Moving electricity meter

Vera25

Hi
I just bought a house and I want to move the electricity meter that is in the utility room (ground floor)
I want to put it under the staircase with the new fuse box.
I contacted EDF and they gave me an estimate of 3000 GBP. They said they need to do 3 excavations to change the cable and put a new one.
Is there anything I can do to ask a lower estimate? Contact a consumer association or something like that?
I think 3K is too much. The gas company moved the gas meter for 1 K and they did in 2 hours. So I am bit fed up of these grids.
I contacted other companies who can do the job but they didn’t replay to any of my mail.
An electrician who works for the grid will do it....but I don’t want to do it illegally.

Any advice?

Thanks
Vera

kjsmith7

The 'gas company', usually Transco, will move a meter as long as there are no supply pipe modifications up to 1m for free, and then will charge for the work from thereon, which is probably why it is so much cheaper.

The 'electric company' or EDF Energy Networks in your case, will charge to move the meter if they are moving it off it's existing board, which they would have to do even if there were moving it 30cm in some cases I know that some companies will move the meters for free if there is a reason to have it moved, e.g. you are disabled and it is high up near the ceiling, for instance, but other than that, perhaps contact Citizens Advice?

DVardysShadow

Does the job require the cable to be extended? Or is it just a matter of cutting it short for the new position? In the first case, you may well require a lot of digging to be done. Also, have they quoted for a new fusebox too?

spiro

As said if they need to lengthen the cable they will need to dig all the way from the main cable in the street to were you want the meter, splice a new cable into the main cable and then install a main fuse a meter board. On top of that you will need to contact your supplier who will arrange for the meter to be physically moved.
Even if the cable needs shortening they quite often replace the whole cable because they have no method of turning the power off the the existing cable.
If you search this forum you will find several threads commenting on the cost of moving meters.

Bottom line, it is not cheap and there is only one organisation who can do it.

Vera25

The positionof the new meter is on a wall pralalell to where the electricity meter is now.
In any case they said they need to cut the old cable (1st excavation), 2nd excavation, to connect it,. They said they are not allow to work on live cable (so need to be cut, even if I move the elec meter of 50 cm).
They did not quote for a new fuse box.

The excavations from the boundary of my property to the new position is on my builders (so other cost for me).
I know they there a monopoly on this thing, but I would like to have another quote. I phoned all lloyds register companies, but none would do the job.
So any advice?

spiro

Vera25 wrote: »

know they there a monopoly on this thing, but I would like to have another quote. I phoned all lloyds register companies, but none would do the job. So any advice?

If you reward my post #4 I said "there is only one organisation who can do it", that is your local distribution company who own and maintain the cables to your house. Yes they are a monopoly and no, no one else can do it, it would be illegal.