Short answer for a London home: the main fuse and the cut-out (the black or grey box the incoming cable enters, with the sealed fuse carrier) belong to UK Power Networks, the distribution network operator for every London postcode, and they fix them free of charge, 24 hours a day, on 105. The electricity meter belongs to your energy supplier (Octopus, British Gas, EDF, OVO and so on), and only they or their meter operator may touch it. Everything after the meter — the meter tails, the isolator switch if there is one, the consumer unit and all the wiring in the house — is yours, and that is what an electrician works on. F & A Electrical is NICEIC registered, rated 9.32/10 from 242 reviews, and based in Tottenham N15; our side of that line starts from £108 (£90 + VAT). Call 07407 627542 or 07500 721453.
The three-way split at your meter cupboard
Every London property has the same four things in a row, usually inside one cupboard: the service cable coming in from the street, the cut-out with the main fuse inside it, the meter, and then the tails running to the consumer unit. Three different organisations own those four things, and knowing which is which saves you a wasted call-out fee — because an electrician cannot legally pull the main fuse, and UK Power Networks will not touch your consumer unit.
| Component | Who owns it and fixes it | Cost to you | How to get it done |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service cable from the street to the cut-out | UK Power Networks (DNO) | Free for faults; quoted for a new or moved supply | Call 105 (fault) or apply online for a new connection |
| Cut-out (service head) and the main fuse inside it | UK Power Networks | Free — including a blown main fuse, a burnt cut-out, a cut-out with no seal, an upgrade from 60 A to 80 or 100 A where the cable allows | Call 105, 24/7. Typical attendance 2–4 hours for a no-supply fault |
| Earth terminal on the cut-out (PME / TN-S earth) | UK Power Networks | Free to provide or confirm; they will not provide one on some older TT supplies | Ask when they attend, or your electrician requests it |
| Electricity meter (credit, prepayment or smart) | Your energy supplier, via their meter operator | Free for faults and smart-meter installs; sometimes a fee to relocate | Supplier’s app or phone line — not 105, not an electrician |
| Meter tails (the two thick cables from meter to consumer unit) | You — the property owner | From £108 to replace or upsize (typically £108–£180 for a short run, more if the board is far from the meter) | Any registered electrician; part of every board change we do |
| Isolator switch between meter and consumer unit | You — but the supplier’s meter operator usually fits it free when they change the meter, if you ask | Free from the meter operator on the day; from £108 if we fit one | Ask for a “double-pole isolator” at the smart-meter appointment |
| Consumer unit (fuse board) and everything beyond it | You | Board replacement from £550; fault-finding from £108 | Registered electrician — see fuse board replacement |
| In a rented home: all of the above on the customer side | The landlord, not the tenant | Landlord pays; tenant reports | Tenant calls 105 for the DNO parts, landlord calls the electrician for the rest |
Five situations and who you actually call
1. Whole house dead, neighbours have power, nothing tripped on your board. That is almost always the main fuse in the cut-out, and in older Haringey, Hackney and Islington terraces the fuse is often a 60 A cartridge that has finally failed under a modern load. Call UK Power Networks on 105 — free, and they will replace the fuse and usually upgrade it. Do not pay an electrician to come and tell you that; if you call us first we will ask the three questions that identify it over the phone and send you to 105 instead of charging you.
2. Burning smell or scorch marks at the cut-out, or the cut-out is cracked, has no seal, or has been cut open. Also UK Power Networks, also free, and treat it as urgent — a burnt cut-out is one of the few meter-cupboard faults that starts fires. Switch off at the consumer unit if you can reach it safely and call 105. If someone has removed the seal or the fuse carrier to bypass the meter, UKPN and the supplier will want to know, and an EICR will record it as a C1.
3. You want a bigger supply — for an EV charger, an electric shower plus a heat pump, or a house converted to flats. The main fuse upgrade from 60 A to 80 A or 100 A is UK Power Networks’ job and is normally free if the service cable can carry it; you or your electrician request it by “looped supply / fuse upgrade” enquiry. Our part is the tails (16 mm² for up to 80 A, 25 mm² for 100 A), the isolator and the board, from £108 for the tails alone or built into a board change from £550. For a genuinely bigger supply — three-phase or a second cut-out for a split house — see three-phase electrician London; the DNO quotes the connection and we do the internal work.
4. The smart-meter fitter refused to install because the tails or the board are unsafe. This is the commonest way London homeowners find out about their meter tails. The meter operator will not connect a new meter to 10 mm² tails, tails with perished insulation, a rewireable fuse board with no main switch, or a board with exposed live parts. What they write on the card is your electrician’s shopping list: new 25 mm² tails and an isolator from £108–£180, or a new consumer unit from £550 where the board itself failed. We do the work, certify it, and the supplier rebooks the meter.
5. The board keeps tripping, the RCD won’t reset, or one circuit is dead. That is all customer side and all electrician — none of it is UK Power Networks. Start with fuse box keeps tripping or RCD won’t reset; a same-day fault-find is from £108, and if the fault turns out to be the main fuse after all we tell you and you don’t pay for the visit twice.
