Replacing a fuse box: cost, timing and the walls afterwards

What does it cost to replace a fuse box?

These are the going rates in Belgium in 2026, taken from public price overviews, including materials and installation.

Indication of going rates in Belgium in 2026, based on public price overviews; these are not consistent about VAT. For renovation work on a home over 10 years old, 6% VAT usually applies, otherwise 21%. You will hear your exact price after a visit or in your quote, following the free consultation.

Rewiring a 120 m² home therefore comes to €4,200 to €6,000. The fuse box is then only a small part of the job.

A three-phase installation also needs a heavier connection. You apply for it with your distribution network operator (in Flanders that is Fluvius), who charges separately for it. Ask about current rates and conditions beforehand, as they differ between operators.

These factors determine what it costs in your case:

• the number of circuits and residual-current devices (RCDs);
• single-phase or three-phase, for example for an induction hob, a heat pump or a charging point;
• the condition of the existing wiring;
• whether the meter cupboard stays in the same place;
• how much has to be done in the walls, and the finishing afterwards.

When should you replace your fuse box?

There is no fixed replacement deadline, but with an old unit it is sensible. Fuse boxes in older homes often have no residual-current device (RCD). It cuts the power when there is a leakage current, for example from a faulty appliance.

These signs point to a unit that is due for replacement:

• there is no RCD or main switch;
• there are too few circuits, so one trips regularly;
• you are adding an induction hob, a heat pump or a charging point;
• you are renovating the home and the wiring is as old as the unit.

The replacement itself usually takes less than a day, and with a standard unit you are often done within half a day. If the unit has to be moved or new cabling runs through the house, it takes longer and belongs in the renovation schedule.

What rules must a new electrical installation meet?

Electrical installations in homes must comply with the AREI, the General Regulations on Electrical Installations. A new or substantially renewed installation, and the sale of a home, require an inspection by an approved inspection body. Ask your installer how that works in your situation.

If you buy an older house, have the electrics looked at during the consultation. Whether the wiring can stay or must be replaced largely determines what a renovation costs.

The meter and the main connection belong to the network operator. Everything behind it, from the fuse box onwards, is part of the installation in your home.

What happens to the walls when the electrics are renewed?

New cables and boxes go into the wall. Chases are cut for them, and these then have to be filled and made flat again. That happens before the walls are plastered, wallpapered or painted, because whatever is covered later goes first.

If you have the electrics and the finishing done in one job, the price per m² comes down. Here is an example using our prices, where the walls are plastered ready for painting and then primed and painted. The measurements are an assumption.

Prices from our 2026/2027 price list, valid from 1 September 2026. Prices exclude VAT; for homes over 10 years old, usually 6% VAT.

Having only the patches around the new cables repaired therefore costs €16.25 more per m². In a renovation it is cheaper to include whole walls, which will also look even once painted. What the plaster coat costs per m² and why is explained under plastering cost per m².

Wouldn’t it be better to replace the fuse box on its own?

If it is only about the unit, that is perfectly fine. A standard replacement is usually done within a day, and little changes on the walls.

In a renovation it is different. The electrics, the walls and the finishing depend on each other. The electrician has to be finished before the plasterer starts, and a new socket after painting means a patch that has to be redone.

We take on the lot together, in one schedule: first the electrics, then the plastering, then wallpaper and paint. We start on the day we agree together.

How does it work when we renew your electrics?

1. Request. Request a quote or call us on working days between 9:00 and 17:00. Send a photo of your meter cupboard and tell us when your home was built.
2. Free consultation. We discuss the electrics and what needs to be done to the walls. You then receive a plan and a quote with every item listed separately.
3. Measuring up. If you agree, we measure up and check the walls. The final price and schedule are then fixed.
4. Works. First the electrics, then the finishing of the walls.

Our own electricians do the electrics, and four in-house contractor teams of four people each do the other structural work. In addition, our 97 in-house tradespeople do the finishing: 40 wallpaper hangers, 32 plasterers and 25 painters. We are also currently renovating 150 shops.

You pay nothing up front: 50% on the first working day, once all materials are on site and we have started, and 50% on completion. We work throughout Belgium: Flanders, Brussels and Wallonia.

If the electrics are part of a larger renovation, we as contractor also take on the complete renovation of your home. If there is a lot of old work in the walls, that often starts with a house strip-out.