Fuse box (groepenkast) replacement in Amsterdam. A new consumer unit with RCDs, earthing and a signed NEN 1010 inspection report — usually done in a single working day. Fixed price agreed before we start, from € 745 including materials and 21% VAT.
Honest answer: often not. A 2005 unit with two RCDs and enough circuits can easily last another fifteen years. We only replace it when there is a reason. Below are the six reasons we accept — and one we do not.
Round porcelain cartridge fuses. They do cut out on overload, but they do not protect you against electric shock — that is what an RCD does, and older boards almost never have one.
Easy to spot: there is no block with a test button. Without an RCD, the current keeps flowing if someone touches a live wire or if an appliance leaks. This is the reason we really do want the board replaced.
A loose terminal heats up, discolours the plastic and will eventually melt. This is the only complaint in this list that cannot wait: switch off the circuit concerned and call the same day.
An EV charger, an induction hob or a heat pump needs its own circuit. If there is no space left, a larger consumer unit is often cheaper than bodging in a sub-board.
Technically allowed in older installations, practically awkward: one faulty lamp kills the whole house, freezer included. In a new board we spread the circuits across at least two RCDs.
Age by itself says little. A twenty-year-old board with enough circuits, two RCDs and tight terminals we leave alone. We test it for € 225 and then say honestly that nothing needs doing.
One photo of the open meter cupboard tells us almost everything: the type of protection, the number of circuits, whether there are RCDs, and whether the wiring still looks sound. We look at it and say what we would do, even if the answer is “leave it”. A second opinion on a quote you already have is just as welcome.
Tick what you have or plan to add. We calculate how many circuits that needs, how many RCDs, whether single-phase still suffices, and what the matching board costs.
We automatically add spare capacity to your result, so you will not need another replacement in five years. Electrical work is always charged at 21% VAT.
The vast majority of Amsterdam homes have a single-phase 1×25 A supply, and for an ordinary household that is more than enough. Three-phase only becomes necessary once you add heavy equipment. Below: when which option fits.
| Situation | 1 phase (1×25 A) | 3 phase (3×25 A) |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary household up to 8 circuits | More than enough | Not needed |
| Induction hob, standard | Possible, on Perilex | More comfortable, all zones at once |
| Induction with wok zone or teppanyaki | Too tight | Required |
| EV charger 7.4 kW | Possible, with load balancing | More headroom |
| EV charger 11 or 22 kW | Not possible | Required |
| Heat pump | Only small models | Required for most models |
| More than 12 circuits | Awkwardly distributed | Evenly loaded |
| Workshop, sauna, whirlpool | Not possible | Required |
| 6-circuit board | € 745 | € 895 |
| 12-circuit board | € 1.145 | € 1.345 |
| Upgrade from 1 to 3 phase | — | € 695 installation work |
| One-off grid operator fee | — | ± € 369 |
| Annual grid standing charge | Standard band | Same band as 1×25 A |
1×25 A and 3×25 A fall into the same tariff band at the grid operator. Upgrading to 3×25 A therefore does not raise your annual standing charge. Only from 3×35 A does the standing charge jump significantly. That is why we almost always recommend 3×25 A, unless a load calculation genuinely requires more — and we make that calculation beforehand, not afterwards.
An MCB protects the cable: it trips when too much current flows, so the wire does not overheat and start a fire. Useful — but it does not protect you if you touch a live wire or if an appliance leaks current. That is what the RCD is for.
A 30 mA RCD continuously compares how much current goes out and how much comes back. If more than thirty milliamps disappears — for example through your body to earth — it trips within a fraction of a second. The difference between 30 mA and 300 mA is the difference between a shock and a cardiac arrhythmia.
The standard says: a maximum of four circuits per RCD. In practice we spread them further, because an RCD that trips takes every circuit behind it with it. Our standard split in a new board:
It sounds like overkill, but in practice it mainly saves irritation. The client who rings because a broken garden light killed the whole house does not ring with this layout.
Every RCD has a button marked T. Press it and the block should trip immediately. If it does not, your protection is not working. The advice is to do this twice a year; in practice almost nobody does. During an inspection we measure not only whether it trips, but how fast — that is the reading that goes on your report.
Regardless of which package you choose, this is always included — even in the cheapest variant.
An RCD only works properly together with sound earthing. In many pre-war Amsterdam buildings it is missing entirely. We check that at the survey and include installing earthing — from € 425 — in the same quote.
We schedule a board replacement on a fixed day and start at eight. Below is what happens when, so you know when you will be without power and when the freezer can go back on.
We walk through the circuits with you once more, check what sits where, and agree which appliances must stay on. The freezer and any server cabinet get a temporary feed if needed.
