Kitchen Renovation Electrics: Planning Circuits Before the Fitters Arrive

A new kitchen is one of the biggest jobs in a London home, and the electrics need to be planned before the old units come out. Getting the timing wrong means chasing walls after plastering or moving sockets once the worktops are in. This guide explains how the electrical work fits into a kitchen renovation, step by step.

Before the strip out: plan the layout

Work from the kitchen design drawing. Mark every appliance, socket, switch and light, including the hob, oven, extractor, fridge freezer, dishwasher, washing machine, boiler, under-cabinet lights and any island. Give the electrician the power ratings of the big appliances, especially an induction hob, which often needs its own high-current circuit.

Check the consumer unit and supply

New kitchens often add several circuits. If the board is old, full or has no suitable RCD protection, it is best replaced before work starts. Our guide to fuseboard replacement in London covers what affects the cost.

First fix: before plastering

Once the room is stripped, the electrician runs new cables, fits back boxes and installs the cooker circuit, appliance supplies and lighting cables. This is the time to add extra sockets, data points or a supply for an island, as walls and floors are open.

Second fix: after the units and worktops

After plastering, units and worktops, the electrician fits sockets, switches, the cooker control, lights and appliance connections, then tests every circuit and issues the certificate.

Things that are easy to forget

• Switched fused spurs above the worktop so built-in appliances can be isolated without pulling them out.
• Sockets for small appliances on an island, which need careful planning.
• Under-cabinet and plinth lighting drivers that can be reached later.
• A heat detector, not a smoke detector, in the kitchen.

Our guide to kitchen electrics and cooker circuits explains how a kitchen should be wired, and our guide to smoke and heat detectors covers alarms.

Certificates

New circuits are notifiable and should come with an Electrical Installation Certificate and building regulations sign-off. Keep these with your kitchen paperwork, as buyers will ask for them later.

Book an electrician for your kitchen

Energy North Ltd works with homeowners and kitchen fitters across North, East and West London with City & Guilds certified electricians. See our EICR service to check the existing wiring first.