Hi,

I think I am going to need a bigger consumer unit. There are no spaces
for expansion and I think I might need to add a new radial when I buy
the new induction hob (which will be 7.2kW).

The consumer unit is a Crabtree. I used google to see what options
Crabtree offered and I found this image:
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/b...e/100_0302.jpg

It's not unlike mine in that inside is a complete mess of wires. Are
they supposed to be like that? As the neutrals go to one side and the
earths go to another, I suppose you can't help the wires crossing but
are they supposed to be that messy?

The only other one I have ever seen is Andrew's that gets posted here
and it looks so much neater!
http://www.cucumber.demon.co.uk/cu1.jpg

What should I do? Should I replace my consumer unit with one larger
consumer unit or should I keep the CU that I have and buy a second,
smaller CU and have two consumer units? Buying a second, smaller CU
might be cheaper but would use up more wall space. Perhaps having two
CUs would allow me to have lights in one and sockets inthe other, or
divide the circuits some other way, which might be a good thing if one
box goes out of service (but how often does that happen)?

The reason I ask is that the photo seems to be part of a discussion on
a web forum and part of that discussion is whether the electrician
should have used one consumer unit or two.
http://www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=195374

I would also like to move the CU to somewhere more accessible. I was
unsure about extending the cables but using a din rail as in Andrew's
picture looks a neat way of doing it. I have not used din rails before
so I am unsure what I would need to buy to do this. Would I need
something like this:
http://cpc.farnell.com/weidmuller/03...uff/dp/CN12730

The photo shows metal exposed at the sides; is that right? I was
expecting it to be enclosed to prevent shocks, short circuits, etc.

TIA