The delivery drivers will unbox it; connecting it is where the judgement lives. I connect cookers, ovens and hobs across Bristol, and, more usefully, I tell you before purchase whether the appliance you're eyeing can live on the circuit you have.
When a cooker can plug in and when it needs hardwiring
The line is simpler than the showroom makes it: many single ovens are designed to run from a standard plug, and if yours came with one fitted, that's the manufacturer's answer. Anything beyond that, range cookers, most hobs, high-drawing double ovens, needs hardwiring to a dedicated cooker circuit through a proper cooker connection unit. The appliance's rating plate settles it in seconds, which is why my first reply asks for its photo.
Induction hob upgrades: why the old cooker circuit often isn't enough
Induction is the upgrade that catches people out: the hob replacing a gas one needs a circuit where none existed, and the hob replacing an old ceramic can draw more than the 1980s cooker circuit was sized for. Some inductions offer power-management settings that cap their draw to suit smaller circuits, a legitimate route when the run to the board is painful, and I'll tell you when that's the smart compromise versus when the new circuit is simply the right job.
New cooker or hob on order?
Send the model link and a photo of the existing outlet — you'll get a straight answer on whether the circuit is up to it, and a written price if it isn't.
What connection costs
These are estimates, not quotes. Final costings always follow a free site inspection — and jobs often come in under the estimate, never over without you agreeing it first.
Connect to an existing, adequate circuit: £70–£130. New cooker circuit from the board: £280–£480, moved by distance and wall route. Indicative, confirmed from the rating plate and a photo of your consumer unit.
Do I need an electrician to fit an electric cooker?
For a plug-in oven, no. For anything hardwired, yes in every way that matters: the connection, the circuit check and the paperwork are the job, and "the delivery men said they can't connect it" exists because their insurers understand that.
Can an induction hob use the existing cooker circuit?
Sometimes as-is, sometimes with the hob's power-management setting, sometimes not at all. Rating plate plus circuit details equals a firm answer before you've bought anything.
What size cable does a cooker need?
The size the load calculation says, which depends on the appliance and the run; there's no single right answer, and anyone quoting one without asking what you're connecting is guessing. That calculation is included, not extra.
