Power to Garage and New Consumer Unit - Rough Cost

Hi,

I'm looking to get a couple of quotes this weekend so I can have power in the garage.

My current setup is a consumer unit with 4 circuits all being used. From what I have read on here it sounds like this is going to be needed to be replaced.

A bit of info, the garahe is about 6 metres away from where the consumer unit is and in the garage i want 2 double sockets and a light.

Any ideas what I should be looking at. I know it's not going to be exact just a ball park figure really.

Cheers,
Dan

About the same as a second hand car.

It will be about the same as the cost of a second hand car. Chris Evan's Ferarri was £5.6million. There's a Ford Focus for sale here for £250.

Does that help?

It's an impossible question and can only be answered by a site visit to view the condition of your installation and many, many other items that need to be considered.

You say that

I'm looking to get a couple of quotes this weekend

Click to expand...

That's your best guide. Get three quotes from "Part P" registered electricians.

There are numerous threads on here and on the internet where electricians are having conversations about how much they charge to replace a consumer unit so there must be a general guide/price for this otherwise these conversations would be pointless.

By reading these threads I have got an idea how much I would be looking at for that a consumer unit.

Then surely there can't be that many variables to consider when running a cable 6 metres to a detached single garage which has never had power in it and then install the necessary that is required for 2 double sockets and a ceiling light.

Tradesman give rough prices all the time, boiler installs, block paving per square metre etc so I don't see how this is impossible to give a ball park figure for. Its hardly like I'm going to print this thread out and show it all the people quoting and you are going to be held to this.

OK

House CU
What is your supply type
Is the earthing and supp bonding up to today's standards
What type of cabling do you have in the house
Does it meet the requirements in terms of insulation resistance
etc
etc

Garage

What would be the route to the garage from the house - where would the cable go
Are there any services in the garage (eg water etc)
Is the garage in the same plot of land as the house, or is it in a separated garage block
etc
etc

Thats just a very few starter questions each of which will influence pricing.

Oh yes, where in the UK are you? There's different legal requirements in Scotland, for instance..

Thanks for the reply.

Regarding the house CU. I'm unsure of the answer to these questions.

When changing the consumer unit, if you currently have a working consumer unit and just want to upgrade to a better one do any of these questions have any bearing on the cost of the job if I'm not looking to get any rewiring done and can they potentially make the job not possivle? Ie if the wiring is a certain age spec, by law can the consumer unit not be changed/worked on or do the newer type consumer units not work with older wiring?

What I'm trying to get at that is that obviously in an ideal world the wiring in the house would match the newest standards but in reality that isn't feasible practically and financially otherwise everytime there is a new wiring regulation brought out everybody would be having to get there house rewired.

I'm not looking to get the house rewired so could I potentially be in a position where an electrician comes out, says the wiring is too old to have a new CU. The house was built in the 60s so thats the oldest the wiring could be. The colour of the T&E is grey and it does have an earth if that helps.

I'm going to be getting a new driveway. The consumer unit is on the wall which backs onto the driveway so I was thinking the cables could come out of the bottom of the wall where the CU is, up the driveway and through the concrete base of the garage.

There are no services in the garage and the garage is in the same plot of land as the house.

I'm in England.

I'm just trying to get an idea of what could potentially be involved so when I am getting quotes I'm not going into it totally blind.

Thanks,
Dan

Changing a consumer unit is a heart/lung transplant for your house. It's not a matter of just swop it and see if it works.

Each and every circuit needs to be tested and inspected first and any remedial work carries out. If your wiring is 50 years old then there will be issues either with the cabling itself, or the additions and changes that will have been carried out.

There's a guide to what is involved. Have a look
HERE

dan_l said:

I'm not looking to get the house rewired so could I potentially be in a position where an electrician comes out, says the wiring is too old to have a new CU. The house was built in the 60s so thats the oldest the wiring could be. The colour of the T&E is grey and it does have an earth if that helps.

