Fuse board & consumer unit
Fuse board & consumer unit repair
"Fuse board" and "consumer unit" mean the same thing — the box, usually grey, that all your home's circuits run through. Problems here range from a genuine emergency to a straightforward planned upgrade.
6 verified electricians currently cover this on Ideal Spark
Urgent signs
A burning smell, visible scorch marks, heat coming off the unit, buzzing or crackling, or a breaker that trips the instant it's reset are all reasons to treat it as an emergency — switch off at the main switch if it's safe to do so, and book an emergency call-out.
Not urgent, but worth booking
An older consumer unit with a wooden or plastic (rather than metal) enclosure no longer meets current wiring regulations for new work, though it isn't automatically dangerous. Rewireable fuses instead of modern circuit breakers, or no RCD protection at all, are both common reasons landlords and homeowners plan a consumer-unit upgrade rather than wait for a fault to force the issue.
This kind of work is planned, not dispatched — you'll want a written quote and a convenient appointment rather than the fastest available electrician.