A customer rang last week asking why his new cooker switch has a socket built into it. Nobody had explained that part when he bought his first one either.

What Does a Cooker Control Unit Actually Do?

A fixed cooker or hob draws enough current that it gets its own dedicated circuit rather than sharing a ring main, and that circuit needs a local means of isolation so it can be switched off completely for servicing or in an emergency. That is the job of the 45A cooker control unit: a double-pole switch rated for the full load of the appliance, positioned somewhere the cook can reach it without leaning over a hot hob.

Most cooker control units also include a 13A switched socket alongside the isolation switch. That socket is not part of the cooker circuit; it is a genuinely separate, independently fused outlet for a second appliance nearby, such as a slow cooker or a coffee machine, which is why the unit needs a 13A fuse in addition to the 45A rating for the switch itself.

Where Should It Actually Go?

IET guidance for cooker installations recommends the control unit sits within 2 metres of the appliance, is easily accessible, and is not mounted directly above the hob where reaching it means reaching over a hot surface or open flame. In a typical kitchen that puts it on an adjacent wall at worktop height or just above, not tucked behind the cooker itself.

Where a hob and a separate built-in oven are both being installed, each needs to be within reach of isolation, though a single control unit can sometimes serve both if the layout allows it. This is one to confirm with whoever is doing the first fix rather than guessing from a wiring diagram.

Screwless Flat-Plate vs BG Evolve: Which Range Actually Fits?

Our take: for a rental or an HMO kitchen, Nexus Metal in a neutral finish does the job without the premium. Evolve earns its place when the rest of the kitchen's sockets and switches are already speccing that range, the same logic that applies to shaver sockets and most other BG accessory decisions.

Fitting or Replacing a Cooker Control Unit

This is notifiable electrical work under Part P of the Building Regulations, since it involves a new or altered circuit in a kitchen, a special location. It should be carried out or signed off by a registered competent person, not treated as a like-for-like swap a confident homeowner does themselves, even though the unit itself simply screws onto a backbox.

Price reality check: a quality BG cooker control unit typically sits somewhere in the £25 to £45 range depending on finish, a small fraction of the cost of an electrician's call-out to certify the work, which is the real reason to get the finish and rating right the first time rather than ordering twice.