When an EICR says the consumer unit must go

An old consumer unit (fuse board) doesn’t automatically fail an EICR. What matters is its condition and whether it protects you properly. A board with serious faults can be coded C2 (potentially dangerous) — or C1 if live parts are exposed — which makes the report unsatisfactory. A sound but dated board is often coded C3: an improvement recommended, not a failure.

What a consumer unit does

The consumer unit is the box where your electricity supply is split into circuits. It holds the main switch, a fuse or circuit breaker for each circuit and, on modern boards, RCDs — the safety switches that cut the power in a fault and protect people from electric shock. Older boards may have rewireable fuses, no RCDs or a plastic enclosure.

How EICRs usually code consumer-unit problems

The inspector decides each code based on what they find in your installation, so treat this as a guide. Our EICR codes guide explains each code in full.

When replacement is usually needed

A consumer unit is more likely to need replacing when the inspection finds things like:

• damage or signs of overheating, such as scorch marks, melted parts or a burning smell;
• no RCD protection where it’s essential, with no practical way to add it to the existing board;
• old rewireable fuses combined with other problems that can’t be put right on the existing board;
• parts that can’t be repaired, or a board that’s unsuitable for the circuits it now supplies.

When it’s a recommendation, not a failure

Two common observations are often coded C3, or not coded at all:

• A plastic consumer unit. Current regulations require new boards in homes to have a non-combustible enclosure, usually metal. An older plastic board in good condition is coded C3 only when it's under a wooden staircase or on the only escape route out of the home; anywhere else Electrical Safety First's guidance says it isn't coded.
• Some circuits without RCD protection, where the risk doesn’t justify a C2.

C3s don’t make a report fail, but if you’re planning other electrical work, upgrading the board at the same time is often good value.

Repair or replace?

Not every consumer-unit C2 means a new board. Sometimes the fault can be fixed on the existing one — by replacing a damaged part, for example — or RCD protection can be added to the circuits that need it. Ask the electrician to explain the options and the cost of each. If the board also has C3s, or you’re planning other work such as a new kitchen or a circuit for an electric vehicle charger, replacing it may deal with everything at once.

What replacement involves

1. Testing the existing circuits first. A new board with RCD protection can reveal hidden faults that an old board didn’t — these may need fixing before or during the changeover.
2. Agreeing the building regulations route. Replacing a consumer unit in a home is notifiable work, so the sign-off route is settled before the work starts (see below).
3. The changeover. The power is off while the old board is removed and the new one fitted, so plan around fridges, freezers and anything that must stay on.
4. Testing every circuit on the new board.
5. Certificates. You receive an Electrical Installation Certificate for the new work — see EICR, EIC, Minor Works or PAT — and confirmation that it complies with the building regulations.

Signing it off under building regulations

Replacing a consumer unit in a home is notifiable work under Part P of the Building Regulations — as are adding a new circuit and adding to or altering the electrics in a special location such as a bath or shower zone. There are three ways to get it signed off:

• self-certification by an electrician registered with a competent person scheme;
• certification by a registered third-party certifier, who inspects and tests work done by an electrician who isn’t registered;
• a building notice to your local authority’s Building Control before the work starts — Building Control then checks the work and signs it off.

Whichever route is used, you should receive confirmation that the work complies. Keep it with the EIC — a buyer’s solicitor is likely to ask for both when you sell (see EICRs when selling or buying).

When we replace a consumer unit, the work is notified to Building Control before it starts, and Building Control signs it off. We explain how that works before we begin.

Landlords: the 28-day rule

If the consumer unit is coded C1 or C2 on a rented home’s report, the repair or replacement counts as remedial work. It must be done within 28 days of the inspection, or sooner if the report says so. Because a building notice has to go in before the work starts, book early. When the work is finished, send the written confirmation — usually with the EIC — and the report to your tenants and the council within 28 days. See unsatisfactory EICR: what happens next.

Homeowners

There’s no legal deadline for your own home, but a C1 or C2 on the consumer unit is a real risk, so deal with it promptly. A C3 board can wait — though if you’re planning a new kitchen, an extension or an electric vehicle charger, that’s the natural time to upgrade it, because the new work may need changes at the board anyway.

A worked example

A rented two-bed flat has a plastic consumer unit in the hallway — the only way out of the flat — and no RCD protection on the socket circuits, one of which feeds a socket on the balcony. The inspector codes the missing RCD protection for the balcony socket C2 and the plastic enclosure on the escape route C3. The report is unsatisfactory. The landlord has two options:

• A targeted fix: add RCD protection for the circuit feeding the balcony socket, if the board allows it. That clears the C2; the C3 stays.
• A replacement: fit a new consumer unit in a non-combustible enclosure with RCD protection throughout. That clears the C2 and the C3 together, and it’s notifiable — so the sign-off route is arranged before the work starts.

Either way, the work has to be finished within 28 days of the inspection, and the confirmation goes to the tenants and the council within 28 days of completion.

Common mistakes

• Assuming a plastic board has failed. On its own, in good condition, it's at most a C3 — and only under a wooden staircase or on the only escape route.
• Replacing the board without testing the circuits first. Hidden faults can make the new RCDs trip.
• Starting notifiable work without the sign-off route in place. A building notice must go in before the work starts.
• Losing the paperwork. Keep the EIC and the building regulations confirmation together.
• Landlords leaving it too late to fit the work into the 28 days.

Key points

• An old consumer unit isn’t an automatic fail — the code depends on its condition.
• Damage, overheating and missing RCD protection where it’s needed are the usual reasons for replacement.
• Replacing a consumer unit is notifiable under Part P: self-certification, a third-party certifier or a building notice before the work starts.
• You should get an EIC and confirmation that the work complies.

Get advice on your report

If your EICR mentions the consumer unit, we’ll explain exactly what was found and whether replacement is needed — in plain English, with no obligation to use us for the work. See our consumer unit replacement service and remedial works, send us your report, or call us on 07301 010244. Need an inspection first? See your price, including VAT, before you book.