse boards, brought up to spec for an EV.
Older consumer units aren’t always ready for an EV charger’s load. We upgrade them to current BS 7671 — RCBOs, surge protection, the lot.
- OZEV Approved
- Listed on gov.uk
- City & Guilds Qualified
- Part P Full Scope
- BS 7671 Compliant
Why upgrades matter
Your fuse box runs the whole house. An EV charger asks more of it than anything else in your home.
A 7kW EV charger draws around 32 amps continuously, often for hours at a time. That’s a sustained load most older fuse boards weren’t built to handle — and definitely not built to protect against the specific fault types EV chargers can produce (Type A and B DC fault currents, in particular).
Bringing a consumer unit up to current BS 7671 standards before — or as part of — an EV charger installation isn’t just about ticking a box. It’s about making sure every circuit in your house has the right protection, your charger has the right type of RCD, and your supply isn’t being asked to do more than it safely can.
We assess every consumer unit at survey, tell you straight whether it needs work, and quote it as part of the install or as a standalone job — whichever suits.
What we do
What an upgrade actually covers.
A consumer unit upgrade isn’t just swapping the box. It’s bringing the whole supply side up to current standards so your charger — and the rest of your house — sits on something that’s actually fit for it.
Three common scenarios
Where you're likely to land.
Most consumer unit jobs fall into one of three patterns. The survey tells us which one applies to your home — and what it’ll cost.
SCENARIO 01
No upgrade needed
Modern board, all good
Recent dual-RCD or all-RCBO consumer unit, in good condition, with spare ways. We’ll add an RCBO for the EV circuit and surge protection if it’s not already there. Board itself stays put.
SCENARIO 02
Minor upgrade
Older board, partial upgrade
Single-RCD board from the 2000s, missing surge protection, on the borderline of being full. We’d typically upgrade to a modern RCBO board, add SPD, and tidy up the bonding. EV-ready when finished.
SCENARIO 03
Full upgrade required
Pre-2000 board, full replacement
Rewireable fuse boards, plastic-cased units that don’t meet current fire-safety regs, or boards with no RCD protection at all. Full replacement to a modern metal-clad consumer unit. Often where the bulk of the upgrade cost sits.
Not sure which one applies to you? Send us a clear photo of your fuse box and we’ll tell you over email. Better still — book a survey and we’ll tell you in person.
Pricing
Priced after survey, typically £450–£900.
Consumer unit upgrades vary too much for a single ‘from £X’ figure. A simple swap to a modern RCBO board on a property with otherwise sound supply tails sits at the lower end. A full upgrade including new tails, Henley block, supplementary bonding and DNO notification sits at the upper. We size up the job at survey and quote it in writing.
Where an upgrade is being done as part of a full EV charger installation, the combined cost often works out lower than two separate visits.
How it works
From photo to handover.
Photo or survey
Send us a clear photo of your existing fuse box, or book a £60 survey. We’ll tell you straight what’s needed.
Written quote
Fixed quote in writing — replacement, partial upgrade, or just an additional RCBO. No vague day rates.
Upgrade day
Power off briefly while we change over. Most upgrades completed in half a day. Old board removed and disposed of responsibly.
Test & certify
Full testing, EIC issued, board labelled clearly. DNO notified where required. Walkthrough on what’s changed.
FAQs
Consumer unit questions, answered.
Do I definitely need a consumer unit upgrade for an EV charger?
No — modern boards in good condition are usually fine. The honest answer is that around half the homes we survey need some level of consumer unit work; the other half don’t. We’ll tell you straight either way at survey, and we’d never invent a reason for an upgrade that wasn’t needed.
What's the difference between Type A and Type B RCD protection?
Type A protects against AC and pulsating DC fault currents. Type B adds protection against smooth DC currents — important for some EV chargers that don’t have built-in DC fault detection. Most modern home EV chargers have built-in Type B protection, meaning a Type A RCBO at the consumer unit is enough. We check what your specific charger needs and protect accordingly.
How long does a consumer unit upgrade take?
Most domestic consumer unit replacements are completed in 4–6 hours. Power to the house is briefly off — typically 30–90 minutes total — but we plan that around your day. Larger jobs with new tails, Henley blocks or significant bonding work can take a full day.
Will my house have power while you're working?
Most of the time, yes. We design the work to minimise outage. Brief shutdowns are needed when we change the meter tails or swap the main isolator, but we plan those for moments that suit you — not in the middle of dinner.
Can you do a consumer unit upgrade without an EV charger install?
Yes. We do consumer unit upgrades as standalone jobs as well — for landlords meeting their EICR requirements, homeowners selling up, or anyone who knows their old fuse box is overdue. The technical work is the same; we just don’t add the EV circuit.
Why do you mention surge protection? It wasn't required when my old board was fitted.
The 18th Edition of BS 7671 (and subsequent amendments) require surge protection for most installations, including domestic. Older boards predate this. When we upgrade, we add surge protection as standard — it’s a small cost that protects expensive electronics across your whole house.
Will you handle disposal of the old board?
Yes, fully. Old consumer units, RCDs and breakers go to a licensed electrical waste recycling facility. Nothing goes to landfill where it shouldn’t.
Coverage
Where we work.
Need a board upgrade?
Send us a photo, give us a call, or book a survey. We’ll tell you straight what your fuse box needs — and what it’ll cost.
Every Volt. Charged. Manchester.