Main switch out, installation made voltage-free and verified with the meter. From this point you have no power — typically three to four hours.
Every core gets a label before it comes off. This is when we see what is really there: aluminium, fabric insulation, or a circuit that quietly feeds two rooms.
Earth electrode resistance measured, main earth bar checked, and equipotential bonding to water and gas pipes verified. If earthing is missing, we will already have named that in the quote.
Board mounted, main switch, RCDs and MCBs installed, all circuits connected to the agreed split and neatly finished.
Insulation resistance per circuit, earth continuity, and the trip time of every RCD. All values go straight into the test protocol.
Each circuit is switched on and checked separately. We walk the home with you and reset the oven clock.
Meter cupboard chart with every circuit named, signed NEN 1010 report in your inbox, a tidy meter cupboard, and the old board taken away for recycling.
These amounts are all-in: board, main switch, RCDs, MCBs, connection, testing, meter cupboard chart and the inspection report. No call-out fee, no surprises afterwards.
| 1 phase — 4 circuits, 2 RCDs | per board | € 645 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 phase — 6 circuits, 2 RCDs | per board | € 745 |
| 1 phase — 9 circuits, 3 RCDs | per board | € 945 |
| 1 phase — 12 circuits, 3 RCDs | per board | € 1.145 |
| 3 phase — 6 circuits | per board | € 895 |
| 3 phase — 9 circuits | per board | € 1.115 |
| 3 phase — 12 circuits | per board | € 1.345 |
| 3 phase — 15 circuits | per board | € 1.595 |
| 3 phase — 18 circuits | per board | € 1.850 |
| Add a circuit in an existing board | per circuit | € 265 |
|---|---|---|
| Fit an MCB | per breaker | € 165 |
| Fit a 30 mA RCD | per unit | € 215 |
| Fit an RCBO | per unit | € 185 |
| Connect a main switch | per unit | € 275 |
| Type 2 surge protection | per board | € 325 |
| Redistribute circuits and re-label | per board | € 195 |
| Draw up and fit a meter cupboard chart | per board | € 65 |
| Fit a kWh meter for subletting | per unit | € 285 |
| Intermediate meter or sub-board (rental, VvE) | per unit | € 495 |
| Install earthing — electrode and main earth bar | per home | € 425 |
|---|---|---|
| Equipotential bonding of water and gas pipes | per home | € 165 |
| Upgrade 1 → 3 phase, installation work | per home | € 695 |
| Grid operator fee for upgrade to 3×25 A | one-off, passed on | ± € 369 |
| Renew meter cupboard incl. housing | per cupboard | € 1.250 |
| Relocate meter cupboard — electrical part | per cupboard | € 1.450 – 2.400 |
| Interlinked mains-powered smoke detector | per detector | € 155 |
| NEN 1010 inspection with signed report | per home | € 295 |
| Test installation with advice report | per installation | € 225 |
| Thermographic inspection of fuse box | per board | € 185 |
All amounts include materials, labour and 21% VAT and apply to Amsterdam and the immediate surrounding area. Electrical work always falls under the general 21% VAT rate; the reduced 9% rate is reserved for insulating, plastering, painting and wallpapering in homes older than two years. Read the full VAT explanation or view the full price list with more than 180 rates.
With a board replacement, extras almost always come from what turns out to be behind the board. We prefer to name it now rather than halfway through, and the quote already lists a unit price for each of these points.
If we find aluminium wire, fabric insulation or a plastered-over junction box, we pause the work, send you a photo and a price based on the unit rates already in your quote, and only continue once you agree. You never face a surprise at the end of the day.
Two rewireable fuses replaced with a 9-circuit board and three RCDs. Earthing installed, earth pin restored in kitchen and bathroom, smoke detectors interlinked. One working day; residents stayed home.
Upgrade to 3×25 A with a new 15-circuit board, prepared for an EV charger and heat pump. Separate RCBOs for freezer and central heating. Grid operator fees billed separately.
New central board for the common areas, stairwell lighting on motion detection, emergency lighting and a NEN 3140 inspection with reporting for the annual general meeting.
Amounts are the actual contract price including materials and 21% VAT. Does your situation look similar? Do the circuit check or request a callback.
A complete new consumer unit with us costs between € 645 and € 1,850 including materials, labour and 21% VAT. The price depends on two things: the number of circuits and whether you have single- or three-phase. The most common situation — a single-phase board with six circuits and two RCDs — costs € 745. A three-phase board with twelve circuits comes to € 1,345.
