1£ Coin electricity meter

Navas1992

Gerry1 said:

It seems to be set at 6.0 units for £1, i.e. 16.67p/kWh.  Assuming you're not paying a standing charge, that's not too unreasonable.

It's very easy to check the rate.  Wait until the lights go out, then read the meter.  Insert £1, wait for the lights to go off again, read the meter again and see how many kWh have been clocked up.  The photo shows a reading of 17288.65kWh.

Hi Gerry, where did you see that is set at 6,0 units? I think that what you saw is that the rolling handle  to introduce the coin was pointing  to 6? I might be wrong though.  
Not sure how to read the settings. 

Thank you 

Gerry1

Yes, it's the value of 6.0 units per coin on the outer 'B' ring.

The 'Lights Out' test will give the definitive answer.

Navas1992

Isn't  that nail  ( the one I marked in red on the picture) the one that indicates what is the meter set at? 

Gerry1

Navas1992 said:

Isn't  that nail  ( the one I marked in red on the picture) the one that indicates what is the meter set at? 

Yes, you're probably correct: the 'SET AT' indication is obscured by your cashbox.  So you should be getting a very competitive rate of 12.5p/kWh !

[Deleted User]

They are even better when they get stuck.

thorganby

I believe that it is actually a S stamped on the outer ring (red spot) and not the locating pin shown in Navas1992's picture.

This is a picture of the same meter with the coin box removed, showing that the location pin is inline between the coin box fastener and the centre point of the dial.

https://ibb.co/NshQdwj


Therefore I suggest that it is set at 8.8 units per 100p which equals an even more reasonable 11.36p kWh.

Thanks Gerry1 - link corrected

tehone

stewie_griffin said:

tehone said:

1) Keep a little supply of £1 coins handy
2) You'll be paying at £1 for 8 units at the meter, but actually charged a different rate over time by the electricity company (which will be less than £1 for 8 units). Every now and then they will come and read the meter, empty the coins out, and you'll at that stage find out how much you've overpaid for the units you have used (they give you the money back). I once got back £300
3) You can probably find out from the electric company what the actual real rate per unit is, and when the next reading/collection is due

This will be a private sub meter, so the only person emptying the coins will be the landlord. The landlord will pay the supplier directly for the main meter.

Fair enough, my mistake, it looks a similar arrangement to what I had years ago with my electric company

Part 1) of my advice still stands

macman

The sticker on the meter gives a pre-STD dialling code (Paignton 527524), so it's older than 1979, and probably a lot older than that. 1960's? So it could be 60 years old now.
Is there any restriction on how old private sub-meters can be before replacement is required? Since the tenancy commenced very recently, the OP should have received an EICR. Would a meter of that age pass such an inspection?

Ectophile

I don't see why it wouldn't pass an EICR.  It looks in good condition, and I don't see any exposed copper on the wires going in or out.

Gerry1

macman said:

The sticker on the meter gives a pre-STD dialling code (Paignton 527524), so it's older than 1979, and probably a lot older than that. 1960's? So it could be 60 years old now.
Is there any restriction on how old private sub-meters can be before replacement is required? Since the tenancy commenced very recently, the OP should have received an EICR. Would a meter of that age pass such an inspection?

Pedant's Corner: It doesn't show any dialling code, only the exchange name and local number.  It's still a valid number today,

although it's more usual to show only the area code and local number now that greedy BT tells callers to make an expensive call to directory enquiries if they don't know the area code.

Agreed, the use of coins and a spinning disk meter suggests it's quite ancient, as does the 1998 datestamp, but unless the model was discontinued in 1979 there's no evidence that it dates back to the 60s or 70s.

My bill reminds me that my solid state LCD meter was installed in July 2000, so presumably the coin meter is not considered life expired.