time for your meter safety inspection

Zandoni

I was a government appointed gas meter examiner for twenty years up until 2001, in that time they hardly changed meters at all without any reason. They did however have a massive programme to change all old meters with leather diaphragms to synthetic models, this wasn’t very well done and many were missed. They started talking about the need to change meters more regularly when electronic models started to appear.

peter999

imeach said:

peter999 said:

imeach said:

peter999 said:

Or Scottish Power finding excuses to fit Smart Meter !

I had same email few days ago from Scottish Power:
"It's time for your meter safety inspection
Your meter is due a visual safety inspection"

They say it will be "inspected" by Morrison Data Services who read the meters, so nothing technical, more like just an excuse
and a private company working on their behalf in their interests.


Few weeks ago I had 3 emails in a week out of blue from Scottish Power saying they need to fit Smart Meter/new meter:
"Your electricity meter needs to be replaced
We need to upgrade your meter"


We've already seen dodgy behaviour of energy suppliers in force fitting new meters.

Meter readers from whatever company (and Morrison Data Services are the biggest) carry out a 'visual safety inspection'  every time, the reading is just to prove they have been and (stupidly I believe) isn't always used for billing.

Where have you got this from ?

I have never seen a meter reader (someone who reads a a meter) carry out a "visual safety inspection" or anything like it, NEVER !!

I have got this from what I do for a living.
So as someone else said, were all the meter readers you have seen over decades blind, as they must have visually seen the eter to take a reading??

They only took the reading, nothing else !

My Gas Meter is almost inaccessible behind shelf & near ceiling, you need to use mirror & torch to read it.

My Electric Meter is high up.

They didn't spend any time looking, checking anything else, NEVER !!

peter999

QrizB said:

peter999 said:

Really old meters should have been routinely changed in the past, before smart meters, is that correct ?

Yes.

I moved into my first house in 1997. It had an analogue spinning disc electricity meter. During my nine years in that house, it was exchanged for an electronic meter.

I moved to my next (and current) house in 2006. It always had an electronic electricity meter but a few years after moving in it was exchanged for a new electronic meter of a different model.

Both of these meter exchanges were unprompted by me, but happened at my supplier's request.

A couple of years ago I requested a smart meter. This replaced the second of the electronic meters.

Did you ever ask why they wanted to change meters ?

My Electric & Gas meters have never been changed in nearly 30 years !

Meters at my parents house have never been changed in 50+ years !
 
I am sure if we all check we will find plenty of houses where meters have never been changed in many decades, could it be 50%, 60%, 70% or 80% in 50 to 100+ year old houses ?

peter999

Alnat1 said:

Meter reader was round this week, first time since we moved in over 4 years ago.  Octopus had asked him to check our meter. He actually said - I don't know why they keep asking me to check smart meters. He did a quick visual inspection and didn't press any buttons to get the import/export readings, then left.

Not surprising, newer meters & Smart meters are rubbish quality and have more to go wrong.

Problems with smart meters are common and well known.

peter999

Spoonie_Turtle said:

peter999 said:

GingerTim said:

peter999 said:

GingerTim said:

peter999 said:

GingerTim said:

peter999 said:

Dolor said:

peter999 said:

Or Scottish Power finding excuses to fit Smart Meter !

I had same email few days ago from Scottish Power:
"It's time for your meter safety inspection
Your meter is due a visual safety inspection"

They say it will be "inspected" by Morrison Data Services who read the meters, so nothing technical, more like just an excuse
and a private company working on their behalf in their interests.


Few weeks ago I had 3 emails in a week out of blue from Scottish Power saying they need to fit Smart Meter/new meter:
"Your electricity meter needs to be replaced
We need to upgrade your meter"


We've already seen dodgy behaviour of energy suppliers in force fitting new meters.

There is nothing dodgy going on here. When Ofgem dropped the requirement for suppliers to read meters a few years ago, it insisted that suppliers put in place formal meter safety checks under HSE legislation.

All meters have a certified life and suppliers are required under The Gas and Electricity Acts to replace end-of-life meters to ensure accurate billing. The Government agreed in 2019 that, in such circumstances, suppliers could fit smart meters WITHOUT the consumer’s approval.

Of course meters never had "a certified life", they were never routinely changed, NEVER !!

Now they have decided they need changing because they want to fit Smart Meters.

So it is dodgy and being used as an excuse.

Incorrect.

Prove it !

Meters have always had a certification period. That you aren't aware of this doesn't make it 'dodgy and an excuse'.

Same for safety inspections of meters - since you've never seen if, of course it doesn't happen.

So there you should not be any really old meters in use, is that correct ?

Really old meters should have been routinely changed in the past, before smart meters, is that correct ?

