Smart Meter too big

Benno28

Just had Octopus engineer out to change us over to smart meters.  I have an EV and calculate that by moving to Octopus' ev tariff I can save £150 per month.
He wasn't here long before telling me it wasn't possible to do as there is no space.

What are my options now?  What is the liklihood of Octopus moving me to that tariff anyway?

MultiFuelBurner

They can't move you to a time of use smart meter tariff without a smart meter so it won't happen.

Swipe

You just need a bigger board installing or that one extending. Get a few quotes.

born_again

Anyway they can install a meter box outside?

Is that set up in a cellar?

dunstonh

What are my options now?  What is the liklihood of Octopus moving me to that tariff anyway?

Zero.  It needs a smart meter to work.

You just need a bit of personal electrical work carried out.  We had to get our electricians to do some adjustments when we got our charging point installed, which included a changeover to smart meter.  In our case, the meter was ok but we needed extra space for the isolation switch and the amp change (from 60 to 100).

It was all pretty straight forward with our electrician doing their bit first.   Then EDF got their contractor out to change the meter tails, meter and put in the isolation switch.   Then UK Power Networks came in and did the amp.

I can't see an isolation switch on your photo so it may not just be be the smart meter that is short of space.

So, contact your electrician and tell them you need more space on your meter board and they will quote for that.  Its worth going a bit bigger than you need if you have the space.   I can see from ours that generations of additional boards etc have seen it expand multiple times..

Benno28

born_again said:

Anyway they can install a meter box outside?

Is that set up in a cellar?

Yes it's in a cellar with access just 6 feet away to outside.

Ectophile

Swipe said:

You just need a bigger board installing or that one extending. Get a few quotes.

The tails from the supply cutout come in through a hole drilled in the board, so I don't think the meter can go any lower.  I think it would require a chunk of the ceiling to be removed to fit a taller meter in.

Or the whole thing would need rearranging.

Benno28

Ectophile said:

Swipe said:

You just need a bigger board installing or that one extending. Get a few quotes.

The tails from the supply cutout come in through a hole drilled in the board, so I don't think the meter can go any lower.  I think it would require a chunk of the ceiling to be removed to fit a taller meter in.

Or the whole thing would need rearranging.

The contractor said there was an issue with the tails too which will make it more complex 

Swipe

Ectophile said:

Swipe said:

You just need a bigger board installing or that one extending. Get a few quotes.

The tails from the supply cutout come in through a hole drilled in the board, so I don't think the meter can go any lower.  I think it would require a chunk of the ceiling to be removed to fit a taller meter in.

Or the whole thing would need rearranging.

Explain your problem to your supplier and ask them to book an appointment with the DNO to extend the tails. You never know, when the DNO is on site, they may move the meter and blocks lower for you as part of the job when they see it.

Ectophile

Benno28 said:

Ectophile said:

Swipe said:

You just need a bigger board installing or that one extending. Get a few quotes.

The tails from the supply cutout come in through a hole drilled in the board, so I don't think the meter can go any lower.  I think it would require a chunk of the ceiling to be removed to fit a taller meter in.

Or the whole thing would need rearranging.

The contractor said there was an issue with the tails too which will make it more complex 

Looking at the photos, I suspect they may be 16mm², rather than the modern 25mm².  The tails going into the meter look thinner than the ones going out.

Other things DNOs don't like include cables run where they are vulnerable to accidental damage, or cables that are too long (over 3 metres).

doodling

Hi,

Where is the main fuse?

The meter issue can be solved by the tails from the main fuse entering somewhere at the edge of the board (preferably the bottom) rather than bang in the middle of where someone would put the meter.  Space would be tight but it would fit.

If the tails are more than 3m long from the fuse to your CUs via the meter then further work will need to be done - it is very unusual to have a significant distance between main fuse and meter which is implied by the photo - more info is needed to give full advice.