Why I Usually Choose Hager Consumer Units

There are plenty of established brands available and I have installed and tested equipment from different manufacturers over the years.

My usual preference, though, is Hager.

That decision has developed through jobs I have actually carried out rather than simply because I prefer one name on the front of the consumer unit.

There have been several occasions where Hager has given me a protective-device option I needed when another manufacturer's range did not.

I also like the build quality, the results I see when testing the equipment, and the confidence I have that compatible devices are likely to remain available in the future.

Why Did an Electric Boiler Make Me Think More About the Brand?

One job that influenced my choice was an electric boiler installation.

I needed an RCBO with a higher current rating than the BG range I was looking at could provide for the circuit I had designed.
Hager had the higher-rated RCBO I needed.

That was important because I do not want to design a circuit around the limitations of whatever protective devices happen to be available.

I want to calculate what the circuit requires and then select suitable equipment to protect it.

Hager currently has Type A RCBOs available in higher ratings, including 50A options in parts of its UK range.

That experience made me look more closely at the whole manufacturer's range, rather than simply comparing the price of the consumer unit itself.

Why Can a 25A RCBO Be Useful?

I had another job where I was designing a radial circuit.

The circuit design allowed me to use more than a 20A protective device, but 32A was not appropriate for the particular cable and installation conditions.

This is where having a 25A option can be useful.

Many of the common domestic ranges electricians see every day tend to centre around ratings such as 20A and 32A.

Hager currently offers 25A Type A RCBOs, including 1P+N and bidirectional options.

That gives me another design option.

It does not mean that a 2.5 mm² cable automatically gets a 25A RCBO.

The load, installation method, cable current-carrying capacity, grouping, temperature and other design factors all have to be considered.

What I like is having the choice available when the calculations support it.

What Did I Learn About Hager and Heat Pumps?

Another thing that increased my confidence in Hager happened at a training seminar.

We were discussing heat pumps and some of the challenges created by modern inverter-driven equipment.

That was when I learned more about the specialist protective device Hager had developed for heat-pump installations.

Hager's current Type B-HP RCCB is designed specifically for heat pumps and to deal with high-frequency residual currents that can be associated with inverter-driven equipment. Hager says the B-HP range is designed to operate at frequencies above those handled by standard Type B devices.

That impressed me.

It showed me that Hager was not simply continuing to manufacture the same protective devices we have used for years.

They were developing equipment around the electrical technologies we are increasingly installing in people's homes.

That matters to me when I am choosing a consumer unit which may still be in the property many years from now.

Does Every Heat Pump Need a Hager B-HP Device?

No.

The protective device always needs to be selected to suit the actual heat pump, installation design and manufacturer's requirements.

I would not automatically fit a B-HP device simply because somebody has a heat pump.

What matters to me is that if specialist protection is required, Hager already has that type of equipment within its range.
That gives me more options.

What Do I Find When I Test Hager RCBOs?

Every consumer unit I install has to be properly tested.

Over time, I naturally notice the operating results I get from different protective devices.

In my own experience, I consistently get very good test results from Hager RCBOs.

They also feel solid and stable when I am fitting and testing them.

I sometimes describe the results as feeling more optimised.

That does not mean another manufacturer's compliant protective device is unsafe.

If it operates within the required limits, it has passed and is doing the job it was designed to do.

But when you install and test protective devices regularly, you naturally develop confidence in equipment which repeatedly gives you consistent results.

Hager has done that for me.

Why Does the Build Quality Matter?

There is also the physical quality of the equipment.

The consumer units and protective devices feel substantial when I work with them.

That may not be something the customer ever notices once the cover is fitted.

But I notice it while I am installing the board.

I want to leave equipment in somebody's home that I am confident in.

For me, Hager gives me that confidence.

Why Do I Think About What Will Be Available in Ten Years?

This is another important part of my decision.

Hopefully, a consumer unit I install today will stay in the property for many years.

Imagine the customer has a new kitchen fitted ten years from now and wants another circuit adding.

I may need another compatible RCBO for the existing consumer unit.

Will I still be able to get one?

Nobody can guarantee exactly which individual products will still be manufactured ten or twenty years from now.

But Hager is a long-established manufacturer and continues to develop its range.

For me, that gives me more confidence about future availability than choosing a manufacturer with a smaller range or shorter history.

I do not only want a good consumer unit today.

I want to give myself and the customer the best chance of being able to add to it later.

What About Bidirectional RCBOs?

This is another example of why the manufacturer's range matters.

Solar, battery storage and plug-in solar mean electricity may not always travel through a circuit in one direction.

Where the design requires it, I want access to suitable bidirectional protective devices.

Hager currently offers Type A bidirectional 1P+N RCBOs, including 25A devices.

That is useful for me because I am already considering bidirectional protection on socket circuits that a customer may later want to use for plug-in solar.

Check out our other blog about Bidirectional RCBOs - 'Do I Need Bidirectional RCBOs for Plug-In Solar?'

What About Double-Pole or Switched-Neutral RCBOs?

I have also used RCBOs which switch the neutral as my normal preference for years.

I like the extra isolation they give me, particularly when fault-finding neutral-to-earth faults.

Again, this comes back to the manufacturer's range.

I want a consumer-unit manufacturer which allows me to specify the protective devices I want rather than having to compromise because those devices are not available.

Is Hager the Only Good Consumer Unit Manufacturer?

No.

There are other established manufacturers making compliant consumer units and protective devices.

I have used other brands and had perfectly acceptable results.

This blog is about why I personally tend to choose Hager.

My reasons come from experience:

I needed a higher-rated RCBO for an electric boiler and Hager gave me an option.

I wanted a 25A protective device for a properly designed radial circuit and Hager had one available.

At heat-pump training, I saw that Hager was developing specialist protection for newer technology.

When I test their RCBOs, I consistently get very good results.

I like the build quality.

And because the manufacturer has been around for a long time and continues developing its range, I have confidence that there is a good chance suitable equipment will still be available when somebody wants to add another circuit years later.

Put all of those things together and Hager is normally my first choice.

Is the Cheapest Consumer Unit Always the Best Value?

For me, no.

Price matters because I am spending the customer's money.

I would never recommend expensive equipment just because it costs more.

But I also do not choose a board simply because it is the cheapest one on the wholesaler's shelf.

I look at what the customer needs now.

I look at what they may need in the future.

I look at the protective-device range.

I look at my own experience installing and testing the equipment.

And I think about whether we are likely to be able to add to that consumer unit years later.

That is what value means to me when I am choosing a consumer unit.

How Does This Fit With the Way I Install Consumer Units?

My approach has changed over the years.

I no longer install split-board consumer units.

I prefer every circuit to have its own appropriate Type A RCBO protection.

Where suitable, I prefer devices which also switch the neutral.

Where a circuit may have power travelling in both directions, such as a socket circuit intended for future plug-in solar, I consider suitable bidirectional protection.

And I look at what larger loads the customer might eventually install, including heat pumps and electric boilers.

Hager's range fits well with the way I now design those installations.

I recently wrote a blog about Why I No Longer Install Split-Board Consumer Units in Morley, check it out!

Consumer Unit Upgrades in Morley

If you are considering a consumer unit upgrade in Morley, I can explain not only which board I recommend but why I have chosen it.

I look at the circuits you have now, how you use your home and what you may want to add in the future before deciding which consumer unit and protective devices I would recommend.

If you are looking for a fuseboard electrician in Morley, a consumer unit electrician in Morley or an electrician in Morley, call Glynn on 0113 403 1300 or contact GFS Electrical.