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A lot of 1960's house did not have their lighting circuits earthed - if your installation hasn't been upgraded since it was built it is highly likely you will not have any earth to your lighting circuits.
Okay to a point if you have plastic switches and light fittings or Class 2 metal fittings but a definite no no no if you have standard metal switches and light fittings.

As for prices, next week I am replacing an old 6 way wylex BS3036 fuseboard with a modern 10 way Consumer unit with 8 RCBO's.
I always conduct an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) before I will fit a new CU.
EICR = £60
Supply and Fit new board/RCBO's £220 if there are no major issues with the EICR.

As has been mentioned the new board will require an update to make sure everything is current to the regs, your original installation would have been to the 12th, we're now on the 17th.

Your old 4 way board will need to be a 6 way or better still 8 way.

So you end up with some spares (4 +1 new = 3 spares), there is 10mm earth bonding for the gas and water service, 25mm live and neutral tales and a 16mm main eart requirement. I doubt you have any of those.

Ball park with no real issues on the existing circuit wiring £500, add in a duct, some digging, some swa cable and the bits in the garage likely about £300 to add on.

The above is a guess, based on £250 materials, Eicr £80, and between 2 and 3 days on site.

Opening the route, doing the duct will save you £150.

Thanks for all the replies.

It looks like it could be quite a big job. Is there a way at all that it can be done which will pass regulations that doesn't involve a new consumer unit as this seems the bulk of the price.

If it has to be changed then it has to be changed but it just seems a shame to potentially open a can of worms changing the consumer unit when the current one is working fine. I know of 2 retired electrians who both have power in the garage and have a similar consumer unit to me but they are ok because they did it before these regulations came into place.

In another thread it was suggested by putting a switchfuse near the incoming supply would be another option. Does this sound feasible? Does this basically entail splitting the incoming supply wire and then part of it going to an RCD protected switch fuse which powers the garage and then the other part goes to the consumer unit?


Thanks,
Dan

I always think thats the best way to do it anyway.

The switchfuse is not/does not have an RCD - it just provides overcurrent protection for the cable. You have the RCD in the garage CU.

ban-all-sheds said:

I always think thats the best way to do it anyway.

The switchfuse is not/does not have an RCD - it just provides overcurrent protection for the cable. You have the RCD in the garage CU.

Click to expand...

Ok great and this passes building regs ok? Ie it isn't a requirement to have an RCD at the house consumer unit end as long as the garage consumer unit has one?

Thanks,
Dan

As long as the feeder cable from the switchfuse to the outbuilding is a properly earthed SWA then it does not require RCD protection.

dan_l said:

ban-all-sheds said:

I always think thats the best way to do it anyway.

The switchfuse is not/does not have an RCD - it just provides overcurrent protection for the cable. You have the RCD in the garage CU.

Click to expand...

Ok great and this passes building regs ok? Ie it isn't a requirement to have an RCD at the house consumer unit end as long as the garage consumer unit has one?

Thanks,
Dan

Click to expand...

I'm with BAS on that one. The idea is that the electrical insallation is split at after the metre to avoid the any capacity, space, issues witht he existing fuse board.

but it does not simply "pass building regs" the work ahas to be in accordance with BS7671 : 2008 and Ammendement 1 and the building regs. the main earthing conductor and any main equipotential bonding will need to be checked and replaced if necessary.

Then you need to check the supply type and decisde wether you export the earth from the main hose or not

Hi,

We have had an electrian round today and he has said that I would need an RCD at the consumer unit end regardless of whether I have consumer unit in the garage which has RCD protection. The example used was if something was to cut through the cable in the garden, there is no RCD protection between the CU in the house and the cable.

This conflicts the advice above so just wondering what peoples thoughts were on this and if it definately is the case you don't need an RCD at the house consumer unit end how is the cable protected if you cut through it or is it a case because SWA is being used it can't be cut through?

Thanks,
Dan