Since I have seen meter readers in action over decades, I can judge for myself

See for yourself, a few meters have certification periods of 30-40 years, most shorter than that. You can even check your model: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1126202/schedule-4-december-2022.pdf

So there you should not be any really old meters in use, is that correct ?

Really old meters should have been routinely changed in the past, before smart meters, is that correct ?

1. Incorrect/depends what you mean by 'really old'.  Refurbished 'really old' electricity meters can have been recertified, so some from e.g. at least the 1970s (we've seen examples in this forum) are still in use.

2. Depends, many had their certification periods extended while in use.

Bit of Googled history for you (knowledgeable regulars, please correct where necessary): certification of electricity meters has been compulsory since 1899.  In reality, the date for all meters in use to be certified was extended until 1958.  https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1952/jun/12/electricity-supply-meters-bill

Certification periods expiring has been a concept in law since at least 1967 (see explanatory note in https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1975/56/pdfs/uksi_19750056_en.pdf )

Good stuff !

So we can say meters were not routinely changed.

peter999

ArbitraryRandom said:

peter999 said:

GingerTim said:

peter999 said:

GingerTim said:

peter999 said:

GingerTim said:

peter999 said:

Dolor said:

peter999 said:

Or Scottish Power finding excuses to fit Smart Meter !

I had same email few days ago from Scottish Power:
"It's time for your meter safety inspection
Your meter is due a visual safety inspection"

They say it will be "inspected" by Morrison Data Services who read the meters, so nothing technical, more like just an excuse
and a private company working on their behalf in their interests.


Few weeks ago I had 3 emails in a week out of blue from Scottish Power saying they need to fit Smart Meter/new meter:
"Your electricity meter needs to be replaced
We need to upgrade your meter"


We've already seen dodgy behaviour of energy suppliers in force fitting new meters.

There is nothing dodgy going on here. When Ofgem dropped the requirement for suppliers to read meters a few years ago, it insisted that suppliers put in place formal meter safety checks under HSE legislation.

All meters have a certified life and suppliers are required under The Gas and Electricity Acts to replace end-of-life meters to ensure accurate billing. The Government agreed in 2019 that, in such circumstances, suppliers could fit smart meters WITHOUT the consumer’s approval.

Of course meters never had "a certified life", they were never routinely changed, NEVER !!

Now they have decided they need changing because they want to fit Smart Meters.

So it is dodgy and being used as an excuse.

Incorrect.

Prove it !

Meters have always had a certification period. That you aren't aware of this doesn't make it 'dodgy and an excuse'.

Same for safety inspections of meters - since you've never seen if, of course it doesn't happen.

So there you should not be any really old meters in use, is that correct ?

Really old meters should have been routinely changed in the past, before smart meters, is that correct ?

Since I have seen meter readers in action over decades, I can judge for myself

See for yourself, a few meters have certification periods of 30-40 years, most shorter than that. You can even check your model: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1126202/schedule-4-december-2022.pdf

You conveniently don't answer the questions I asked ?

So there you should not be any really old meters in use, is that correct ?

Really old meters should have been routinely changed in the past, before smart meters, is that correct ?

Since I have seen meter readers in action over decades, I can judge that for myself

You are aware that 40 years is ≥ 'decades'?

So it would depend on what you mean by 'really old'... a meter installed in the 1980's might just now be reaching the end of its certification. 

We are talking about what happens in real world, not theoretical "certification periods".


My Electric & Gas meters have never been changed in nearly 30 years !

Meters at my parents house have never been changed in 50+ years !


I am sure if we all check we will find plenty of old or very old houses where meters have never been changed in many decades, could it be 50%, 60%, 70% or 80% in 50 to 100+ year old houses ?

SAC2334

peter999 said:

ArbitraryRandom said:

peter999 said:

GingerTim said:

peter999 said:

GingerTim said:

peter999 said:

GingerTim said:

peter999 said:

Dolor said:

peter999 said:

Or Scottish Power finding excuses to fit Smart Meter !

I had same email few days ago from Scottish Power:
"It's time for your meter safety inspection
Your meter is due a visual safety inspection"

They say it will be "inspected" by Morrison Data Services who read the meters, so nothing technical, more like just an excuse
and a private company working on their behalf in their interests.


Few weeks ago I had 3 emails in a week out of blue from Scottish Power saying they need to fit Smart Meter/new meter:
"Your electricity meter needs to be replaced
We need to upgrade your meter"


We've already seen dodgy behaviour of energy suppliers in force fitting new meters.

There is nothing dodgy going on here. When Ofgem dropped the requirement for suppliers to read meters a few years ago, it insisted that suppliers put in place formal meter safety checks under HSE legislation.

