Old Lead British Gas Meter - HELP!!??

Beetlebug1983

Hi everyone,

Hoping that someone will be able to give me some advice on this one.

Me and my OH are currently renovating our home (it has been going on for 2yrs now) and we have yet to move in.

The house is supplied gas by British Gas and currently we have a very, very old meter inside the proeprty with an old lead pipe etc.

We are running a very tight budget in order for us to move in, we are going to have to live up stairs as we cannot afford to compelte down stairs at the moment.

I know back in 2007 they wanted £450.00 to replace the current meter and put it outside. Does anyone know of any consessions, fee exemptions avaiable to do this at a cheaper rate?? Just thought i would check here first before i have to ring them - uch!!

Many thanks,

Beetlebug.

Premier_2

As you are on a very tight budget, can you not live with the meter remaining inside the property where it obviously has been located for many years?

BG will not charge anything if they need to replace the meter (typically every 20 years) and there is no change in location.

Beetlebug1983

Yes, we can live with the meter being inside the proeprty. I just thought that all meters now days had to be outside. The meter is well over 20 years old, so would they replace it for free?? It's not a pay as you go meter.

Premier_2

Meters can be inside the property. The only difficulty is with a meter inside the property is that someone needs to allow access so the meter reader can read it ... which in the case of gas must be a minimum of at least once every 2 years.

The supplier will not change the meter on request for free, but will change it according to their schedule. You may want to inform the supplier the meter is well over 20 years old incase your meter has fallen off their renewal schedule.
The meter is replaced because, like anything mechanical, it doesn't last forever, and replacing a meter ensures ongoing accurate metering.

anniecave

Some people build a little cupboard around meters, so they look less obvious, and maybe the the top of it can be used as a place to stand things.

savemoney

There are no concessions most of us grin and pay up but I suspect vast majority just live with it and or build a cupboard around it

littletommytucker

The meter may not have been exchanged for a number of years if the pipes in your property are made of lead.

No qualified gas engineer will work with lead pipes as they no longer meet the required safety standards. My understanding is that before the meter would be replaced, the old lead pipes need removing from the house and replacing with new pipes.