cost to have new 17th edition consumer unit fitted,domestic

M

mumsandra

I recently had Solar Panels installed and the electrician involved found out that my very old consumer unit was tripping when he hammered cable ties in the wall etc. and breakers were flashing and sparking. In other words it needs re-placing and I wondered if anyone could give me an idea of what the cost would be ?
 
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about the same cost as a family holiday.


Seriously though. The cost will depend on many factors and needs a detailed site survey.

Your best bet is to get three quotes from registered electricians.

Your chosen electrician will need to carry out a detailed test on the existing installation before embarking on a heart&lung transplant on your house.


You'll find some local ones at www.competentperson.co.uk
 
As ever, personal recommendations are always the best way to find a reputable tradesman, but if you're having to go ahead without much in the way of those, or references, don't put any store by registration itself - sadly it is possible to become registered with woefully inadequate qualifications and zero practical experience. You don't have to spend long here to see people cropping up who are registered and "qualified", but who are clearly seriously incompetent in reality and who should not be charging for their services. Be very wary of anyone who does not propose to check over the existing wiring before changing the CU.

You are looking for someone to replace a CU and possibly some rewiring, and it may surprise and dismay you to learn that it is quite possible to become a "certified electrician" without ever having done those before, and without having acquired any of the practical skills needed to do it without half-destroying your house in the process.

It's your money, £'00s of it, and you have every right to ask prospective tradesmen what their qualifications and experience are. Just being listed here is not a good enough guide. No genuinely experienced electrician, with the "full set" of C&G qualifications will mind you asking - in fact he will wish that everyone was like you.

I feel sorry for people who have been misled by training organisations and (shamefully) the Competent Person scheme organisers into thinking that a 5-day training course, a couple of trivial examples of their work and some basic understanding of how to use test equipment will make them an electrician, but not sorry enough to agree with them trying to sell their services to Joe Public.
 
I have already got 3 quotes ranging from £530 to£450 to £400. The two lower ones from Elecsa, Napit,NICEIC companies. All I wanted was an idea of the price, to compare my quotes with. Thankyou.
 
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Those three quotes will have had the benefit of looking at your existing set up.

I can't see it from my computer screen so cannot comment if those priices are reasonable, or not. For instance, you may live in a 20-room mansion with outbuildings and a swimming pool.
Stuuff like that has an effect on prices (as does just having personalised car number plates ;) ).

Are there things in the £530 quote that are not in the £400 quote?

Happy to give an opinion. List them out and we'll have a view on if they are necessary .
 
I recently had Solar Panels installed and the electrician involved found out that my very old consumer unit was tripping when he hammered cable ties in the wall etc. and breakers were flashing and sparking. In other words it needs re-placing and I wondered if anyone could give me an idea of what the cost would be ?

Consumer unit tripping when he hammered cable ties (presume you mean cable clips?) in the wall? breakers flashing and sparking?? are you sure the guy wasnt a numpty and nailing through buried cables???
 

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