2 Consumer Units or 1?

[qamikazi123]

Hi All
I need some advice please.
I am getting my house rewired and have asked for each room to be rewired on a separate circuit so if 1 room has any problems and trips it does not affect the lighting/sockets in any other room.
its a 5 bedroom house and kitchen diner and living room (total 7 rooms). I want the landing to be on a separate circuit too.
Overall i need approx 24 circuits to the consumer unit. My electrician has advised me to have 2 consumer units which consists on 1 consumer unit for the ground floor and separate consumer unit for the upstairs.

I have seen some Hager Duplex consumer units that are 28 way and wondering if it would be better to get one of these which will cover what i need with a few extra for future use or should i get 2 consumer units as suggested by the electrician?.

Here is the CU i was thinking of...
Hager VML11414 Duplex 14+14 Way Stacked Consumer Unit

Would be grateful for any advice/suggestions

 

[Andy78]

It's your decision really and makes no odds to the job in terms of compliance with wiring regulations. Definitely decide this before the wiring commences though.
Aim for between 10 and 20% spare ways especially with your predilection towards a high degree of division of the installation.

 

[qamikazi123]

It's your decision really and makes no odds to the job in terms of compliance with wiring regulations. Definitely decide this before the wiring commences though.
Aim for between 10 and 20% spare ways especially with your predilection towards a high degree of division of the installation.

Thanks for your response Andy.
Ok im going to have a think about it. If i end up going for the 1 CU, will the Hager one i posted be ok?.

I am getting my electrical supply and meter moved from inside to the outside of the house to a flush mount box outside. The wall the meter/supply currently resides on is being knocked through to create open plan room.

 

[Pete999]

Hi All
I need some advice please.
I am getting my house rewired and have asked for each room to be rewired on a separate circuit so if 1 room has any problems and trips it does not affect the lighting/sockets in any other room.
its a 5 bedroom house and kitchen diner and living room (total 7 rooms). I want the landing to be on a separate circuit too.
Overall i need approx 24 circuits to the consumer unit. My electrician has advised me to have 2 consumer units which consists on 1 consumer unit for the ground floor and separate consumer unit for the upstairs.

I have seen some Hager Duplex consumer units that are 28 way and wondering if it would be better to get one of these which will cover what i need with a few extra for future use or should i get 2 consumer units as suggested by the electrician?.

Here is the CU i was thinking of...
Hager VML11414 Duplex 14+14 Way Stacked Consumer Unit

Would be grateful for any advice/suggestions

What you are asking for will be expensive and nearly impossible to achieve, lighting, power (sockets), heating, Shower, cookers etc, are normally wired separately on their own circuits, is this is what your Electrician is suggesting, then I would get another Electrician, can you explain where and how you came up with 24 circuits?

 

[Spoon]

can you explain where and how you came up with 24 circuits?

Seeing each room will have its own power circuit and also its own lighting circuit then I imagine it will soon mount up.

Just out of coriocity @qamikazi123 , seeing that you are looking into separate circuits in case something goes wrong, how are you having the kitchen wired? Will each appliance have it's own circuit?

 

[Andy78]

Thanks for your response Andy.
Ok im going to have a think about it. If i end up going for the 1 CU, will the Hager one i posted be ok?.

I am getting my electrical supply and meter moved from inside to the outside of the house to a flush mount box outside. The wall the meter/supply currently resides on is being knocked through to create open plan room.

I certainly can't knock Hager for the quality of their consumer units.

 

[qamikazi123]

What you are asking for will be expensive and nearly impossible to achieve, lighting, power (sockets), heating, Shower, cookers etc, are normally wired separately on their own circuits, is this is what your Electrician is suggesting, then I would get another Electrician, can you explain where and how you came up with 24 circuits?

Hi Pete
The ask for separate circuits for each room is what i requested and not what the electrician suggested. I want it so if the power trips in 1 room it doesn't affect the rest. My electrician has suggested 2 CU's because of the number of separate circuits that this will entail.

The way i reached approx 24 circuits is ....
7 rooms - 1 lighting circuit and 1 circuit for plugs per room. This makes it 14 circuits for the rooms for lighting and plugs.
Then i will have:
1 electric oven
1 elec shower
1 for Immersion heater
1 for outside lighting
1 for hallway/landing
1 boiler

and a few other that i cant remember off the top of my head. Then just for future proof i need some spares. Hence why i was thinking 28 way CU

What would you suggest ?. Any advise appreciated.

thanks
[automerge]1572266065[/automerge]

Seeing each room will have its own power circuit and also its own lighting circuit then I imagine it will soon mount up.

Just out of coriocity @qamikazi123 , seeing that you are looking into separate circuits in case something goes wrong, how are you having the kitchen wired? Will each appliance have it's own circuit?

Erm - Kitchen lighting and plugs will be seperate like the rest of the rooms. I think the oven will need a seperate one from what ive been told.

 

[Andy78]

If you are going for separate lighting and sockets for every room then I would suggest you will end up with more than 24 circuits.

In my opinion this plan is completely overkill and the lighting could be satisfied with three circuits for the house. If you are worried about loss of lighting in the event of a fault you could fit battery powered emergency lighting. This can be neatly incorporated into led downlights. The chances of faults developing on a newly rewired house are very small and I do feel this degree of division of circuits is not needed.

