Power Control & Control Boards

Distribution boards and control panels: what we build

Every building has a board that splits incoming power into protected circuits. Commercial and industrial sites also have panels that control motors and machines. Choosing the right one starts with understanding your load and how it is used.

Distribution boards (DB boards)

A DB board holds the main switch, earth leakage protection and the circuit breakers for lights, sockets, cookers and other circuits. Older homes often still have rewireable fuses or a board with no earth leakage protection at all. A DB board upgrade replaces it with modern miniature circuit breakers (MCBs), an RCD or RCBOs and surge protection, and adds spare ways for future circuits. If your home has grown over the years with extensions, a new kitchen or a borehole pump, the original board may simply be too small for today's load. For apartments and commercial buildings we install main switchboards feeding sub-boards for each floor, unit or department.

Motor control panels and starters

Pumps, compressors, conveyors and fans need the right starter to protect both the motor and the supply:

• DOL (direct on line) starters for small motors.
• Star-delta starters to reduce starting current on larger motors.
• Soft starters for smooth starts that cut mechanical stress.
• VFD panels where speed control saves energy, such as booster pumps and ventilation fans.

Each panel includes overload protection, phase failure protection where needed, and clear controls and indicators.

Power factor correction

Motors and other inductive loads draw reactive power, which lowers your power factor. On many commercial and industrial KPLC tariffs, a low power factor attracts extra charges and wastes capacity in your cables and transformer. A correctly sized capacitor bank with an automatic controller brings the power factor back up. We measure your load before recommending a size, so you do not pay for capacitors you do not need.

What affects the cost of a board or panel

• Single-phase or three-phase supply and the size of the incoming load
• Number of circuits, motors or outgoing ways
• Type of starters and whether VFDs are needed
• Enclosure size, rating and whether it is indoor or outdoor
• Condition of existing cabling and earthing

As an indicative 2026 guide, a home DB board upgrade is often in the range of KES 15,000 to 60,000 depending on the number of circuits and protection. A single pump control panel often starts from around KES 40,000, while multi-motor panels, main switchboards and power factor correction banks range from KES 150,000 to well over KES 1,000,000. Every price depends on site; confirm with a free site survey.

Who this service is for

• Homeowners: DB upgrades for older houses, extensions, new kitchens and tripping problems.
• Landlords and apartments: main boards, sub-boards per unit and pump control for water systems.
• Businesses and industry: factories, workshops, cold rooms, warehouses and water projects with motors and heavy loads.
• Institutions: schools, hospitals and churches needing safe, well-organised power distribution.

Board work often goes hand in hand with wider wiring. See our electrical installations service for rewiring and new builds, and our generator installations for ATS panels that connect backup power to your board.

Maintenance and aftercare

Terminations loosen over time, dust builds up and contactors wear. Regular panel maintenance includes tightening connections, thermal checks for hot spots, testing RCDs and checking capacitor banks. For commercial sites we recommend scheduled maintenance to avoid unplanned shutdowns. Breakers, contactors and enclosures are also available in our online shop.