It’s common for older properties to have a 30 or 60amp main electrical fuse. With new technology being introduced to the market such as electric vehicles, the demand for more power has increased. More and more properties need to upgrade their existing fuse to a larger fuse size to help cope with the additional load.
UK Power Networks do not own all of the electrical equipment at your property, so you may need to contact your electricity supplier (the company you pay your electricity bills to) and Eastbourne Electrical to complete some work before UKPN can safely upgrade your fuse.
The equipment UKPN are responsible for
UKPN own the power cable which delivers your power and the main electrical fuse which controls the amount of power coming into your property. This is the fuse that UKPN can upgrade for you. They are also responsible for the cut-out box which protects and holds your fuse.
Electricity supplier (the company you pay your electricity bills to)
Your electricity supplier is responsible for your electricity meter and the meter wires – sometimes known as ‘tails’ – which run from our fuse to your meter. They will be able to check if your meter wires, or the meter itself, needs to be changed to cope with a main fuse upgrade.
Electrician or Installation company
The fuse board, and the wires which run from it to the meter, are the responsibility of the property owner. These wires can also be called consumer ‘tails’ or consumer cables. To check if they need upgrading, you should contact Eastbourne Electrical if you are installing new equipment such as an electric vehicle charger.
Isolation switches
Some properties have an additional switch known as an isolation switch, which is the joint responsibility of the property owner and the electricity supplier. Not all properties have them. The wires which run from the electricity meter to the isolator switch are owned by your electricity supplier, and the wires which run from the isolator switch to the fuse board are the responsibility of the property owner. The purpose of an isolation switch is to allow Eastbourne Electrical to turn the power off while they complete any internal electric work. This means that your electricity supplier will not need to attend and turn off your power.
If you would like to upgrade your fuse then you can do this by going clicking on the the link below. It will open a new window to UK Power Network website.
