Are you looking to make your property safe? Or uplift the electric connections? If yes, you will need a good consumer kit. A consumer unit or a fuse box plays a crucial role in your home’s electric supply.
Only purchasing a consumer unit, won’t give you relief. Knowing g about its features is also important. Only then you can be certain about which consumer kit to choose.
Understanding Consumer Units
A customer unit is a fuse box that controls the electric supply of a house. It is like the centre point where electricity enters. A consumer unit comes with some unique components that run automatically. All these components make the unit able to be a part of electric supply.
Anyway, the consumer unit’s components are RCBOs, RCDs, MCBs, etc. RCDs (residual current device) helps to switch off the power, whereas MCB (mini circuit breaker) or fuse protects the circuits. Again, RCBOs (residual current circuit breaker with overloads) protect the MCB and RCD, and SPD (surge protective device) protect the power surges.
In an energy supply connection, electricity first enters the service cable, subsequently flows through the distribution phase, then through the main fuse, then via the electricity metre, and finally into the customer unit. The primary fuse is held in the service head, or cutout. This fuse protects the property by allowing just a certain amount of current to enter.
In the United Kingdom, for example, a fuse classified between 60 and 100 amps is standard. To isolate the property, the power distribution provider can also blow this fuse. It’s possible they’ll do that to replace the power meter.
The phase and neutral are then fed into the electricity meter, which calculates the amount of energy being used. This meter could be electrical, mechanical, or a digital smart meter. After that, the phase and neutral will exit the electricity meter and enter the customer unit or fuse board.
Different Types Of Consumer Units
There are some different types of consumer units that you might like. See which one meets your requirements, and then we can go for the buying guide.
- Main Switch
The main switch consumer unit or the main switch fuse box grants control of the whole electric system. It can handle the electricity load of one building and shut off the circuits together.
- Dual RCD
The dual RCD consumer unit has two RCDs, allowing the creation of two circuit banks. Each circuit is protected by separate RCDs. The best part about the dual RCD is it can protect half of your device if any circuit overloads or trips. Also, this consumer unit’s price is lower compared to other consumer units.
- High-Integrity
The high-integrity consumer unit gives the protection of three circuit banks. Here, two banks are RCBs with RCBOs. It can hold the electric supply on an entire house or flat.
If you are looking for a consumer unit for your home or business, the high-integrity consumer unit will be a good one.
- RCD Incomer
The RCD consumer unit is reliable for the small number of circuits. It means, this consumer unit can serve a short space.
There is no main switch in this consumer unit, a single RCD controls it. Also, there are no separate circuits, so a current fault can cut all circuits at once.
Things You Must Consider While Choosing A Consumer Unit
Hopefully, you have decided which consumer circuit suits you the best, but that doesn’t end your choice. There is more to look for in a consumer circuit as it is the stake of your property’s prevention.
- Decide The Number Of Consumer Units
You have to first consider the number of consumer units you need. For instance, one consumer unit is enough to run one home, but for a large property, you will need more consumer units.
- Consider The Location Of Your Consumer Unit
The safety and accessibility of your consumer unit will depend on your location. So try installing your consumer unit in an accessible area. Like garages, utility rooms, and so on.
If you want to install your consumer unit in a remote area, choose a consumer unit that is meant for such an environment. You can go with the RCD income consumer unit for this purpose.
- Know The Number Of Circuit Banks
Each consumer unit has separate circuit banks with different circuit breakers. If you want to set a prior prevention, get more circuit banks than usual, because the circuit layout changes require additional circuit banks.
Final Thoughts
So this was all about the consumer unit. Yet, we would suggest choosing it based on your location, size of the property, and number of circuits. Also, make sure your consumer unit complies with the 18th edition and manages your electrical demands.
Well, BG Electrical, Wylex, MK, Hager, and many other brands offer commendable consumer units. You can check out their products.
