When it comes down to it, the only person(s) able to do this are those that are Part P registered. If however you ignore this and do carry out electrical work that you’re not allowed to, this is illegal and also can invalidate your home insurance and cause potential issues when trying to sell your home. For further information on staying safe when working around electricity, see our electrical safety project here. When it comes to a modern split consumer unit, the use of RCDs is necessary for 2 reasons to meet the wiring regulations. The modern consumer unit also has a range of other safety features including a main switch that controls the power to the entire unit, that, once switched off, will turn the power off to the entire house. The author will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information or if you try any circuit in wrong format. So please! Be careful because it’s all about electricity and electricity is too dangerous.

Finally, the electrician then issues an EIC or DEIC (Electrical or Domestic Electrical Installation Certificate) certificate for all the work that has been carried out. Under Part P as replacing a consumer unit is notifiable works this is a legal requirement. Once the first MCB is connected up, the others are connected in the same way, ensuring that each is connected to the correct size of MCB for the item(s) it’s powering. Once the old one is out of the way, the new one is fixed in place. Step 2 – Add Main Double Pole Isolation Switch and RCD In general, 18th edition consumer unit requirements state all electrical circuits must be protected from:Consumer Unit with MCB and main double pole isolation switch Step 3 – Connect up Main Switch and RCD The RCD is then clipped onto the DIN bar. The top clip is first clipped over the top of the bar and then bottom either clips over using a spring clip, a screw or simply just clips over. The final stage left is then for your electrician to test every single circuit on the board and ensure it’s safe, wired correctly and has no issues what so ever. Obviously, when a consumer unit is being installed the power to your entire house is isolated so that everything can be connected up and tested before it put live for use!

The 18th edition consumer unit requirements supersede 17th edition wiring regulations. So, if you haven’t installed a new consumer unit for a while, here’s a summary of the changes: Is your electrician a member of a competent person scheme? (NICEIC, NAPIT etc). Did he agree to do the notification as well? This type of consumer unit layout has really emerged in recent years in response to the nuisance tripping addition to the wiring regulations. It essentially removes the use of RCD’s to create a split load board with RCBO’s (Residual Current Breaker with Over-Current) now taking their place. Now that you know exactly what elements make up a standard consumer unit and why they are needed it’s time to look at exactly how they are wired up and why this is done a particular way.

What are the Different Types of Consumer Unit?

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. Fire cable and fire-related cable clips: all cable support systems must be constructed from appropriate materials to protect against premature collapse in a fire. This now covers all cable and cable management in a building – not just escape routes. So, this will apply if you are changing a consumer unit as part of a rewiring project. To learn more about rewiring, read our professional's guide to rewiring a house.

How many consumer units do you need? You’ll only need one consumer unit for a home in most cases. However, there are some scenarios where you may need to fit a second consumer unit. For example, when adding electrical circuits to an extension in an existing building. The current consumer unit can only provide a certain amount of wattage. If the new circuit is going to exceed that wattage, then a second consumer unit will need to be installed. You may also want to install a second consumer unit if you’re powering an outbuilding, such as a garage or shed. Note: Depending on what the circuit will be running will depend on what size MCB is installed. Again, your electrician will know exactly what MCB can be used for a given circuit. As we are all taught from a very young age, electricity is extremely dangerous and if you don’t know what you’re doing with it, working on or around it should be left to the professionals! This is certainly no different when it comes to consumer units. Now, mount all the three MCB’s (6A, 16A and 32A respectively) and 2-poles RCD (63A) in the built-in din rail in the garage CU. 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.If this is a new consumer unit install for an existing property then your electrician will have either marked each circuit to identify what it powers or will work each one out as he gets to it. The distribution board should not be installed 2.2 meter above the floor, must be protected from the corrosion and away from watery areas. All the wires should be covered in the panel board (i.e. it should not hang outside the panel). Finally, there must be a safety sign near the distribution board. The fact you keep saying "signed off" in quotes like you think I'm some have-a-go cowboy is pretty irritating. I'm asking questions on this forum, hoping for some advice, to try and do the job properly. One said to use SWA, the other said it could 'probably be done with electrical cable in conduit' but I forgot to ask specifics as I didn't realise there was so many options / sizes. Surely someone can tell me what an accepted and safe cable is based on the photos I've provided? What materials they are going to use, ie cable sizes, brand of accessories (ie not utter carp that will cause issues later). Often I will supply these to them as my price via the wholesaler is often a lot less than they could get in a DIY shed. Although used in most types of consumer unit setup, they are not required for those with RCBO’s as these do exactly the same job but with additional safety features.