Why the old fuseboard is coming out.
Most consumer-unit replacements in Deal start with one of four triggers. The old plug-in Wylex or Crabtree unit is on its last legs and there are no spare ways for the new EV charger circuit. A rented property has failed an EICR at C2 on RCD protection and the letting agent needs it done in 28 days. The insurance policy is asking for evidence of 18th Edition compliance after a claim. Or a rewire is pushing the load past what the old split-load board can handle.
The replacement is a metal-enclosed 18th Edition Amendment 2 board - either dual-RCD split load for a straightforward domestic rewire, or a full-RCBO board where you want each circuit protected independently. On a Deal Georgian terrace with the meter position in the party wall, we take the tails, main switch, RCDs and RCBOs into a board that fits the existing recess where possible; where the recess is smaller than modern kit needs, we surface-mount cleanly with matching heritage-appropriate trunking rather than cut the wall.
What's involved.
- Survey and quote. Photos of the existing board over WhatsApp are usually enough to give a firm price. On site we confirm meter position, tails length, main earth condition, DNO fuse rating (usually 60A or 80A in Deal, occasionally 100A on newer supplies) and earthing arrangement (TN-S or TN-C-S on most Deal streets, TT on some Ripple and Great Mongeham rural supplies).
- Notification. Consumer-unit replacement is notifiable work under Part P of the Building Regulations. As registered competent-person scheme members we self-certify to Dover District Council on your behalf. Compliance certificate issued within 30 days.
- Install. Typical single-day job on a 6- to 10-way board. Power off for the day. We fit a temporary supply where the fridge-freezer and Wi-Fi router need it.
- Test. Full initial verification against BS 7671 Chapter 64. Insulation resistance, earth loop impedance (Ze and Zs), RCD trip times at half, full and five times rated current, polarity, continuity of protective conductors. Every circuit tested, every result recorded.
- Certificate. Scheme-issued Electrical Installation Certificate on the day. Building Regulations compliance certificate within 30 days.
Fixed price after a walk-round.
Consumer unit replacement in Deal, Walmer or Kingsdown starts from £600 for a straightforward 10-way domestic board, with the final figure depending on board type, tails length and meter accessibility. Full RCBO boards sit above that base price. Additional circuits, sub-mains for an outbuilding or an integrated surge protection device (SPD, now mandatory in most domestic contexts under Amendment 2) are quoted separately.
Older Deal seafront terraces sometimes need a main earth upgrade to meet the 25mm minimum cross-sectional area for modern earthing, and occasionally a supplementary bonding upgrade in the bathroom. We flag both before quoting.