My electricity meter is supplying two flats

CandyBar_2

macman wrote: »

Sorry, but that makes no sense according to your diagram. If switch 1 is off, then switching 2 on or off can make no difference (i.e. 1 is the master, and 2 controls your flat only). Switching off at 1 should cut both flats is they're in series.
Can you recheck the wiring sequence?

Sorry, made a mistake. When I switch off switch TWO (and leave switch ONE on), the power to my flat goes off, but not to the flat below.

To summarise:

If switches 1 and 2 are on, both flats have power.
If switch 1 is on and 2 is off, only the flat below has power.
If switch 1 is off and 2 is on or off, neither flats have power.

CandyBar_2

macman wrote: »

3700 kWh is not that high for a flat with C/H.
And a homebuyers report (nor a full survey) will cover the wiring.

Sorry, bit new to this, but if C/H means cooling/heating, the 3700 kWh does not include that. My hot water & heating is on gas, so the 3700 kWh is only for appliances, lighting, etc... If that's not what C/H means then please enlighten me

Just to be clear, are you saying that a homebuyer's report will not cover the wiring?

Ignite

I take it that the diagram you have produced is created by following the 16mm tails coming out of the meter? (Tails are the thick connections from the meter to the consumer unit and are coloured grey in modern installations). What you need to do is to have a chat with your neighbours when they are in. Tell them that there is a problem with the electrics and ask them to help you out. Firstly, switch off your supply on the first switch after the meters. As them whether anything of theirs goes off. If so, you need to find out if it is the whole of their flat or parts of it. If it's the whole flat then you will need to sort out having the supplies split. If it's only part of their supply then it will be a bit harder to sort.

Ok, next step to double check the supplies. If their sockets go off, get them to try boiling a kettle (electric of course). Does your meter start spinning when their kettle is on? This is a double check. If it does, they you are definitely supplying them with power.

As they are paying through their meter, if it is fed through yours, then you will need to get the supply companies involved as there are laws to do with meter tampering etc.

macman

OK that makes sense now.
Is there a separate CU in each flat?

CandyBar_2

Ignite wrote: »

I take it that the diagram you have produced is created by following the 16mm tails coming out of the meter? (Tails are the thick connections from the meter to the consumer unit and are coloured grey in modern installations). What you need to do is to have a chat with your neighbours when they are in. Tell them that there is a problem with the electrics and ask them to help you out. Firstly, switch off your supply on the first switch after the meters. As them whether anything of theirs goes off. If so, you need to find out if it is the whole of their flat or parts of it. If it's the whole flat then you will need to sort out having the supplies split. If it's only part of their supply then it will be a bit harder to sort.

Ok, next step to double check the supplies. If their sockets go off, get them to try boiling a kettle (electric of course). Does your meter start spinning when their kettle is on? This is a double check. If it does, they you are definitely supplying them with power.

As they are paying through their meter, if it is fed through yours, then you will need to get the supply companies involved as there are laws to do with meter tampering etc.

Yes, that is how I produced it.

I had not thought that perhaps it is only part of his flat that I am supplying, but given the numbers, I expect it is his whole flat which is running off my meter: this morning while my neighbour was out I was recording a consumption (by timing the red flashes) of approximately 120W with power to my flat cut off, ie 2.88 kWh per day.

macman wrote: »

OK that makes sense now.
Is there a separate CU in each flat?

Everything in the diagram is in the same cupboard in the communal area. I have no CU in my flat; I can't speak for my neighbour (I haven't even confirmed that he has his own meter, but he once told me he did so I'm inclined to believe him).

Cardew

Could your meter be supplying electricity to the 'common parts'(communal areas) i.e. stairways, outside lights?

CandyBar_2

Cardew wrote: »

Could your meter be supplying electricity to the 'common parts'(communal areas) i.e. stairways, outside lights?

It actually is, but as far as I know this is via my flat's supply (after switch 2). This doesn't really bother me much though, as the common parts only have: a doorbell, two 50W light bulbs (on a timer, therefore almost always off). There are no outside lights.

Edit: To clarify, this entrance only serves two flats - mine and the one below. So the electricity used by the common parts really is very minimal.

Premier_2

CandyBar wrote: »

Hello,

I have discovered today that my electricity meter, which is in the entrance of my building, is supplying both my flat and the one below it. However it seems (although I have yet to see this with my own eyes) that this flat below then has its own separate meter, ...

Is your meter a main supplier meter, or a sub meter?

It would be most unusual for a supplier to have installed a meter this way, and if they have, you'll need to contact them to explain the issue.

If you've just a sub-meter, then there is nothing too unusual (other than you appear to own the flat but are supplied via a sub meter).
The supplier will only charge based on their own meter.
If you are currently on a sub meter but want your own individual supply, you'll have to make arrangements for your own supply which won't be cheap.

CandyBar wrote: »

how to recover the money I have paid for my neighbour's electricity since I moved in (a year ago)

Even if you have your own suppliers meter, you haven't paid any part of your downstairs neighbours bill, so you won't be due any refund.

However, your neighbour may have been paying for all your usage as well as their own ... but that would be their problem to resolve.

Your only issue really is that it appears your downsatirs neighbour could disprupt your supply as and when they like under the existing arrangements which obviously isn't acceptable usually.
Furthermore, it could be that if both you and your neighbour take advantage of maximum load, you could end up blowing the main fuse of the neighbour which you won't have access to, especially if your neighbour isn't at home when it occurs.

CandyBar_2

Premier wrote: »

Is your meter a main supplier meter, or a sub meter?

It would be most unusual for a supplier to have installed a meter this way, and if they have, you'll need to contact them to explain the issue.

If you've just a sub-meter, then there is nothing too unusual (other than you appear to own the flat but are supplied via a sub meter).
The supplier will only charge based on their own meter.
If you are currently on a sub meter but want your own individual supply, you'll have to make arrangements for your own supply which won't be cheap.

How do I know if it is a main supplier meter or a sub meter? From some quick reading I gather that if I was on a sub meter, someone else would be paying for the main meter's consumption, and then charging my neighbour and I for our individual usages (using our two meters to split the cost). However there is clearly nobody doing this.

When I moved into the flat none of the electricity companies had any record of any meters for this flat. I had to give my chosen supplier the MPAN of the meter in the cupboard downstairs for them to create an account based off that (and initially they refused to believe I had the right MPAN as this MPAN was apparently registered to a meter in another flat in another location). They then had someone visit the flat to confirm the initial reading and that my flat was indeed supplied by this meter.

One more useful bit of information: my flat and the flat below were at some point a single flat. I am not sure when they were split.

Premier_2

If it is a suppliers meter, they will have their name on it.
Either the name of an energy supplier (current or one of the older ones, but not necessarily the supplier that now supplies the property) or if it's newer, one of the meter suppliers such as siemens.

However an energy supplier should know if it is their meter, even if they rent it.

The fact you had to provide the MPAN of the meter downstairs sounds like that is the main meter and you have a sub-meter installed.

Is this a converted property? An old house split into flats? Sounds like perhaps the LL originally lived downstairs following the conversion and let the upstairs.
(Edit: just saw you said it was originally one property)
However when it was sold as two separate entities, then it should have had it's own independent supplies.

You could try pursuing the previous owners, but your solicitor will probably declare it a lost cause and suggest you pay for your own supply yourself now. Caveat Emptor and all that.

Or just leave it as being a sub-metered property. (but in that case, you shouldn't be the account holder, but the downstairs occupant the account holder. You would be relying on them to pay the bill in full and would pay for your share to them)