Consumer units & power upgrades
The point where the whole installation is organised
Consumer unit and distribution enquiries reviewed against the circuits they serve — what is installed, what is proposed, and what the assessment actually supports.
- Distribution
- Circuit additions
- Capacity
- Upgrades
- Commercial boards
Scope
What consumer unit and upgrade enquiries cover
Distribution work is rarely isolated. Changes at the board affect circuits, and changes to circuits affect the board.
- CU-01
Consumer unit enquiries
Questions about an existing board — its arrangement, its condition, whether it can take more, or whether a proposed change affects it.
- CU-02
Distribution
How circuits are organised across the property, and whether that organisation still matches how the property is used.
- CU-03
Circuit additions
Adding circuits for kitchens, showers, outbuildings, home offices, plant or equipment, subject to available ways and routes.
- CU-04
Existing equipment
What is already connected, what it is used for, and whether the existing arrangement suits it.
- CU-05
Capacity considerations
Whether the arrangement has room for the proposed work, and what would need confirming if it does not.
- CU-06
Renovation
Distribution work forming part of a renovation, where circuits are being added, removed or reorganised anyway.
- CU-07
Property upgrades
Improvements to the distribution arrangement where the assessment and the proposed use support them.
- CU-08
Commercial requirements
Sub-distribution, board locations, area or tenancy separation, and labelling for commercial premises.
- CU-09
Future equipment
Leaving provision where future loads are expected — appliances, plant, EV charging or business equipment.
Assessment
Why replacement is never the default answer
Not every consumer unit requires replacement. A board may be entirely appropriate for the installation it serves, may need no more than an addition, or may need reviewing for reasons unrelated to the work being enquired about.
Which of those applies is established by looking at the board, the circuits, the condition of the installation and the proposed work. It cannot be diagnosed from website content, from a photograph, or from the age of the board alone.
- Board type, condition and available ways
- Protective device arrangement in place
- Circuit labelling and what each circuit serves
- Condition of the wiring connected to it
- The proposed work and what it requires
- Anything identified during inspection or testing
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Consumer unit enquiries
Questions about an existing board, its age, its arrangement or a proposed change are reviewed against what is actually installed rather than answered generically.
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Circuit requirements
What each circuit currently serves, what is being added, and whether the existing arrangement can accommodate it as it stands.
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Existing installation review
The condition and arrangement of the wiring already in place, including anything that may affect how new work can be connected.
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Upgrades
Where an upgrade is appropriate, what it involves, what it affects elsewhere in the property, and what it does not cover.
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Additional circuits
New circuits for kitchens, showers, outbuildings, home offices, plant or equipment, including routing and available ways.
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Future requirements
Whether capacity should be left for expected changes — extensions, appliances, EV charging or business equipment.
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Electrical condition
Observations about the condition of the installation, which may lead to further inspection or remedial recommendations.
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Testing considerations
Inspection and testing appropriate to the work carried out, with results and any findings recorded at the time.
Boundaries
What is confirmed as part of the work
Distribution work often uncovers information about the wider installation. These notes set out how that is handled.
Electrical enquiry
Enquiring about a consumer unit or upgrade?
Tell us about the property, the board if you know anything about it, the circuits involved and what you are trying to achieve.