Commercial & Industrial Electrical
LV Panel Board Installationin Stevenage & Hertfordshire
A low-voltage distribution system sized correctly, installed to BS 7671 and signed off with full testing paperwork, so your site passes inspection and runs without nuisance trips from day one.
Rated 4.95 out of 5 on TrustATrader · 20 years in the trade
20 yrs
trade experience
£10m
public liability cover
£10m
employers' liability cover
NICEIC
Approved Contractor
4.95/5
TrustATrader rating
The service
LV panel boards for commercial and industrial sites
An LV (low-voltage) panel board is the main distribution point for a building's electrical supply. It takes power in from the incoming supply or sub-main and splits it out to distribution boards, switchgear, motors and machinery around the site. Get the design and installation wrong and you end up with nuisance tripping, overheating busbars, or a board that can't be isolated safely for maintenance. Get it right and the building runs quietly in the background for decades.
Linehan Mechanical & Electrical has installed everything from a single light switch in a one-bed flat through to LV panel boards in large warehouses. The work is the same discipline either way: understand the load, size the protective devices correctly, install to BS 7671 (the UK wiring regulations), and test before anything is switched on for real.
This is commercial and industrial work, so it's planned around your site, not the other way round. We'll look at your load schedule, your incoming supply capacity, and how the building is actually used, warehouse racking lighting, three-phase machinery, EV charging infrastructure, HVAC plant, before a single panel is specified.
As a NICEIC Approved Contractor carrying £10m public liability and £10m employers' liability insurance, we can work on live commercial sites, in occupied buildings, and alongside other trades without being a liability risk to your project.
If it's left
What goes wrong with LV panel boards
Panel boards sit at the centre of a building's power supply, so a mistake here affects everything downstream. Most problems trace back to a board that was undersized, badly specified, or installed without proper selectivity between protective devices.
Nuisance tripping
Protective devices that aren't coordinated (discrimination) mean one small fault upstream can knock out power to half the building instead of just the circuit at fault.
Overloaded boards
A panel sized for the original building use can't always cope when machinery, racking lighting or EV charging gets added later without recalculating demand.
Unsafe isolation
Boards without clear circuit identification and proper isolation points put maintenance staff and contractors at risk during future work.
Overheating connections
Loose or incorrectly torqued busbar and cable connections generate heat over time, which can lead to insulation failure or fire risk.
Non-compliant installs
Work that skips proper testing and certification leaves you without the paperwork insurers, building control or landlords will ask for.
Downtime on failure
A board that fails on a live production site costs far more in lost output than the installation would have cost to do properly first time.
Common mistakes we see
- ×Specifying a board based on current load only, with no allowance for future expansion
- ×Ignoring discrimination/selectivity between main and sub-main protective devices
- ×Using unqualified labour for connections carrying three-phase supplies
- ×Skipping load surveys before sizing cables and protective devices
- ×No isolation and lock-off procedure built into the installation
- ×Missing or incomplete test certificates once the work is finished
How we work
How we install an LV panel board
- 01
Site survey and load assessment
We assess the incoming supply, existing distribution, and present and future loads before any design work starts. For larger projects this means a site visit, not just photos.
- 02
Design and specification
We size the board, protective devices, cabling and discrimination to suit the load and to BS 7671. For bigger projects we'll agree the specification with you or your consulting engineer before ordering equipment.
- 03
Installation
Boards, busbars, sub-mains and final circuits are installed by our electricians, with containment and cable routes planned to suit your site and minimise disruption to ongoing operations.
- 04
Testing and commissioning
Every circuit is tested | insulation resistance, earth fault loop impedance, RCD operation, polarity | before the board is energised and handed over. This is testing and commissioning, done properly, not just switching it on and hoping.
- 05
Completion, certification and guarantee
You get full test certificates and schedules, plus a 12-month workmanship guarantee. Equipment carries the manufacturer's own warranty, which varies by product.
What you get
Why get your LV board installed properly
Fewer nuisance trips
Correct discrimination between protective devices means a fault takes out the smallest part of the system possible, not the whole building.
Capacity for growth
A board sized with headroom copes with new machinery, lighting or EV charging later without a full re-design.
Safer maintenance
Clear circuit identification and proper isolation points mean contractors and staff can work on the board safely in future.
