My electricity meter is supplying two flats

CandyBar_2

Premier wrote: »

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 theirs.

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

Is this a converted property? An hold house split into flats? Sounds like perhaps the LL originally lived downstairs following the conversion and let the upstairs.
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.

The meter downstairs is branded (I forget the brand) and it also says something about being the property of an electricity company (I think it is EDF, which makes sense for London as EDF is the distributor for London). So I don't think it's a sub-meter.

The MPAN I provided is for the meter downstairs, i.e. the one in my diagram. I don't have a meter in my flat.

This is indeed a converted property - one flat split into two. The complete story is that there is another meter in the communal area, which has its own supply, and is a prepayment meter. It has been disconnected (grey wires coming from it are disconnected) due to debt (and incidentally EDF once sent me a letter saying they wanted to get in touch with the people who used this meter). When I moved in the electricity companies all wanted to supply me on this prepayment meter but since it was disconnected I knew this couldn't be the one supplying my flat.

So, to summarise:

- two separate supplies coming in from outside
- one supply goes to prepayment meter which has been disconnected (but apparently used to supply my flat)
- one supply goes to credit meter shown in my diagram, and then goes to my flat and my neighbour's flat

CandyBar_2

Updated diagram including all meters I know of!



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Premier_2

CandyBar wrote: »

The meter downstairs is branded (I forget the brand) and it also says something about being the property of an electricity company (I think it is EDF, which makes sense for London as EDF is the distributor for London). So I don't think it's a sub-meter.

The MPAN I provided is for the meter downstairs, i.e. the one in my diagram. I don't have a meter in my flat....

So you've one supply, one meter that happens to supply both properties?

That will be the main supplier meter.
How you decide to split the cost between you and downstairs is up to you...but if you are the only account holder, the supplier will look to you to pay the lot.
It will only measure what the supplier has supplied, so no rebate from the supplier I'm afraid.

Edit: I doubt the downstairs property has a sub-meter. The only major issue you appear to have (other than deciding on how to split the bill) is that the downstairs property cannot be isolated without disconnecting your supply. You really need to get that seen to, and that would be a matter of getting an electrician in to resolve.

CandyBar_2

Premier wrote: »

So you've one supply, one meter that happens to supply both properties?

That will be the main supplier meter.
How you decide to split the cost between you and downstairs is up to you...but if you are the only account holder, the supplier will look to you to pay the lot.

I guess that's what it boils down to, yes. However from what I understand, my neighbour
- currently has his own meter in his flat
- is paying Southern Electric for the consumption on this meter

Do you think Southern Electric is mistakenly taking the money for this (even though it is a sub meter), and that the tenant downstairs should be paying this to me?

Edit:

Edit: I doubt the downstairs property has a sub-meter. The only major issue you appear to have is that the downstairs property cannot be isolated without disconnecting your supply. You really need to get that seen to, and that would be a matter of getting an electrician in to resolve.

OK, so if the property downstairs has a main meter (and not a sub-meter), this shouldn't be connected to my main meter. Shouldn't I therefore be looking to my supplier to refund me for the electricity which has been paid for twice?

Premier_2

CandyBar wrote: »

I've made a diagram, but the forum won't let me link to it, so you'll have to copy & paste - sorry



When I turn off only switch 1, the power to my flat goes off. When I turn off switch 1 & 2, and then turn switch 2 back on, the power in my flat stays off, but the power comes back on in the flat below.

Just made the earlier sketch visible

You said:

"When I turn off switch 1 & 2, and then turn switch 2 back on, the power in my flat stays off, but the power comes back on in the flat below"

Did you mean "then turn switch 1 back on" ?
Otherwise your idea of how it is wired is not correct.

CandyBar_2

Premier wrote: »

Just made the earlier sketch visible

You said:

"When I turn off switch 1 & 2, and then turn switch 2 back on, the power in my flat stays off, but the power comes back on in the flat below"

Did you mean "then turn switch 1 back on" ?
Otherwise your idea of how it is wired is not correct.

Yes, sorry about that, I did indeed mean switch 1. I will edit my post just to be sure nobody else is confused. Basically my diagrams are to be trusted more than the words which go with them .

Ignite

I think there is something very strange going on here. Now you mention the other meter, it sounds like you should be connected to this meter. At some point in the past, someone has been disconnected for not paying the bill and your "Switch 2" has been disconnected from the prepay meter and connected to the other meter through switch 1. I think this is one for the power company to sort out though who you would need to speak to, i don't know. however, it may be worth calling the MPAN number for your region. http://www.energylinx.co.uk/mpan_request.htm
Get them to look into everything. As you have been paying a bill and can prove this, if in the past something illegal (fraud) has happened in terms of rewiring the supply then you will be covered as you have paid for the power you have used.

Ignite

Another site that may have contacts http://www.edfenergy.com/products-services/networks/connection-services/index.shtml

CandyBar_2

Ignite wrote: »

I think there is something very strange going on here. Now you mention the other meter, it sounds like you should be connected to this meter. At some point in the past, someone has been disconnected for not paying the bill and your "Switch 2" has been disconnected from the prepay meter and connected to the other meter through switch 1. I think this is one for the power company to sort out though who you would need to speak to, i don't know. however, it may be worth calling the MPAN number for your region. http://www.energylinx.co.uk/mpan_request.htm
Get them to look into everything. As you have been paying a bill and can prove this, if in the past something illegal (fraud) has happened in terms of rewiring the supply then you will be covered as you have paid for the power you have used.

This makes sense. It is a bit strange that someone would have had another meter fitted in the downstairs flat though (this would serve no purpose under the original arrangement, where the credit meter in the cupboard was only serving the downstairs flat and not mine too)...

Ignite

Well, the original credit meter wasn't registered. I wonder if this was some lazy ...... leaving this and putting the new meter in the downstairs flat. What should have happened was that in this case the meter would be removed and a sealed joint fitted so that the feed downstairs was unbroken by non sealed joints. By sealed I mean the little lead seal tags used by the energy companies.