Why this goes wrong so often
An oven and hob look like an appliance job and are actually a circuit job. The commonest thing we're called to in a new kitchen is an induction hob tripping the board, and the cause is almost always the same: it has been connected to a supply that was never rated for it.
- An old cooker circuit sized for a 1980s electric cooker, now feeding a modern induction hob and a double oven
- A hob connected through a plug and socket because the cable wouldn't reach
- Two appliances on one cooker outlet with no diversity calculation done
- An outlet buried behind a fitted unit where it can never be reached again
Get the circuit confirmed before the kitchen is fitted. Once the units are in, moving a cooker outlet means taking a kitchen apart.
What we do
- New cooker circuits, correctly sized for the appliances actually going in
- Oven, hob and cooker connection and testing
- Induction hob supplies, which frequently need more than the existing circuit provides
- Extractor hoods, including switched spurs and isolation
- Built-in appliance connections — fridges, dishwashers, washing machines — on accessible switched spurs
- Cooker outlets repositioned so they can still be reached once the kitchen is in
All of it tested and certified, which matters when the house is next sold and someone asks who did the kitchen electrics.
If you're doing a whole kitchen
A kitchen is the heaviest-loaded room in a house and the one where retrofitting is most expensive. A few things are worth deciding before the units arrive rather than after:
- How many worktop sockets, and where the appliances will actually stand
- Under-cabinet lighting and its switching — see lighting
- Whether the existing consumer unit has capacity for what's going in
- Switched spurs for every built-in appliance, sited where they can be reached
An hour spent on this at planning stage saves a great deal of money and mess later.
Common questions
Can I just plug my new hob in?
Some smaller single ovens can run from a 13A plug. Most hobs, and nearly all induction hobs, need their own dedicated circuit. Tell us the model and we'll confirm before you order it.
Why does my induction hob trip the board?
Almost always because it's drawing more than the circuit was designed for, or it's sharing a circuit with an oven. It's a circuit problem rather than a faulty hob.
Do you deliver and fit the appliance?
We do the electrical connection and testing. Delivery and any plumbing is separate — plenty of customers have the appliance delivered and us in the same week.
Can you move the cooker outlet?
Yes, and it's much easier before the kitchen units go in. Once they're fitted it can mean taking part of the kitchen apart.
Is the work certified?
Yes. A new cooker circuit is tested and certified, and notifiable work is registered with building control.