Full compliance paperwork
Test certificates and schedules are handed over at completion | useful for building control, insurers and future tenants.
Less downtime
A board installed and tested correctly first time is far less likely to fail under load during production hours.
12-month guarantee
All workmanship is guaranteed for 12 months, with manufacturer warranties on equipment on top of that.
In detail
LV panel boards in detail
Panel board work varies a lot by site, so here's a closer look at the materials, methods and situations involved.
Materials and equipment
An LV panel board installation typically includes the main board enclosure, busbars or distribution blocks, incoming and outgoing protective devices (MCCBs, MCBs or fuses depending on the application), metering if required, and sub-main cabling out to downstream distribution boards.
The right equipment depends on the fault level, the load profile and the environment: a warehouse board exposed to dust and temperature swings needs a different enclosure rating to one in a clean office plant room. We specify equipment to suit the site rather than defaulting to one standard.
Installation method
Work usually starts with isolating and making safe the area, then installing containment for sub-main cables, mounting the board, and running and terminating cables to the correct torque settings: loose connections are one of the most common causes of overheating in panel boards.
On occupied or live sites we plan isolations outside normal operating hours where possible, and coordinate with your team so power is only off for the circuits actually being worked on.
Common variations
Some projects are a straightforward like-for-like board replacement. Others involve splitting an existing board into multiple sub-boards as a building is subdivided for multiple tenants, or adding a new sub-main to feed an extension or new plant room.
Three-phase supplies are standard on most commercial and industrial boards, feeding machinery, HVAC plant and larger lighting installations, alongside single-phase final circuits for general power and lighting.
Typical situations
New-build commercial units need a board specified from scratch against the building's full load schedule. Warehouse fit-outs often need additional sub-boards for racking lighting, charging bays or packing lines. Older industrial sites sometimes need a board replaced simply because parts are no longer available for the existing switchgear.
Whatever the trigger, the process is the same: survey, design, install, test, certify.
Commercial and industrial vs domestic scale
This is firmly commercial and industrial work, distinct from a domestic consumer unit upgrade. The principles, correct sizing, protection, testing, are identical to any electrical job, including the light switch changes and fuseboard upgrades we also do in one-bed flats. The scale, the three-phase supplies and the coordination with other trades and site management are what set LV panel board work apart.
Related services
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How much does an LV panel board installation cost?
+
Every panel board job is quoted individually because load, site access and equipment specification vary so much. Quotes are free: larger projects like this need a site visit so we can assess the incoming supply and existing distribution properly.
How long does an LV panel board installation take?
+
It depends on the size of the board, how many sub-mains and final circuits are involved, and whether the site can be fully isolated or needs phased working. We'll give you a programme once we've surveyed the site.
Can you work on a live or occupied site?
+
Yes. We plan isolations to minimise disruption and coordinate with your team so only the circuits being worked on lose power, where that's practical.
Do you provide test certificates?
+
Yes. Every circuit is tested, insulation resistance, earth fault loop impedance, RCD operation and polarity, and you get full certificates and schedules at completion.
What guarantee do you offer on panel board work?
+
All workmanship is guaranteed for 12 months. Equipment installed carries the manufacturer's own warranty, which varies by product.
Are you insured for commercial and industrial electrical work?
+
Yes. We hold £10m public liability and £10m employers' liability insurance, and we're a NICEIC Approved Contractor.
Is the phone line answered out of hours?
+
The phone operates 24 hours, so you can call any time to discuss a project. We don't promise a specific attendance time, but we're reachable around the clock.
Do you cover LV panel board work outside Stevenage?
+
Yes. We work across Stevenage, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and London on projects of this scale.
Do you need a site visit before quoting?
+
For LV panel board work, yes; this scale of job always needs a site visit rather than a photo-based quote, so we can check the incoming supply, existing distribution and access.
What happens if we need the board expanded later?
+
We design in headroom where the load schedule allows, and can always come back to add sub-boards or extra circuits as your site grows.
Get a quote for your LV panel board project
Call Gary on 07855 954229 any time, 24 hours a day, or request a free quote online. Larger projects get a site visit before we price the work.
- NICEIC Approved Contractor
- 12-month workmanship guarantee
- 4.95 on TrustATrader