RCD Box upgrade

[Matthew4041]

Hi, I got a new kitchen fitted, by a kitchen fitter contracted by a very well known UK kitchen company (that attracts metal) where I bought kitchen. The fitter came in and said his electricians wouldn't work on non-RCD. He said the box would need upgraded and this would cost around £500. I also requested new facias for 2 sockets, 2 light switches, cooker mains on/off and hot water on/off. I was told £40 to £50. He has now told me electricians have charged £700 as they are VAT registered. This will be on top of kitchen. Is this normal? And is there anything I can do

 

[flameport]

This will be on top of kitchen. Is this normal?

Kitchen price would be for the kitchen only - anything else would be extra, and would have to be paid for. Not every kitchen installation will need a new consumer unit.

Virtually all alterations, additions and new circuits will require RCD protection, so if your fusebox did not have any, then a new one would be required.
Price for a replacement consumer unit does depend on how many circuits, what type and several other factors, £500 would not be unreasonable.
£40 - £50 for 6 accessories seems excessively cheap.

VAT cannot be avoided, so if the above prices did not include VAT, then £550 + VAT would be £660. Being charged £700 is not entirely unexpected.

And is there anything I can do

Not now - the work has been done, and any arguments over price should have been done at the start, prices being given in writing.

 

[chivers67]

Depends on what type of Board you have, the sockets should be RCD protected for current regulations. How many circuits as your property got? You maybe able to get an RCBO for the sockets?

 

[ericmark]

There are ways around the RCD problem, however likely a new consumer unit is best option, and it's all done now so a bit late.

My mother had a new kitchen done by council to be wheel chair friendly, they ran a SWA cable around outside of house and kitchen has it's own mini consumer unit, but that was because they did not want to rewire house, which would have been required otherwise.

It is now rewired, so it only put off the inevitable, so my dad should have been getting the house rewired then, but he dug in his heels and said "I'm fed up with living in a building site, you can do it when I'm gone." Which is what we did.