Concern about a consumer unit or fuse box

Do this first

Your safe boundary

Keep the enclosure closed, record only external concerns, retain existing certificates and use a competent fixed-installation inspector.

Age, labels or appearance alone do not establish a consumer unit’s condition; this resolved route is a no-current-danger inspection request.

No verified cost range is available for this page.

Safety warnings

Warning

Keep electrical work competent

A visual check cannot prove fixed wiring is safe. Do not open, alter or test fixed wiring yourself. Use a competent electrician and confirm the required approval, inspection and certification route.

Electrical work must match the applicable national Building Regulations and competence route. In England, some domestic work is notifiable under Part P. Funding or scheme approval does not certify the electrical design or installation.

Do now

Limit an unqualified user's action to a non-invasive visual check from a safe position.
Use a competent electrician and confirm the applicable notification, inspection and certification route before work starts.
If damage, arcing, smoke, shock, repeated trips or water contact is present, stop the routine flow and resolve W-ELEC.

Do not

Do not remove covers, expose conductors, alter fixed wiring or perform live testing as a routine check.
Do not describe a socket tester, RCD button or visual inspection as proof that an installation is safe.
Do not treat grant approval or a non-electrical credential as electrical certification.

Get help

Use a competent electrician for fixed-wiring assessment or work.
In England, check Approved Document P and use the applicable competent-person, third-party certification or Building Control route.
For an active electrical fault or injury, follow W-ELEC instead.

Caution

Scheme rules can change

Scheme rules, dates, values and availability can change. Recheck the linked official source before relying on this result.

A dated statement is valid only for its recorded scope and review window. A consultation, announcement or residual web page is not proof that an application route is open. Once review_by passes, quarantine the claim until it is rechecked.

Do now

Check the official scheme administrator or government source and its update date.
Confirm the property, applicant, measure, jurisdiction and application date match the current rule.
Use the earliest review date from every policy record referenced by the page.

Do not

Do not publish a policy claim after review_by without a fresh official-source review.
Do not present a proposal, consultation or future announcement as a current entitlement.
Do not infer budget availability or an open application route from a scheme name alone.

Get help

Use the current GOV.UK or Ofgem scheme page for the relevant programme.
Ask the scheme administrator, obligated supplier or installer to confirm case-specific status in writing.
Suppress the claim if current status cannot be verified.

What is known — and what is not

What is known

Only the page's recorded observations, documents and stated scope are treated as known.

What remains uncertain

Age, enclosure material, labels or a photograph cannot establish whether the consumer unit is safe or needs replacement. [1][3]

Possible explanations

a possibly serviceable older unit [1][3]
possible thermal or physical damage [1][3]
a possible protective-device or circuit fault [1][3]

Property decision

Sale: do not infer a rewire or consumer-unit replacement from age or appearance alone; obtain condition evidence and retain installation and Building Regulations certificates. [3][4]
Letting: the consumer unit is expressly part of the installation covered by England's in-scope rented-home inspection duties. [5]
Next professional: use a competent electrician for condition assessment and the Part P route stated above if replacement or material alteration is proposed. [1][4]

What it may mean

An older unit may remain serviceable, while heat, discolouration, damage, sound, water or repeated operation may indicate a fault requiring urgent assessment. [3][1]

What you can check safely

From a safe position, record external damage, discolouration, water, sound, smell or smoke without touching the enclosure. [1]
Read an external inspection label and date without opening the unit. [3]
Gather the latest EICR, Electrical Installation Certificate and Building Regulations Compliance Certificate. [4][5]

When to stop

If the consumer unit is hazardous, keep away. Do not open the enclosure, touch devices, conductors, meter or service head, replace fuses, tighten parts, reset repeatedly or test live parts. [1][2]

Next step

Ask for a written condition assessment separating immediate danger, necessary investigation and optional improvement before any further decision. [4]

When electrical work must stop

If there is exposed or damaged wiring, arcing, scorching, smoke, a burning smell, repeated trips, electric shock, or electrical equipment in contact with water, keep away and stop. Switch off only if a normal control is safely reachable without approaching the hazard. [2]
In England, Approved Document P says notifiable work includes installing a new circuit, replacing a consumer unit, or any addition or alteration to existing circuits in a special location such as the defined space around a bath or shower, or a room with a swimming pool or sauna heater. [4]
Notifiable work must be certified by a registered competent person, a registered third-party certifier, or a building control body. Do not open, alter or test fixed wiring yourself. [4]
Even work that is not notifiable should still be designed, installed, inspected and tested. A visual check or an RCD trip does not prove that an installation is safe. [4]

Evidence checkpoints

Electrical Safety First says an older consumer unit does not necessarily require replacement; condition should be established by an EICR. [3]
Evidence date: 2026-08-12
In England, replacement of a consumer unit is notifiable electrical work under Approved Document P. [4]
Evidence date: 2026-08-12
England rented-sector guidance expressly includes the consumer unit within the fixed installation inspected by a qualified person. [5]
Evidence date: 2026-08-12
Approved Document P for England lists a new circuit, a consumer-unit replacement, and additions or alterations in a special location as notifiable electrical work. [4]
Evidence date: 2026-08-14

Scope and safety review

This resolved route applies to an England home where the condition of closed fixed electrical equipment must be established by competent inspection and no current registered electrical-danger fact is reported; an active consumer-unit hazard uses a separate route.

Jurisdiction: England
Who this covers: adult resident
Tenure: owner-occupied, private rented, social rented
Reviewed: 2026-08-13

Sources

Introduction to electrical safetyHealth and Safety Executive. Accessed 2026-08-12.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)Health and Safety Executive. Accessed 2026-08-12.
RCDs ExplainedElectrical Safety First. Accessed 2026-08-12.
Electrical safety: Approved Document PMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Accessed 2026-08-12.
Electrical safety standards in the private and social rented sectors: guidanceMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Accessed 2026-08-12.