Fuseboard Replacement for Wickersley Homes

If your fuseboard is more than 15 years old, there’s a good chance it’s no longer providing the level of protection your home needs. MP Electrical carries out NAPIT-registered consumer unit upgrades across Wickersley, replacing outdated fuse boxes with modern 18th Edition metal consumer units fitted with individual RCBO protection on every circuit.

We’re based in Rotherham — just minutes from Wickersley — so we can usually book your upgrade within a few days. Every installation includes full testing, your Electrical Installation Certificate, and Part P Building Control notification handled for you.

Why Wickersley Properties Often Need a New Consumer Unit

Wickersley’s housing stock spans several decades of building, from the 1960s and 70s semis along Bawtry Road and Morthen Road through to the 1980s estates around Larch Gardens and newer developments near Wickersley School. Each era came with different electrical standards, and the fuseboards fitted at the time reflect those now-outdated requirements.

In the older 1960s and 70s properties, we frequently find original MEM or Wylex fuse boxes — the type with rewireable fuses on a wooden back board. These boards have no RCD protection whatsoever, which means there’s nothing to automatically cut the power if someone touches a live wire or if a fault develops. Some have been partially upgraded over the years with a single RCD added, but this creates a split-load arrangement where one fault can trip half the house.

The 1980s and 90s homes in Wickersley often have plastic consumer units with MCBs (miniature circuit breakers) but no RCD or only partial RCD coverage. While these are a step up from rewireable fuses, they don’t meet current BS 7671 regulations and the plastic enclosures are now recognised as a fire risk — which is why the 18th Edition requires non-combustible metal enclosures for all new installations.

Even properties built in the 2000s may now be due for an upgrade, particularly if additional circuits have been added for things like EV chargers, garden rooms, or kitchen extensions without the board being upgraded to handle the increased load.

What Does a Modern Consumer Unit Include?

Every fuseboard we install in Wickersley is a modern 18th Edition metal consumer unit with individual RCBO protection. Here’s what that means in practice and why it matters for your home.

Individual RCBOs on every circuit — unlike older split-load boards where one RCD protects a bank of circuits, RCBOs give each circuit its own combined overcurrent and earth-leakage protection. If your kitchen circuit develops a fault, only that circuit trips. Your lights, freezer, and broadband router all stay on. This is a significant improvement over the old arrangement where a single fault could plunge half your house into darkness.

Metal enclosure — the 18th Edition of BS 7671 requires all new domestic consumer units to be housed in a non-combustible enclosure. This is a direct response to evidence that plastic consumer units contributed to house fires. Our metal units meet this requirement and provide an additional layer of fire protection.

Surge Protection Device (SPD) — since the latest amendment to the wiring regulations, SPDs are required in most new installations. These protect your electronics — TVs, computers, smart home devices — from voltage spikes caused by lightning strikes or power grid switching. One surge without protection can destroy thousands of pounds worth of equipment.

Correct labelling and circuit identification — every circuit is clearly labelled so you know exactly what each switch controls. This might sound basic, but we regularly find boards in Wickersley where the labelling is wrong, missing, or so faded it’s illegible.

Signs Your Wickersley Fuseboard Needs Replacing

Not sure whether your board needs upgrading? Here are the most common warning signs we see in Wickersley properties.

If your fuseboard has rewireable fuses — the type with a wire element you can see through a ceramic holder — it’s well past its useful life. These fuses are slow to operate, easy to fit with the wrong rating wire, and offer minimal protection compared to modern MCBs and RCBOs.

A plastic enclosure is another strong indicator. Even if the breakers inside are relatively modern, a plastic box doesn’t meet current fire safety requirements. We’ve seen melted plastic consumer units in Wickersley homes where a loose connection overheated inside the board.

Frequent tripping is often a sign of an overloaded or deteriorating board. If your RCD keeps tripping and taking out multiple circuits at once, your board may need replacing rather than just resetting. Modern RCBOs isolate faults to a single circuit, making nuisance tripping far less disruptive.

If you’re planning to install an EV charger, hot tub, or garden office, your existing board may not have enough spare ways or sufficient capacity for the additional load. It’s often more cost-effective to upgrade the entire board at this point rather than trying to squeeze another circuit onto an already full unit.

How the Installation Works

A fuseboard replacement in a typical Wickersley property takes around four to six hours. Here’s what to expect on the day.

Mat arrives at the agreed time and carries out a final check of your existing installation before starting work. The power is then switched off — this is unavoidable as we need to work on the incoming supply and all circuits. We always let you know in advance so you can plan around it.

The old consumer unit is carefully removed and the new metal enclosure is mounted in the same position (or relocated if the current position is unsuitable). All existing circuits are transferred to the new board with individual RCBOs, the SPD is fitted, and everything is labelled clearly.

Once the physical installation is complete, we carry out a full schedule of electrical tests on every circuit — insulation resistance, earth fault loop impedance, RCD timing, and polarity checks. These tests confirm that everything is safe and correctly connected. Your power is then restored, and we walk you through the new board so you know what each switch does.

Within a few days, you’ll receive your Electrical Installation Certificate and the Part P Building Control notification is submitted to NAPIT on your behalf. No paperwork for you to worry about.

Why Wickersley Chooses MP Electrical

Over 310 five-star Google reviews. NAPIT registered. Every job carried out personally by Mat — no subcontractors. We’ve upgraded fuseboards in homes across Wickersley and know the typical board types and wiring setups you’ll find in properties throughout the area. You’ll get a fixed written quote before any work starts, and the price we quote is the price you pay.

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Nearby Areas We Also Cover

As well as Wickersley, we carry out fuseboard replacements in Maltby, Swinton, Brinsworth, Rawmarsh, and across Rotherham. See our main fuseboard replacement page for more details. Already had an EICR? Check your EICR Wickersley page.

Page last updated: 7 July 2026