 

[Pete999]

Hi Pete
The ask for separate circuits for each room is what i requested and not what the electrician suggested. I want it so if the power trips in 1 room it doesn't affect the rest. My electrician has suggested 2 CU's because of the number of separate circuits that this will entail.

The way i reached approx 24 circuits is ....
7 rooms - 1 lighting circuit and 1 circuit for plugs per room. This makes it 14 circuits for the rooms for lighting and plugs.
Then i will have:
1 electric oven
1 elec shower
1 for Immersion heater
1 for outside lighting
1 for hallway/landing
1 boiler

and a few other that i cant remember off the top of my head. Then just for future proof i need some spares. Hence why i was thinking 28 way CU

What would you suggest ?. Any advise appreciated.

thanks
[automerge]1572266065[/automerge]

Erm - Kitchen lighting and plugs will be seperate like the rest of the rooms. I think the oven will need a seperate one from what ive been told.

And the shower (if it's an instantaneous type) The HWH, Boiler

 

[qamikazi123]

If you are going for separate lighting and sockets for every room then I would suggest you will end up with more than 24 circuits.

In my opinion this plan is completely overkill and the lighting could be satisfied with three circuits for the house. If you are worried about loss of lighting in the event of a fault you could fit battery powered emergency lighting. This can be neatly incorporated into led downlights. The chances of faults developing on a newly rewired house are very small and I do feel this degree of division of circuits is not needed.

Hmm - i might rethink and take your advice.
What about separate circuits for all lighting for each room and do the sockets shared/normal way?

 

[Pete999]

Hi All
I need some advice please.
I am getting my house rewired and have asked for each room to be rewired on a separate circuit so if 1 room has any problems and trips it does not affect the lighting/sockets in any other room.
its a 5 bedroom house and kitchen diner and living room (total 7 rooms). I want the landing to be on a separate circuit too.
Overall i need approx 24 circuits to the consumer unit. My electrician has advised me to have 2 consumer units which consists on 1 consumer unit for the ground floor and separate consumer unit for the upstairs.

I have seen some Hager Duplex consumer units that are 28 way and wondering if it would be better to get one of these which will cover what i need with a few extra for future use or should i get 2 consumer units as suggested by the electrician?.

Here is the CU i was thinking of...
Hager VML11414 Duplex 14+14 Way Stacked Consumer Unit

Would be grateful for any advice/suggestions

You could of course run a sub main to each bedroom with it's own small CU in the bedroom cut the circuits down by only 1 per bedroom!?

 

[davesparks]

For such a heavily divided installation my gut instinct would be to locate a consumer on each floor to serve each floor.

However I would refuse to take on such a job because its an unjustifiable waste of materials.

No doubt you'll be fitting low energy lighting throughout so that you are doing your bit to save the planet, yet not even consider that the extra materials being used will do harm far outweighing the good.

 

[Spoon]

@qamikazi123 I personally think each bedroom having its own power circuit is a good idea. If you have kids and they wont get off their consoles then at least you can switch off the power to their room.
A circuit for each lighting arrangement per room is overkill in my opinion.

 

[littlespark]

I hope the suggestion is a 16A radial for sockets per room, and 32 rfc for kitchen.
No way a bedroom will take over 16 on its own.
But I would say a board per floor. Same number of breakers, but easier to install depending on available space at the DB locations

 

[shaun1]

As others have said, a circuit per room might be a bit overkill. It would probably be a better use of the budget to get quality materials and a good electrician that isnt going to rush things. It would then be very unlikely that a fault would occur on the instalation. It is deffinitely worth having some division of circuits, perhaps a couple on each floor. And definitely a seperate circuit for the fridge freezer, the boiler, and probably the other kitchen appliences.

 

[MJPD29]

We did a house last year which had 27 circuits. This was made up of a consumer unit on each floor rather than a stacked one on ground floor. Was easier to wire, less cables at board and makes more sense for the amount of circuits

 

[Midwest]

Its your house @qamikazi123 and can spend your money as you see fit. My 4 bed house, as hundreds of thousands across the country, has one dual rcd Cu, with the kitchen on one of the RFC’s, and the CH. Can’t see much problems presenting themselves. If I’d wired my property, I might of considered RCBO’s CU, separate circuits for kitchen or CH, but not something I’m gonna loose sleep over.

Think your overthinking things IMO.

 

[sparks1234]

If that what the Op wants then who are we to argue against him, he obviously has his reasons, perhaps he is renting rooms out, in which case might I suggest you install RCBO's instead of RCD's and MCB's, it does seem quite elaborate if it is just a family home though

 

[James]

when I get round to re wiring my house, it will be a similar arrangement to you have suggested.
1 socket circuit for each room
1 circuit for lighting on each floor, incorporating 1 emergency fitting in each room
1 circuit for kitchen sockets
1 circuit for bult in kitchen appliences
1 circuit for the oven
then the others, outside lighting, outside sockets, boiler, etc.


I will probably have a 6 way board next to the meter
feeding a board on each of 3 floors and a further one in the outside workshop.

yes it is overkill
but that is the way I want it done.
stick to your guns, you are the customer.

your electrician should be thinking of ways to make it happen in the way you want it done. (within reason and regulations)
an emergency light fitting by each of the distribution boards is one of the most useful thing ever if you ever need it.