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Outbuildings - multiple consumer units

Former Community Member
Former Community Member
Evening all,


In a situation where I'm shortly going to be rewiring a new house I'm moving into and am hoping someone can provide me with some clarity on the best way to provide power to multiple outbuildings. 

Essentially I had planned to install a main consumer unit indoors and then feed the outbuilding via an RCBO on this consumer unit, i.e. consumer unit to, twin and earth, to junction box internal, to SWA across the garden, to secondary consumer unit in outbuilding - repeat this 2 or 3 times to the various outbuildings I need power in. However when doing a bit of research on the subject there seems to be differing opinions on whether to do this or to install a Henley block at the main incoming supply and then come out of that with one feed to my 'main consumer unit' and another feed out to the 'secondary outbuilding consumer unit' or multiple consumer units. It never occurred to me that this was an option and frankly I'm in a muddle as to what the consensus is on best practice, some mentioning a Switched fuse also.


If anyone could give me their opinion on what the safest and best practice is i'd be extremely grateful! TIA
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    Henley block - fused isolator - no twin and earth - straight to SWA sized for max demand for outbuildings.

    Negates the need for an initial twin and earth run which would have to be protected by RCBO. No good the RCBO in the house board knocking off before the outbuilding protective devices for the sub circuits do.

    You give no indication of max load in amps expected at the destination end so difficult to go any further with this.

    I'd go 10mm x 3 core SWA protected by a 40A fused switch at the house end, the terminate into a sub dist board in 1st outbuilding, then run suitably sized SWA cables to other outbuildings - no twin and earth outside please - go SWA all round for distribution and leave the twin and earth for sub circuits within each outbuilding only. Add one sub board/consumer unit per outbuilding and that's my take on it.
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  • 0
    Henley block - fused isolator - no twin and earth - straight to SWA sized for max demand for outbuildings.

    Negates the need for an initial twin and earth run which would have to be protected by RCBO. No good the RCBO in the house board knocking off before the outbuilding protective devices for the sub circuits do.

    You give no indication of max load in amps expected at the destination end so difficult to go any further with this.

    I'd go 10mm x 3 core SWA protected by a 40A fused switch at the house end, the terminate into a sub dist board in 1st outbuilding, then run suitably sized SWA cables to other outbuildings - no twin and earth outside please - go SWA all round for distribution and leave the twin and earth for sub circuits within each outbuilding only. Add one sub board/consumer unit per outbuilding and that's my take on it.
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