The consumer unit — commonly called the fuse board — is the central control point for every electrical circuit in your home. It houses the main switch, circuit breakers or residual current devices (RCDs), and any arc fault detection devices (AFDDs) that protect individual circuits.
An outdated or faulty unit can leave your household circuits without adequate protection, increasing the risk of electric shock or fire. Older homes in Guildford may still have units that use rewirable fuse wire rather than modern miniature circuit breakers (MCBs).
These offer far less protection than modern units and cannot respond quickly enough to prevent damage or injury in many fault scenarios. Consumer units installed many years ago may also lack RCD protection on all circuits — a requirement under current wiring standards for new installations and replacements.
When an electrician assesses your existing unit, they will check whether the enclosure meets current standards (metal-clad enclosures are now required for new installations in domestic properties), inspect the condition of the incoming supply tails and earthing arrangements, and identify whether any circuits lack appropriate protection. Based on this assessment, they can propose a replacement unit sized for the number and type of circuits in your property.
Before an electrician arrives, locate your main switch so they can safely isolate the supply, and note which circuits (if any) have been causing problems. Allow for a period without mains power during the changeover — the duration depends on the complexity of the installation.