Consumer unit regulations change

Andrew Gabriel · 2014-12-12T00:17:42+00:00

A heads-up that Amendment 3 to the wiring regs (due in January) will require home consumer units to be made of a non-combustable material (i.e. metal), or to be enclosed in a non-combustable enclosure. This follows a five fold increase in 5 years of house fires starting in plastic consumer units, often under the stairs, which are usually the only escape route. This applies to any other switchgear too, not just the CU. The new requirement will be delayed until January 2016, to allow manufacturers time to produce metal consumer units in sufficient numbers. Pleased to say I always throught the thermosoftening plastic CU's were a liability and I have fitted commercial metal ones when I've replaced CU's over the last ~15 years.

Dec 12, 2014 124 Replies

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Dave Plowman (News) 11 years ago

You can still buy the original non fused type, though.

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Andrew Gabriel 11 years ago

Still heavily used in India and South Africa. Also used for stage lighting here, as I'm sure you know!

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charles 11 years ago

Yes, still widely used in the theatre - and they are the domestic standard in South Africa

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charles 11 years ago

India tends to use the smaller, 5Amp, ones

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Dave Plowman (News) 11 years ago

Not really - I worked in TV, and they used their own connectors, and different companies used different ones. Lee Electric - who were one of the independant lighting companies even had their own individual type at one time. Still in use last time I looked. ;-)

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