Induction hobs: the hidden wiring upgrade nobody mentions

Induction is the best cooking technology most kitchens can't immediately plug in. The pans, the speed, the wipe-clean surface — all true. But an induction hob is also the most power-hungry appliance in the house, and the sticker price never includes what your wiring might need before the new hob boils a kettle of water. This page won't tell you how to do any of that work — it tells you why the quote surprises people, so the surprise happens before you buy, not after.

Why induction is different from every hob before it

A gas hob draws almost nothing electrically; a ceramic electric hob spreads its load across two or three heating zones that share the supply. A full-size induction hob concentrates several kilowatts behind one connection — typically needing its own dedicated high-current circuit, commonly a 32-amp circuit in UK terms or a 40-50 amp breaker in US terms, sized and protected for the specific model. Many kitchens already have that circuit from an old electric hob; many don't, especially where a gas hob was removed or a flat was wired for a plug-in countertop setup.

The upgrade cascade

When the circuit isn't there, the work isn't one job. Running a new circuit from the consumer unit (UK) or breaker panel (US) through walls and under floors; space in the consumer unit itself, which in older homes may mean a replacement unit; sometimes a supply-capacity conversation with the utility if the house total is marginal. Each step is legitimate, and none of it is DIY — new circuits and consumer-unit work are legally notifiable in the UK and belong to a qualified electrician everywhere, full stop. That's the same boundary this desk draws everywhere: understanding your breaker is homeowner territory; moving one is not.

What to do before you buy

Ask an electrician for a ten-minute look before you order the hob: is there an existing adequate circuit, what would a new one take in this house, and is there consumer-unit headroom. Get the wiring quote separately from the appliance purchase, and treat any total that includes consumer-unit replacement as a project quote, not a hassle surcharge. If you're renovating the kitchen anyway, this is the moment — circuit work through open walls costs a fraction of the same work through closed ones. It's the prep-before-paint principle at a thousand times the scale.

One more check people forget

Induction needs the right pans — magnet sticks to the base, or it doesn't heat at all — and it needs them across enough of the zone to register. Check your existing pans with a fridge magnet before assuming they'll need replacing too; many stainless sets are already induction-ready, which is usually the cheaper surprise. The wiring, though, is the part that turns a one-day swap into a two-week project, and it's the part the showroom never mentions.

Reviewed September 2026 · general information. Circuit installation and consumer-unit work must be done and certified by a qualified electrician.