Your consumer unit is the point where every circuit in the house terminates, and in most Ilford properties it is the oldest piece of electrical equipment still in service. We carry out consumer unit replacements in Ilford and across Seven Kings, Goodmayes, Newbury Park and Barkingside — fully tested, fully certified, and notified to building control as part of the job.
Call 07502 396654 any time, day or night.
Does your board need replacing?
You can date most boards from the outside in a few seconds.
- Ceramic fuse holders you pull out — pre-1970s rewireable fuses, with no residual current protection of any kind.
- Plastic case, no test buttons — 1970s to 1990s. Cartridge fuses or early MCBs, still no RCD protection on socket circuits.
- Plastic case with one or two test buttons — 2000s to 2015. A split-load board: better, but one fault takes out half the house, and the enclosure is combustible.
- Metal case with individual breakers — 2016 onward. This is what current work is installed to.
If your board has no test buttons at all, you have no residual current protection on your socket circuits. That is the single most common reason an electrical inspection in Ilford comes back unsatisfactory.
What a modern replacement changes
Faults stop taking the whole house down. A board built with individual RCBOs gives every circuit its own protection, so a failing kettle trips the kitchen ring rather than the lights, the freezer and the router at the same time.
Earth faults disconnect fast enough to matter. RCD protection operates on a small imbalance in tens of milliseconds — the difference between a shock and an incident, and the biggest safety gain in domestic electrics in forty years.
The enclosure is non-combustible. Since 2016, consumer units in domestic premises must be metal or housed in a non-combustible cabinet, because loose connections inside plastic boards were causing fires.
Surge protection becomes possible. Modern boards have space for a surge protection device. Older units simply do not — which matters in a housing stock now full of EV chargers, heat pumps and home offices.
We test before we quote
This is the part that separates a straightforward job from an expensive surprise. Fitting sensitive modern protection to older wiring will find every fault in that wiring, on the day.
Before quoting we carry out insulation resistance testing, check continuity, and inspect your earthing arrangement, meter tails and main protective bonding. That tells you what the board change will expose before anyone commits to it.
Common findings in Ilford’s housing stock:
- Main protective bonding to incoming gas and water missing or undersized
- Meter tails at 16 mm² or smaller, sometimes cracked at the bend
- Borrowed neutrals between circuits, common in 1960s and 1970s wiring
- Cumulative earth leakage across many appliances, enough to trip a single shared RCD
- Perished rubber insulation on lighting circuits run through the loft
None of these are caused by the new board. All of them are better found before the quote than after the invoice.
What we install
- Metal-enclosure consumer unit to the current edition of BS 7671
- Individual RCBO protection per circuit as standard
- Type 2 surge protection device fitted, or space provided
- Meter tails renewed to 25 mm² where required
- Main protective bonding to gas and water proved or installed
- Every circuit identified, tested and labelled at the board
Certification and building control
A consumer unit replacement is notifiable work under Part P of the Building Regulations. As a NICEIC-approved contractor we self-certify the work and notify building control on your behalf — you do not need to contact the council or pay their fee.
You receive an Electrical Installation Certificate with a full schedule of test results showing measured values circuit by circuit. That is the document your buyer’s solicitor, your insurer and your next electrician will all want to see.
How long it takes
For a standard three-bedroom Ilford house with no surprises, expect the power off for most of a working day, the new unit energised by late afternoon, and certification issued within a few days.
Where main bonding is missing, tails need upgrading, or a circuit fails its insulation test, the job grows — which is exactly why we test first and price remedial work openly rather than discovering it halfway through. If something turns up that cannot safely wait, our 24-hour Ilford call-out covers it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I keep my old board if it still works?
Working and safe are different tests. A board with no RCD protection on socket circuits is functioning exactly as designed and would still attract a C2 on an inspection report. If you rent the property out, that makes the report unsatisfactory and starts a 28-day remedial clock.
Will the power be off all day?
For most of the working day. We isolate, replace, test and re-energise, restoring supply as soon as the installation has been proved. If you need particular circuits kept live — a freezer, a home office, medical equipment — tell us when you book and we will plan around it.
Why do some quotes not mention meter tails or bonding?
Because those items are commonly found wanting once work starts, and leaving them out makes the headline price look lower. We check both before quoting and state the position either way.
Do I get a certificate?
Yes — an Electrical Installation Certificate with the schedule of test results attached, plus building control notification through our NICEIC registration.
Book a consumer unit replacement in Ilford
We work Ilford and the surrounding IG postcodes from our base in Dagenham, about three and a half miles away, with a 24-hour call-out alongside planned work. We also handle full and partial rewires and EICRs across the area.
Call 07502 396654 or email idealelectricians@gmail.com for a free, no-obligation estimate.
Ideal Electricians Ltd · 9 Woodward Road, Dagenham, Essex RM9 4SJ · NICEIC approved · Part P compliant · 15+ years