Problem with tenants energy provider and being able to get remedial work done in order to get a cert

QrizB

LesleySpence said:

Yes, that is Thhe exact problem, sparky can not pull the fuse because the smart meter will send a message and they will. Have to send someone out and the sparky will get a huge fine.
I need advice on how to make the provider come out and fit the switch. 
Also legally if they are preventing me from having the work done where do I stand if something goes wrong and something happens to one of the tenants?
Is there some on official I can go to to force this issue? Ombudsmen isn't interested as it has not been 8.weeks yet

You don't need the supplier to fit a switch, as mentioned you (or preferably your sparky) can contact the DNO and (for a fee) they will send someone out to pull the main fuse. Your electrician can fit a switch between the meter and the CU then, if you still want one.

Or you can wait until your tenant moves out, take over the electricity account yourself and do it then.

Regarding "where you stand", make sure the tenant understands that there is a legal requirement for this work to be done and that they are preventing you from completing it. Based on your other thread I'm not convinced this will change their attitude but at least you'll have something for your legal team to show the judge.

Reed_Richards

So are there not 3 options?

1. Wait for the provider to come out and fit an isolation switch, possibly charging you for this.
2. Get the DNO, who have authority to remove the mains fuse, to do that for the short time it takes for the electrician to fit an isolation switch.
3. Find an authorised electrician who can temporarily remove the mains fuse.

I had to get the DNO out to change my mains fuse recently and were perfectly reasonable to deal with.

 

Reed_Richards

Ectophile said:

If the electrician is doing an EICR, they need to open up the consumer unit. Turning off the main switch on the consumer unit doesn't make it safe, as the switch is inside the unit being opened.

Ideally you need an isolator switch between the meter and the consumer unit. Some suppliers install them as standard. Some will if you ask. Some are cheapskates and make you pay for one....

Can you explain this a bit more clearly please @Ectophile .  This picture shows all I have at present

Are you saying I would need another isolation switch in order to rent out my house, should I ever wish to do so?

QrizB

@Reed_Richards this isn't directly to do with renting.

There's a thread over on the Energy board where a MSE'er took the cover off the front of his consumer unit. Here is his photo:

Opening the main switch isolates everything EXCEPT the incoming terminals on the main switch, numbered 1 and 3 in the bottom-left of that photo. If the electrician wants to replace the main switch (or the whole CU) he can either "work live" or isolate further up the circuit. Some houses have an isolator switch between the meter and the CU for this purpose, but in most cases the only way to do it is to pull the main incoming DNO fuse.

The reason renting comes into it is that there's a legal obligation on a landlord to have the electrical system tested and provide the tenant with a certificate saying that it's up to scratch. It seems that the OP's buyer also wants one of these.

Reed_Richards

My house was rewired in 2019 and issued with the appropriate certificate by the electrician (who was allowed to self-certify).  All it has by way of isolation is the double-poll switch that I showed in the picture and that is inside the consumer unit (accessible when you lift the flap) just as per the example picture you gave.  I can only assume that my electrician was "brave" enough to work live when he installed it.   

Ectophile

Reed_Richards said:

Ectophile said:

If the electrician is doing an EICR, they need to open up the consumer unit. Turning off the main switch on the consumer unit doesn't make it safe, as the switch is inside the unit being opened.

Ideally you need an isolator switch between the meter and the consumer unit. Some suppliers install them as standard. Some will if you ask. Some are cheapskates and make you pay for one....

Can you explain this a bit more clearly please @Ectophile .  This picture shows all I have at present

Are you saying I would need another isolation switch in order to rent out my house, should I ever wish to do so?

That's the main switch, which every consumer unit should have.  These days, all properties should really have a separate isolator switch so that the power can be turned off, and an electrician can fiddle about inside the consumer unit safely.

But many houses don't, including mine.  Which is why, for many years, electricians would just pull the fuse instead.

This is not a legal requirement.  The installation is not unsafe because one isn't there.  But it's a huge pain in the neck not having an isolator if you do have a smart meter.

Reed_Richards

So I take it that fitting an isolation switch (where absent) would not normally form part of smart meter installation?  The problem with the smart meter is that it will "tell tales" if the mains fuse is removed?.  

Hexane

Ectophile said:

Reed_Richards said:

Ectophile said:

If the electrician is doing an EICR, they need to open up the consumer unit. Turning off the main switch on the consumer unit doesn't make it safe, as the switch is inside the unit being opened.

Ideally you need an isolator switch between the meter and the consumer unit. Some suppliers install them as standard. Some will if you ask. Some are cheapskates and make you pay for one....

Can you explain this a bit more clearly please @Ectophile .  This picture shows all I have at present

Are you saying I would need another isolation switch in order to rent out my house, should I ever wish to do so?

That's the main switch, which every consumer unit should have.  These days, all properties should really have a separate isolator switch so that the power can be turned off, and an electrician can fiddle about inside the consumer unit safely.

But many houses don't, including mine.  Which is why, for many years, electricians would just pull the fuse instead.

This is not a legal requirement.  The installation is not unsafe because one isn't there.  But it's a huge pain in the neck not having an isolator if you do have a smart meter.

So those of us that were told that there was absolutely no possible disadvantage with having a smart meter, were just slightly misled there?

(I had to confirm for myself, because other people were unconvincing, that my smart meter would never ever count solar PV generation export as being actual consumption import. But that's a separate thing and water under the bridge.)

Reed_Richards

In this instance the "disadvantage" of the smart meter is that it will send a report if somebody illegally removes the mains fuse.  

Ectophile

Reed_Richards said:

In this instance the "disadvantage" of the smart meter is that it will send a report if somebody illegally removes the mains fuse.  

Yes. Though it's arguable how illegal it is if some unknown person has already removed the seal on the fuse.

It means that if you want to do any work on your installation, you have to get the DNO out. As the OP has found, that's a right pain.