Electric Meter Questions!

[SLIPSHOD & SLAPDASH]

Any chance of some pics of the meter position, inc the whole cupboard. You need 10 posts before you can upload a pic.

It sounds to me that the metering for the whole building is all fed off one head. This may be a multiway head but from your comments i reckon a 2 or 400A supply to all or shared neutral connections.   The reason the DNO wont remove the meters isn't that its too difficult but the Bank probably has to be turned off & they wont allow it. This set up although common is not allowed anymore. Its not just the meter but your main fuses that are in the bank and if they blow when the banks closed, say over Christmas then the DNO have no right/wont enter the bank property so you have no supply. 

 

[jon11a]

Only a couple of posts to go before I can post a picture. I think you are right though slipshod. The meters are connected to a rectangular box. The last engineer explained that in that box there was a live plate that they were connected to and he felt it would be too dangerous to deal with.

I think the bank are okay with us turning off supply if it's arranged in advance. Trouble is trying to arrange a suitable time for the bank and then getting an engineer out who knows what he's dealing with to do it properly. We had at least two attempts with the banks cooperation, getting out of hours cover etc but then the suppliers engineers saying it was too much of a job.

I'll post pictures as soon as I'm able to.

 

[Sidewinder]

Blow the DNO fuses when it suits you, but not the bank, and then get the DNO to sort it in accordance with ESQCR, easy!

This situation is NOT acceptable, and should not be tolerated, the only reason it is still going on is because the Meter Operator and the DNO are not one in the same, and they can pass the buck, plus it costs money to sort that they don't want to spend, as they want to line the pockets of their shareholders.

 

[jon11a]

Thanks Paddler!

Okay, here we go, are you ready?

The next two pictures are to the left of the one above...

 

[jon11a]

Sorry, called you paddler, meant canoeboy.

 

[ProDave]

the right hand two 3 phase meters don't have any load connected. so these are in effect "dead"  Only the left hand 3 phase meter is feeding anything.

It's all a bit of a mess and agreed they can't do much without shutting down the whole lot.

What's really needed though is a shut down and rewire. you need an isolator for your stuff and a separate isolator for the bank stuff.  then you should be able to get your dead meters removed and the active meters moved upstairs.

but I dread to think what price they will quote you for that. this is something only the DNO are allowed to do.

 

[jon11a]

Thats a scary thought that the left hand 3 phase meter is still connected to a potential load as our electrician told us he had disconnected us completely from these meters.  Not that we were thinking of touching the old storage heater consumer units much but if one is still connected then it's a worry.

As I thought, it's not a great situation.  I think the only trump card I have is that EON agreed to remove the 3 phase meters for free.  I should complain to Offwatt that they still haven't done this.  Once they are physically gone and off my accounts, I'd then be free to switch the single phase meter to any supplier to get a better deal.  As I mentioned, each 'dead' 3 phase meter is tied to a single phase meter on my accounts.

I'd be happy with that for now if the alternative is to pay the DNO a huge amount to just make it all neater.  Though that said, am I amble to engage the DNO to come out and take a look at it all and give me their opinion?  Or does it all have to go through my supplier?

 

[ProDave]

It's hard to see where the wires go. the right hand 2 definitely have a a supply going in, but nothing coming out.  the left hand one has wires coming out but I can't see where they go.

It might be they go to one of those big isolator switches and no further than that.

Are you still paying an off peak tariff but not using it? if so you will pay more for your daytime electricity without benefitting from the cheaper night rate.

 

[jon11a]

it is hard to work out what's connected to what but I think you are right. The three big grey boxes on the left I guess are the isolator switches? I do seem to remember the electrician talking about those being for the old storage heaters.

The smaller white boxes I think are the isolator a for our single phase meters. We once had one of these go and the electrician had to replace some fuse?

We don't pay for the old 3 phase meters anymore but they are hidden on our account. The single phase meters are just on a regular standard tarrif. It does sometimes feel like we are paying a higher rate when the bills come in but I've checked and they are correct. It's just one rate 24hrs.