All meters have a certified life and suppliers are required under The Gas and Electricity Acts to replace end-of-life meters to ensure accurate billing. The Government agreed in 2019 that, in such circumstances, suppliers could fit smart meters WITHOUT the consumer’s approval.

Of course meters never had "a certified life", they were never routinely changed, NEVER !!

Now they have decided they need changing because they want to fit Smart Meters.

So it is dodgy and being used as an excuse.

Incorrect.

Prove it !

Meters have always had a certification period. That you aren't aware of this doesn't make it 'dodgy and an excuse'.

Same for safety inspections of meters - since you've never seen if, of course it doesn't happen.

So there you should not be any really old meters in use, is that correct ?

Really old meters should have been routinely changed in the past, before smart meters, is that correct ?

Since I have seen meter readers in action over decades, I can judge for myself

See for yourself, a few meters have certification periods of 30-40 years, most shorter than that. You can even check your model: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1126202/schedule-4-december-2022.pdf

You conveniently don't answer the questions I asked ?

So there you should not be any really old meters in use, is that correct ?

Really old meters should have been routinely changed in the past, before smart meters, is that correct ?

Since I have seen meter readers in action over decades, I can judge that for myself

You are aware that 40 years is ≥ 'decades'?

So it would depend on what you mean by 'really old'... a meter installed in the 1980's might just now be reaching the end of its certification. 

We are talking about what happens in real world, not theoretical "certification periods".


My Electric & Gas meters have never been changed in nearly 30 years !

Meters at my parents house have never been changed in 50+ years !


I am sure if we all check we will find plenty of old or very old houses where meters have never been changed in many decades, could it be 50%, 60%, 70% or 80% in 50 to 100+ year old houses ?

Maybe they re not answering the door or taking notice of letters to make an appointment..Your parents meters being from the 1970 s takes some believing..I must have looked at a 100 thousand meters since I started in 1998 and 1970 s meters should not be around now .It's time you took control of your parents two meters and arranged smart meter fittings....now ! 

mmmmikey

@peter999

These are all "my Grandad lived to the age of 93 and he smoked every day, which proves that smoking doesn't damage your health" type arguments. You need to look beyond your own experience to get the true picture.

Yes, there are still lots of houses which have old meters, but that's simply because record keeping and processes haven't been adequate enough to change them at the end of their certification period in the past.

If you want to get a better picture about smoking you can look online or ask your doctor. Similarly if you want to better understanding of why and when meters have been changed in the past you can research it online or better still ask the ex meter readers who contribute regularly to this forum about their experience.

SAC2334

peter999 said:

imeach said:

peter999 said:

imeach said:

peter999 said:

Or Scottish Power finding excuses to fit Smart Meter !

I had same email few days ago from Scottish Power:
"It's time for your meter safety inspection
Your meter is due a visual safety inspection"

They say it will be "inspected" by Morrison Data Services who read the meters, so nothing technical, more like just an excuse
and a private company working on their behalf in their interests.


Few weeks ago I had 3 emails in a week out of blue from Scottish Power saying they need to fit Smart Meter/new meter:
"Your electricity meter needs to be replaced
We need to upgrade your meter"


We've already seen dodgy behaviour of energy suppliers in force fitting new meters.

Meter readers from whatever company (and Morrison Data Services are the biggest) carry out a 'visual safety inspection'  every time, the reading is just to prove they have been and (stupidly I believe) isn't always used for billing.

Where have you got this from ?

I have never seen a meter reader (someone who reads a a meter) carry out a "visual safety inspection" or anything like it, NEVER !!

I have got this from what I do for a living.
So as someone else said, were all the meter readers you have seen over decades blind, as they must have visually seen the eter to take a reading??

They only took the reading, nothing else !

My Gas Meter is almost inaccessible behind shelf & near ceiling, you need to use mirror & torch to read it.

My Electric Meter is high up.

They didn't spend any time looking, checking anything else, NEVER !!

I ve been doing safety checks on meters for twenty years. Main thing I m looking for are tampered/fiddled meters and I know the signs in less than a couple of seconds especially on electric meters. Gas meter fiddle nowadays has got cleverer and I reserve my full check on those for business meters in takeaways where I like to check under the meter with a mirror and watch the 100 ths of a unit dial moving to check for jerky movement as the dial moves. Also minute hole in the index face can be hard to see if you don t know what you're looking for .2 or 3 secs is adequate check for most meters . I carry an extending mirror and strong torch to reach meters deliberately hidden behind appliances .

QrizB

peter999 said:

Meters at my parents house have never been changed in 50+ years !

A photo of these ancient meters would support your argument.