Moving a meter - YEDL

Kefte

Background: We [me and my DP] bought a property for renting-out, we have a wall in the kitchen where the meter is positioned so we rang British Gas as we only wanted it moved a metre away, we wanted that wall brought down to open up a tiny kitchen, and had it booked in for 2-weeks time. In the meantime the builders said they could knock it down without moving the meter but couldn't finish up until it was moved [ie plastering]...so the wall was brought down. British Gas didn't turn up the day they had said, so we rang them to find it'd be re-scheduled for a week away... again we waited that particular day.. to find they'd rescheduled it AGAIN without telling us for 2-weeks time. I was livid and eventually got an appointment for 4-days later in which we had to get a neighbour to let them in instead, who was Polish so they couldn't tell us why but apparently the work more extensive than they'd thought. Anyway, British Gas promised they had been intouch with YEDLn and they'd be intouch. I tried to ring them myself but it was out of hours... So waited 2 days... I rang them nobody had been intouch... ARGH!!

Anyway, they have quoted me almost £500 to move the meter a metre away! And nothing can be done for 6-8 weeks. Apparently nobody else can move it -- although British Gas have told me of customers who have recieved permission off a Meter Operator for an electrician to move it.

I think this seems really unfair -- VERY expensive and a LONG wait. What can I do? can I make it cheaper? Not only that we have to pay for the job before it takes place, which I wouldn't want to do in any circumstance tbh...

We only need to have this moved so we can decorate the other half of the room and fit the kitchen. Then the house is done. We could be loosing 2 months rent for this!

btw -- It's an Electricity Meter.

Kefte

Can nobody help me then?

Magentasue

If your question is 'What can I do to make it cheaper?', and there are no replies, I'm afraid it could be because there isn't a way. This has come up before and I don' think there are many (if any) options. It's an expensive job. Worth searching the forum if nobody has any ideas - quite a few people have posted similar experiences, but I don't think there have been many happy endings.

Sparky47

The electricity meter can only be moved by the people that own it, normally the local DNO (Distribution Network Operator).

You could try speaking to them to find out if there is any way to reduce the cost ie. reducing the distance it is moved.

KimYeovil

You bought a property that was not ready to let. There are regulations in place to govern the positioning of meters. You knew that alterations would have to be arranged. The delays are tiresome but no-one but your project manager is responsible for misleading you about how long it could take. If your project manager (probably yourself) did not tell you it could take several weeks to arrange then that is their fault, not YEDL's. Seek compensation for the delay from your project manager. It has nothing to do with YEDL or British Gas.

dunloadin

KimYeovil, it does have something to do with BG, as he has had 2 broken appointments...one which he didn't even know about.

Moving the meter is fairly straightforward, it's the cutout and consumer unit that cause the expense and problems. The cutout (incoming supply) is the property of the DNO (YEDL), and it is them who need to move it...can be pricey depending on the amount of work required. The consumer unit (fusebox/circuit breakers) is the property of the owner, if this requires moving they will have to get an electrician to do it, again not cheap (I reckon round £350-500).

The meter is just the bit that fits inbetween the cutout and consumer unit, I doubt that BG are charging £500 to do that, in fact I would expect the YEDL guys to do it as part of moving the cutout...that is of course if the cutout needs moving in the first place.