What UK Power Networks will and won’t do for free in London
| Request | UKPN position (2026) | Typical timescale |
|---|---|---|
| Replace a blown or failed main fuse | Free, 24/7 on 105 | Same day, often within 3 hours |
| Replace a damaged or burnt cut-out | Free | Same day if dangerous, otherwise booked |
| Upgrade main fuse to 80 A or 100 A | Free where the service cable is adequate (most post-1960 cables; many Victorian streets are on older 60 A-rated services and need a service replacement first) | Booked appointment, 1–3 weeks; a service replacement is quoted and longer |
| Provide an earth (PME) terminal where there isn’t one | Free where the network allows; some TT areas stay TT and the electrician fits an earth rod instead (from £180) | With the fuse visit |
| Temporarily disconnect and reconnect the supply so an electrician can work on the tails safely | Free — “temporary disconnection” request; a registered electrician can alternatively pull the fuse under an agreed procedure in some cases, but we book UKPN for anything beyond a like-for-like board change | Booked appointment |
| Move the cut-out and meter to a different wall or outside | Quoted — typically several hundred pounds for a short move, £1,000+ for a new service position; the supplier moves the meter separately | 4–12 weeks |
| New or additional supply (second cut-out for flats, three-phase) | Quoted connection charge after a load assessment | 2–4 months |
| Anything after the meter — tails, isolator, consumer unit, circuits | Not their job; they will decline and tell you to call an electrician | — |
What we charge on the customer side
| Job (labour-only, inc VAT) | Price |
|---|---|
| Replace or upsize meter tails to 25 mm², short run inside the meter cupboard | from £108 (minimum charge) |
| Tails plus a double-pole isolator switch | from £150 |
| Tails where the board is on a different wall or floor (new route, up to 10 m) | from £180 |
| Consumer unit replacement, RCBO, including new tails and isolator | from £550 — consumer unit upgrade |
| Earth rod and main bonding where UKPN will not provide a PME earth | from £180 |
| Fault-find where the whole house is dead but the main fuse is fine | from £108 same day — emergency electrician |
| Landlord’s board and sub-mains where a house is split into flats off one cut-out | from £450 board + £350 per flat — split-supply cost |
| EICR that records the cut-out, earthing and tails condition | from £140 — EICR cost guide |
Frequently asked questions
Can an electrician replace the main fuse?
No. The main fuse sits inside the sealed cut-out, which is the distribution network operator’s equipment, and only UK Power Networks may open it. An electrician who pulls or replaces it is breaking the seal on someone else’s equipment. If your main fuse has blown, call 105; it is free and they attend around the clock.
Who do I call if the whole house is off but nothing has tripped?
Check whether your neighbours have power. If they do and your consumer unit shows nothing tripped, it is most likely the main fuse or the cut-out — call UK Power Networks on 105. If the street is off, that is a network fault and 105 is still the number. If the main switch on your board has tripped, that is an electrician.
Are the meter tails the electricity board’s responsibility?
No. The tails from the meter to your consumer unit are the property owner’s responsibility, along with the isolator and the board. In a rented home that means the landlord. Replacing them is from £108, and it is included in every consumer-unit replacement we do.
Can I get my main fuse upgraded to 100 A for an EV charger for free?
Usually, yes. UK Power Networks will upgrade a 60 A fuse to 80 A or 100 A free of charge where the incoming service cable can carry the load, which covers most London houses with a post-1960 service. Some Victorian streets are on old cables that need replacing first, which is quoted. Your electrician has to fit tails rated for the new fuse — 25 mm² for 100 A — before UKPN will upgrade it. See our EV charger guide for the whole sequence.
The smart-meter installer wouldn’t fit the meter — what do I need to do?
They will have written the reason on the card or texted it: usually undersized or perished tails, no isolator, or an unsafe consumer unit. Send us a photo and the note, and we quote the exact item — tails and isolator from £108–£180, or a new board from £550 where that is what failed. Once certified, your supplier rebooks the meter.
Who moves the meter if I want it in a different place?
Two organisations, in sequence. UK Power Networks moves the cut-out and service cable (quoted, several weeks); your energy supplier then moves the meter (sometimes free, sometimes a fee); and an electrician runs new tails to the consumer unit or moves the board to suit — from £180 for the tails, or see our guide to moving a fuse box. A short move within the same cupboard is often not worth it; a move for an extension or a flat conversion usually is.
Main fuse and cut-out: UK Power Networks on 105, free. Meter: your supplier. Tails, isolator and consumer unit: us, from £108, labour-only, NICEIC certified, across Haringey, Hackney, Islington, Enfield, Waltham Forest, Camden, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Barnet — see all areas we cover. Call 07407 627542 or 07500 721453, or WhatsApp a photo of the meter cupboard and we’ll tell you which of the three to call before you spend anything.