Move Electricity Meter?

icebergx

Hi all,
I'm getting my house refurbished and the Electricity meter is currently located above where my new hob will go (and where my old hob was.)
My builder's said that he thinks it might be wise to move it, and reposition it close to the new consumer unit which will be installed, but I understand moving meters can be expensive.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this? I can get the current meter moved unto 1m away from its current location for £60, so I thought I'd move it into one of the new adjacent wall units, but putting the consumer unit in there too might not look great. Therefore, I was thinking of moving that a few meters further down the wall.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Doozergirl

It's hundreds, but specific information and prices are freely available on the internet. Check with your supplier or National Grid. I think meters are dealt with by the supplier.

They will also have an opinion on its new position - ie. probably outside, not in.

icebergx

Doozergirl wrote: »

It's hundreds, but specific information and prices are freely available on the internet. Check with your supplier or National Grid. I think meters are dealt with by the supplier.

They will also have an opinion on its new position - ie. probably outside, not in.

My supplier said £60 for a move of upto 1m. An independent electrician who does this kind of thing for a living for one of the big energy suppliers said he could reposition it anywhere within the house for £350-450. What do you think would be the best option?

rob7475

An electrician isn't allowed to move the meter - it has to be done by the DNO.

Have a chat with your DNO and get them to come and survey and quote - you may be pleasantly surprised.

I recently had a gas meter moved from inside the house to an outdoor box. From the gude prices on the DNO's website, it looked like it would cost around £600. The guy who came out to survey agreed to do the job for £350 as it was fairly straightforward.

always_sunny

I wish I could move mine too, the electric meter (fairly modern too) sits under the stopcock!!!!!!!

Carrot007

Remember the £60 would only move the meter. The main fuse under it would still not be moved.

I think I paid £500 ish in my last house to have it moved to an outside box (which I supplied and fitted). But that was 15 years ago.

Annie1960

I wish I had thought of having mine moved outside.

icebergx

Is there any particular reason to have it outside, other than it being a bit unsightly indoors?
Also, in the above situation, do I need to get my mains/cut out moved too, or would moving the meter and Consumer unit suffice?

JuzaMum

If it outside it can be read by the meter readers when you are out and even if you are in you don't need to invite them in.

icebergx

JuzaMum wrote: »

If it outside it can be read by the meter readers when you are out and even if you are in you don't need to invite them in.

But with the move to smart meters, won't this become a redundant reason soon? I'm planning on changing supplier soon, and they support smart meters, so the old meter will be swapped out relatively soon anyway.

FreeBear

A smart meter from one supplier (say BG) wouldn't work with another (e.g. Eon) so would cause issues if you wanted to switch. Maybe, one day, just maybe, all smart meters will be compatible with all suppliers and switching might become a same day exercise.

Smart meters are not all they are cracked up to be and certainly do not deliver any energy savings.