What a modern consumer unit is
Under BS 7671:2018 Amendment 2:2022 a domestic consumer unit is a metal-enclosed board with individual RCBO protection on every final circuit. Type A RCDs (not Type AC) are required to detect the DC fault currents that modern equipment leaks - LED drivers, EV chargers, heat pumps, induction hobs. A surge protection device (SPD) is required unless a documented risk assessment shows it is not needed - in practice, on any Dover install, we fit one.
What you probably have
Around Castle Ward, Buckland and Maxton, most Victorian and Edwardian terraces still run one of three older boards:
- BS 3036 rewireable fuses - the classic wooden or brown-bakelite board with pull-out fuse wire carriers. No RCD protection at all. Legally allowed as a distribution board but always a C2 code on an EICR. If you have this, you need a new board.
- Wylex plug-in MCBs - a rewireable base with plug-in miniature circuit breakers retrofitted into the fuse ways. Often no main switch RCD, sometimes just a single 30mA RCD covering half the board.
- Split-load boards with dual 30mA RCDs - late 1990s to mid-2010s. Compliant when installed but no longer meeting Amdt 2:2022; a single RCD fault takes out half the house. RCBOs remove that whole failure mode.
What we install
- Individual Type A RCBO on every circuit (RCD + MCB in one)
- Type 2 SPD for surge protection
- Main switch with a proper 100A isolator
- Full test to Regulation 643 - insulation resistance, earth fault loop, polarity, RCD timing
- Meter tails and main earth upgraded if undersized (usually 25mm for TN-S)
- Domestic Electrical Installation Certificate emailed to you
- Part P notified to our competent-person scheme and registered with Dover District Council
Pricing
Straight consumer unit swap on a modern property (up to 8 circuits, no tails upgrade): from £600. On a Victorian or Edwardian terrace with an old TN-S service head where tails and main earth need upgrading: £750 to £900. On a large 4-bed detached in Kearsney or Temple Ewell with 12+ circuits: £900 to £1,150. All fixed price.
Do we need to notify Dover District Council?
Not directly. We are registered under a competent-person scheme, which means the notification is filed automatically with the scheme and pushed to DDC building control as part of their monthly returns. You end up with a council record you can point a solicitor at when you sell.
Timing
A straight swap takes about half a day - power is off for around 3 to 4 hours. We plan around your work-from-home schedule and can do Saturdays at no extra cost.