That amount includes everything: the board, the main switch, the RCDs, all MCBs, removal of the old board, connecting and labelling all circuits, testing to NEN 1010, the meter cupboard chart and the signed inspection report. We do not charge a call-out fee.
A board replacement takes one working day, sometimes two if earthing also needs installing or if the board will be larger than the existing recess. You are without power for three to four hours on average, usually between half past eight and half past twelve.
You can stay at home. We agree beforehand which appliances must stay on — a freezer, a medical device or a server cabinet — and lay on a temporary feed if needed.
As a rule of thumb, a modern 90 m² home comes out at ten to fourteen circuits. Lighting upstairs and downstairs each get their own circuit, as do sockets per floor. The kitchen needs three to four (general, dishwasher, oven, and with induction two circuits on three-phase), and washing machine, dryer, bathroom and central heating each get one. An EV charger, heat pump or air conditioning sits on top of that.
Use the circuit check at the top of this page: tick what you have and you immediately see the number of circuits, the number of RCDs, whether single-phase suffices and what the matching board costs. We automatically add fifteen percent spare capacity, so you will not need another replacement in five years.
The standard allows a maximum of four circuits per RCD. In a new board we always fit at least two, and three from nine circuits upwards. That is not only safer but mainly more practical: one RCD for the whole home means a broken garden light kills your freezer.
For appliances that must not trip — freezer, central heating, EV charger — we use RCBOs, so that circuit stands entirely on its own.
Only if you have or plan heavy equipment: an EV charger of 11 kW or more, a heat pump, an induction hob with a wok zone, or a workshop with three-phase power. For an ordinary household, single-phase is more than enough.
One important detail: 1×25 A and 3×25 A fall into the same tariff band at the grid operator, so upgrading to 3×25 A does not raise your annual standing charge. Only from 3×35 A does the standing charge rise sharply. If you are considering an electric car or a heat pump within five years, upgrading now is almost always cheaper than doing it later.
Yes, if there is still space in the board and the existing protection is sound. Adding a circuit costs € 265 including the MCB, wiring to the board and setting up the RCD protection.
If the board is full, there are three options: use RCBOs that take less space, fit a sub-board, or replace the board. In practice, replacing is usually cheaper and tidier than extending an old board once you need more than two extra circuits.
Yes, with every board replacement. We measure insulation resistance per circuit, earth electrode resistance and the trip time of every RCD, and you receive a signed NEN 1010 report with all measured values plus a meter cupboard chart.
That report is what your insurer wants to see after fire or water damage, what a buyer asks for on sale, and what a VvE wants before approving work on the shared installation. Ordered separately such an inspection costs € 295; with a board replacement it is included.
The reduced 9% VAT rate in the Netherlands applies only to the labour element of insulating, plastering, painting and wallpapering in homes older than two years — and even then materials stay at 21%. Electrical work is not on that list.
A company that charges you 9% on electrical work risks an assessment, and that ends up with you. One exception that does work in your favour: if the meter cupboard is adapted as part of a solar panel installation on your home, that work falls under the 0% rate. Tell us beforehand and we will invoice it correctly.
Yes. We replace consumer units throughout Amsterdam for international clients, working in English, Dutch, Russian and Ukrainian. A single-phase unit with six circuits and two RCDs costs € 745 including materials and 21% VAT; a three-phase unit with twelve circuits € 1,345.
The work takes one working day, you will be without power for roughly four hours, and you receive a signed NEN 1010 inspection report with all measured values — in English if you prefer. Quotation and contract can be supplied in English as well.
Five years on everything we install, with the manufacturer warranty on the board and components on top. We carry public liability insurance and work with fixed freelance crews under one TopRenovatie project manager. Snagging after handover we resolve within two weeks.
We call within four hours, look remotely at a photo of your meter cupboard and say honestly whether replacement is needed — even if the answer is “leave it”.
If you choose “as soon as possible”, we call within four hours during office hours. Outside those hours, the next morning.
You speak to someone who does the work themselves and can already say on the phone what is going on and roughly what it costs.
Just mention which language you prefer and we make sure the right colleague calls.
The survey at your home is free too, with no call-out fee. You are not tied to anything.
One photo of the open meter cupboard tells us more than ten minutes on the phone. We look at it free of charge and say honestly whether anything needs doing — even if the answer is “no”.
Send photo via WhatsAppEarthing, an extra circuit or an inspection — these often hang together. Below are the pages that go deeper.
The hub page with the calculator, the circuit check and the full price list of more than 180 rates.
Read moreWhen your board still has space, when it is full, and what the alternative is.
Read moreHow you can tell earth pin is missing, why it cannot wait, and what it costs.
Read moreWhat you can check yourself, the four most common causes, and what it costs.
Read more
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