The consumer unit is a plastic or metal box fixed on the wall usually near where the electrical supply enters your home. The consumer unit contains the circuit breakers which protect all the individual circuits in your home.
There is an on/off switch for each circuit breaker and each circuit breaker should have a label of the circuit it protects; eg. lighting, sockets, boiler, cooker etc.
If a circuit fails then the switch on that circuit breaker will be in the off position, to find out what the problem is, try the following steps.
- Try unplugging the appliance that may have caused the problem or the light bulb if it’s the light circuit which has failed.
- Then switch that circuit back on, plug the appliance or bulb back in and if it trips again then this may indicate that you have a faulty appliance or bulb which may need replacing.
If you require further assistance please contact us on 01296 732600.
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Consumer Unit video transcript
Hello, this video is to help you understand and safely use your consuming unit.
The electrical supply in your home enters via the consuming unit which will be fixed on the wall usually where the electrical supply enters the property.
The consumer unit will be a plastic or metal box with a flap on the front that can be opened like this to expose the circuit breakers which protect the individual electric circuits in the property.
You will find an on-off switch on each circuit breaker and written next to each switch is a description of the circuit it protects such as lighting, sockets, boiler, cooker, etc. If a circuit fails, the switch for that circuit will be in the off position. We recommend unplugging the appliance that may have caused a problem or the light bulb if it is the lighting circuit that has tripped. Switch that circuit back on, plug the appliance or bulb back in and if it trips again then this may indicate that you have a faulty appliance or a bulb which may need replacing.
We hope this video has been useful. If you require further assistance please contact us on 01296 732600.
