Despite the limitations of dual RCD consumer units, they remain extremely popular due to the cost. Indeed, most 'fully loaded' consumer units are dual RCD configurations.

When purchasing a consumer unit, it will either come with a main switch and RCD and possibly a number of MCB’s or it will come empty. Depending on how it’s being wired up and what your electrician has chosen to use will depend on what you go for. Read on to discover more about fuse boxes and consumer units, essential factors to consider and the cost of replacing a fuse box with a consumer unit. Cost of replacing fuse box with consumer unit There are 4 main types of consumer unit setup found in UK homes today; The single load consumer unit, the split load consumer unit, the consumer unit with RCBO’s and the High Integrity Consumer Unit: Single Load BoardAny bare earth wires should be sheathed before they are installed using earth sheath, this is a legal requirement!

The major difference between this type of consumer unit and the below type is that this one does not feature an RCD’s so in terms of it’s relevance today, is now considered a little old-hat! All households are different - from one bedroom apartments in the city to large country houses and all of them use electricity in different ways: Some have electric showers, some have electric hobs, others have tropical fish tanks, some have outdoor lighting and water pumps while others have workshops with machinery... Many electricians consider this the best circuit protection solution as each circuit is protected from overload and earth leakageindividually, thus preventing nuisance tripping caused by earth leakage on other circuits. Duplex consumer unitswhich are alsoknown as double bank are a type of consumer unitin which the circuits are arranged over two rows. Duplex consumer units have seen a rise in popularity in recent years with the growing trend incircuit separation.It is important to note that this does not necessarily mean the unit offers two banks of circuits.The majority duplex of sold are 'Main Switch'consumer units which are populated with RCBOs over two rows and connected using a 100A DIN rail connector. Duplex boardsare also available in'High Integrity' or 'Dual RCD' variants. To do away with any potential issues such as these, the older fuse wires have been replaced by their modern equivalent, the MCB or miniature circuit breaker.

FAQs

Used in conjunction with the circuit protection devices - (RCD, RCBO & MCB) - these four types of consumer unit offer the homeowner and electrician huge flexibility of circuit design and budget. It is important to understand that in most domestic properties it would be possible to use any one of the four types of consumer unit, the decision being governed by budget and attitude to circuit separation. A 'Dual RCD Consumer Unit' is supplied with the main switch and two RCDs and offers a cheaper solution. Our image shows a typical installation with the two banks of MCBs protected from earth leakage by the RCDs. The split board shown here has one RCD and is a simple version to show the user how the board works, however most modern split load boards feature 2 RCD’s.

Again, it entirely depends on your existing electrical layout as to how this is done, but your electrician will certainly know.This simple copper bar features teeth that protrude up and run from the live input of the RCD to each MCB. When screwed tight this gives live feed to all the MCBs. The first type is the single load consumer unit. This is where the incoming mains power is first taken through a double pole isolation switch, which then in turn feeds a live bus bar that supplies each MCB on the board. Once the incoming live is connected using a bus bar for each MCB, the next job is to connect each circuit to it’s relevant MCB.