Upgrading Your Fuse Board: What Homeowners Need to Know

The fuse board is the unsung hero of the modern home. It distributes electricity around the home, powering everyone’s devices, all while incorporating safety features to prevent electric shocks and fires.

With electricity being so important in everyone’s daily life, it’s vital that you keep your fuse board up to date. In this article, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about upgrading to a new fuse board to keep you and your family safe.

Why upgrade to a new fuse board?

Upgrading to a new fuse board isn’t a vanity decision. It can help you save on your energy bills, keep up with regulations, and most of all, keep your home safe.

Safety

As technology has advanced, so have fuse boards, with new models incorporating the most effective safety features. These include RCBOs (residual current circuit breakers with overcurrent protection), which shut off electricity rapidly in the case of an electrical fault.

Older fuse boards may not have this level of technology, or be able to cope with modern-day electrical loads. This increases the likelihood of a house fire breaking out.

It’s also important to stay up-to-date with the current electrical regulations, including the 18th Edition IET Wiring Regulations. This is especially important for landlords, as failure to comply can result in legal action being taken.

Practicality

Electricity loads in modern homes are far greater than what they were just a decade ago, which puts strain on old fuse boards. A new fuse board will be able to cope with these loads, lowering the issue of circuit overloads and blown fuses.

Modern fuse boards are especially easy to reset if you do experience a power outage. This will save you fumbling around with a torch and fiddly equipment.

Efficiency

A new fuse board will help you to improve your energy efficiency, saving you money in the long run. It will ensure that the electricity in your home is running optimally, reducing energy waste.

As well as saving you money on your energy bills, having a new fuse board will also make your home more valuable to prospective buyers.

When should you upgrade to a new fuse board?

It is recommended that you replace your fuse board if it is over 15 years old. This will likely mean that it is incapable of handling modern electricity loads and lacks the features to keep your home safe.

If you’re constantly having to reset the fuse board because of power outages, it’s likely a sign that it’s no longer doing its job efficiently.

If you are unsure whether your fuse board needs replacing, it’s best to get in touch with a professional electrician. They will be able to diagnose any problems and advise you on whether you need to make an upgrade.

What to consider when upgrading to a new fuse board

Capacity

When choosing a new fuse board, you need to make sure it is able to handle the electricity loads in your home. You’ll need to consider potential future loads too. For example, if you’re preparing to swap your old refrigerator for a more electricity-demanding new model.

Fuse board capacity in modern homes usually falls between 100 to 200 amps. If you live alone in a small apartment you won’t need the same amp level as a large four-bedroom family home.

This decision can, of course, be made simple with the help of an electrician, who will survey your electricity use and advise you accordingly.

Compliance

As mentioned earlier in the article, a new fuse board must comply with current electrical requirements to ensure absolute safety. The main regulations that need to be followed are:

• 18th Edition Wiring Regulations (BS 7671)
• RCD (Residual Current Device) protection
• Landlords must provide an Electrical Installation Condition Report every five years
• Non-combustible enclosures

Components

Modern fuse boxes each have a selection of vital components to ensure they operate safely and efficiently. These are:

• RCD (Residual Current Device): RCDs will automatically turn off the power when they detect an abnormality in the current. This stops electricity overloads and prevents electric shocks and fires.

• MCB (Miniature Circuit Breakers): In most modern fuse boards, traditional fuses have been replaced by miniature circuit breakers. They do the same job as fuses, tripping and stopping electricity flowing through a circuit in the event of an overload. However, unlike fuses, they are reusable.

• Spare circuits: Having spare circuits in your fuse board is not completely essential, but it is useful. It means that if you were to buy new appliances, they wouldn’t overload your fuse board.

• Non-combustible enclosure: The fuse board should be housed in a non-combustible enclosure, protecting the components of the fuse board.

Costs

Installing a new fuse board isn’t going to be cheap, as you’ll have to factor in labour costs, materials, and installation time. In London, you can expect to pay between £400 and £850 depending on the size of your home.

Here is an average breakdown of prices depending on the number of circuits your require:

• Six circuits: £400-£500

• 10 circuits: £480-£640

• 12 circuits: £610-£850

However, due to its energy efficiency benefits, installing a new fuse board can help you to save money on bills in the long run. Upgrading your new fuse board is also likely to lower the cost of your home insurance premium due to its safety benefits.

Post-installation maintenance

A new fuse board, despite being in peak fresh condition, will require occasional checkups to ensure everything is working correctly. These checkups should be performed by a professional who can diagnose hard-to-identify problems.

If you own your home, you should have these checkups performed every 10 years or so. If you are a landlord, you should have the checkups on your rental property performed every five years.

Choose the right electrician to install your new fuse board

If you want to ensure the very best service when upgrading to a new fuse board, SparkPro Electrical is the choice for you. Based in Hammersmith, we have over 15 years' in offering domestic electrical services. This includes fuse board replacement.

We are NAPIT and TrustMark approved, so you can hold us to the highest standards in every job we do.

Contact us today to find out more about our services, or to request a free, no obligation quote.