Main fuse query

[Garymcdee]

Hi I’m planning on getting my house re-wired soon, the installation at the minute is an ancient old fuse board with all sorts going on in there! My main fuse is rated at 60 amp and my question is should I get the dno in to upgrade if needed to 80 or 100 amp! Am I best doing this before or after re-wire?
Will 60 amp be ok staying put?
It’s a 3 bed semi.
Thanks for help

 

[Megawatt]

Why do you think that? Electricity is horrendously expensive compared to other forms of energy. Three times as expensive as gas per KWh.

In the USA gas and oil is more expensive than power

 

[Megawatt]

I'd be bankrupted on 7 Amps!
Worked it out once, over about 12 hours (electric usage average) a day, we use about 500mA.Why on Earth would I want a 100A 3P supply?

Archy just because you have a 100 amp service don’t mean your power is going to increase

 

[Megawatt]

Archy just because you have a 100 amp service don’t mean your power is going to increase

We don’t have 3 phase on houses

 

[Megawatt]

As stated by Rob in post #4, if the main incoming cable was not capable of merely upgrading the fuse, then the cable itself would have to be upgraded. This would likely cost many thousands of pounds to provide a service that is not needed.
We are talking about the fuse that protects the whole household that is owned and managed by the network operator, not just a case of adding spare ways in the fuse board to accommodate future circuits.

Rob I understand and don’t want to upset people. Remember all countries have their own rules to go by and from what I’ve seen and been through I encourage people to increase the amperage which might cost maybe a couple of hundred dollars counting the wire

 

[Deleted account]

In the USA gas and oil is more expensive than power

Really. That’s interesting. I wander why!

 

[Megawatt]

Really. That’s interesting. I wander why!

Pete I give up you tell me

 

[Deleted account]

Pete I give up you tell me

I did not know. That’s why i asked

 

[Megawatt]

I did not know. That’s why i asked

Can you state the reasons why future unknown and possible extra loading is going to require a sometimes expensive ( and also not necessarily guaranteed) upgrade by the supplier may be needed?

Unless you can,I would be tempted to find something else to spend my money on rather than taking a guess at predicting future loading requirements just because of a rewiring job

Liston I’m not predicting nothing in America and the NEC Must have different rules that y’all go by and if shes doing a total rewire why not while everything is cut loose and it would be much easier. Nothing stays the same forever

 

[SparkyAndGeorge]

Interesting point here. The distribution network relies heavily on diversity but with the rise in EV charging this will bring important issues to light. What will happen to the network when the millions of vehicles on UK roads are plugged in to either a 3.7kw/7.4kw charger at roughly the same time? Will the entire network require upgrading?

Megawatt with the greatest respect, I'm sure the forum is not really interested in US electrics, this is a UK forum and we have totally different rules and regulations hence the reason nobody can relate to what you are saying.

 

[Andy78]

Liston I’m not predicting nothing in America and the NEC Must have different rules that y’all go by and if shes doing a total rewire why not while everything is cut loose and it would be much easier. Nothing stays the same forever

Upgrading the capacity of the main fuse and supply for the house is nothing to do with a rewire or the role of an electrician in the UK.

 

[Megawatt]

Upgrading the capacity of the main fuse and supply for the house is nothing to do with a rewire or the role of an electrician in the UK.

Again Electrical work is different in all countries you do it your way and I guess we will do it ours

 

[Megawatt]

Upgrading the capacity of the main fuse and supply for the house is nothing to do with a rewire or the role of an electrician in the UK.

In the US if it has a wire it’s ours

 

[davesparks]

Dave from what I understand she’s need a rewrite and I don’t know prices for materials but all your doing is going to 100 amps. I wouldn’t think 40 amps more and having some spares would be that much more expensive

It's not priced per amp!
The price can be anywhere from a couple of hundred pounds if it's as simple as having the fuse or cutout changed, to tens of thousands if they have to dig up the street and replace the cable.

 

[davesparks]

Liston I’m not predicting nothing in America and the NEC Must have different rules that y’all go by and if shes doing a total rewire why not while everything is cut loose and it would be much easier. Nothing stays the same forever

Upgrading the incoming is supply from 60A to 100A single phase would be exactly the same amount of work and cost regardless of whether it is done at the time of the rewire or if no other work is happening at the same time.
It's a job for the DNO (I think in the USA you would call them the power company) regardless of when it is done.

If it was to be changed to a three phase supply then that may have a bearing on the rewire.

 

[davesparks]

In the US if it has a wire it’s ours

There must surely be some point where your responsibility ends and the electricity supply company is responsible for the equipment, or do you do everything as far back as their substation?