Electricity meter

PATRICIAMARY_2

My electricity supplier has been unable to install a smart meter (as was my old supplier) I was told to contact Western Power to see if they could help: they sent people to see what the problem was but did not hear back from them after they asked who the freeholder was. I live in a leasehold flat. I would like a smart meter fitting as it is difficult to read our meter because of where it is ( cupboard outside with no lighting and I’m elderly and not able to see the numbers) 
who should I be contacting to get this sorted out?

Gerry1

Get on the Priority Services Register and your supplier will send out a meter reader to do it for you.

Scot_39

Did they give a reason for being unable to install ?

Have you tried phoning your supplier again or going direct to DNO / Western Power again to enquire as to the status ?

Were WP contacting the freeholder just seeking permission - or were their complications / problems - like say space or another electrical problem ?

Emmia

PATRICIAMARY_2 said:

My electricity supplier has been unable to install a smart meter (as was my old supplier) I was told to contact Western Power to see if they could help: they sent people to see what the problem was but did not hear back from them after they asked who the freeholder was. I live in a leasehold flat. I would like a smart meter fitting as it is difficult to read our meter because of where it is ( cupboard outside with no lighting and I’m elderly and not able to see the numbers) 
who should I be contacting to get this sorted out?

Can you contact the freeholder to get the permission you might need or give their details to the supplier?

PATRICIAMARY_2

No clear reasons given by either supplier that sent engineers to change to a smart meter: no feedback from Western Power at all even though I have emailed more than once! Freeholder is impossible to deal with: always refers back to management agent (of which we have had several) they are even more uncommunicative than the supplier companies: the only time they get in touch is when they want money!! I’m in dispute over lack of maintenance and have been for over 8years!  They keep threatening me with court but when I tell them that I have all my paperwork ready for a defence they back off and go silent until 12months later when they come back for the annual payment!
I will try my current provider EON again, see if I can get anywhere - I was just wondering if there was anyone else who had resolved this kind of situation and how or who they had used for assistance.

Ildhund

A new meter will normally be mounted in the same place as the old one. The installing engineer may be able to wrangle an inch or two up, down or to the side, but no more. Any more than that might involve the DNO (National Grid ED, formerly Western Power Distribution), if the service head (the end of the incoming power cable) has to be moved to allow for, say, longer cables to the meter. E.On customer service should be able to find the engineer's report giving the reason why he couldn't exchange the meter and why he thought NG should be involved. Other reasons are that the existing main fuse or meter backboard needs replacing.

JC_Derby

PATRICIAMARY_2 said:

My electricity supplier has been unable to install a smart meter (as was my old supplier) I was told to contact Western Power to see if they could help: they sent people to see what the problem was but did not hear back from them after they asked who the freeholder was. I live in a leasehold flat. I would like a smart meter fitting as it is difficult to read our meter because of where it is ( cupboard outside with no lighting and I’m elderly and not able to see the numbers) 
who should I be contacting to get this sorted out?

Hi Patriciamary_2

Western Power are now National Grid Electricity distribution, NGED.

as you know it’s the supplier’s responsibility to replace a smart meter, I suspect there are a couple of reasons why they aren’t able to do it, mostly relating to the metering (and probably more importantly the meter tailset up) wherever the meters are installed. Most probably the metering operators will not have had the appropriate level of training to deal with an awkward situation or the authorisation/qualification to the carry out the works safely. The supplier then should notify national grid of the issues they have found on site, if those issues are with National grid equipment, and that maybe the crux of the meter here. Who owns which piece of equipment - for which there is a diagram I believe in the MOCOPA code. 

Now in my opinion the metering company or supplier should never be telling a customer to contact the Distribution network operator, as it seems to me that it would be the meter operator or suppliers job to do that.
on the other hand national grid should be telling you what the problem is that they are having imho. I don’t see at this point what difference it makes who is the lease holder or freeholder as National grid should always have 24hour unhindered access to their equipment.  

personally I would go back to National grid first to ask what is happening.

it could be possible to get national grid and your metering company to site at the same time which would likely resolve the issue, but suppliers are quite often difficult to tie down.

feel free to drop me a message, but I may not be able to respond immediately - I’d recommend going back to NGED first of all.

gm0

There are different reasons for failure.  Smart meter comms (sometimes).  And space to fit.  Being two common ones.

A failed smart meter install due to a lack of space.  Triggers a discussion on who has to pay to relocate the supply. Or to do other works to the customer's wiring to make room for a now larger meter.  What is sensible to move, or replace at life expiry if old - varies by site.

If something - decor, cupboards, the electrical consumer unit and tails which belong to the customer (OP as leaseholder in the above - most likely). In the way of the "comms unit" above the meter which is bigger than the "dumb" one being replaced.  So it won't fit.  And so the supply needs to move further way (to make room) or the thing in the way is moved or replaced with a smaller one - to make room.

I had exactly this (albeit with a freehold) and without the extra ManCo complications.

The options being:

1. Pay to move your things out of the way - customer wiring, tails, henley block etc. Your electrician. Your cost.  Complication can be if there is no isolator you need the electrician to break the seals and pull the distributor fuse.  I chose this route as I renewed the electrical infrastructure via the spend instead of dead money paid to the distributor to move the supply cable.

2. Pay the distributor to move the supply fuse (typically down - to make more room above).  This can sometimes cost £1000 for a quote to visit to move it a short distance.  As it is an elective change and they can do what they like with customer requested elective changes to existing supplies.  They also don't know until they visit if the cable condition suits moving or if the job is bigger than they think. So estimates are padded to allow in aggregate for some big/some small.  They are responsible for their kit on actual life expiry to replace it - but they don't have to move it for free.  And their view of life expiry is generous if left undisturbed.

3.  Wait and continue to hassle your supplier to get their agents to fit meter.  And wait for their mandate to fit them to pressure them into resolving these corner cases.  It is possible it will get sorted out inside the industry despite the behaviour of distributors in respect of new and changed supplies.  People do get stuff for free from distributors (left hand) while the right hand is still busy issuing elective works quotes in a different department.

PATRICIAMARY_2

Thanks for the info - I believe it may be a space issue as there are 3 meters close together in a row with 2 others above in a smallish cupboard outside our flat. One of the top meters is the communal electricity meter (belonging therefore to the freeholder!) the others belong to surrounding flats.  They are all extremely old and the wiring looks very suspect!  

I will try both my supplier and Western power again.

PATRICIAMARY_2

Sorry meant to say NGED not Western Power!

Ildhund

PATRICIAMARY_2 said:
They are all extremely old and the wiring looks very suspect!  

How old is extremely? The is usually a certification date specified on the meter itself, or there may be clues in the meter serial numbers or other text on the front of the meter. A clear photo showing one or more of the meters would help us find out. If a meter is 'too' old, it's the supplier's legal obligation to exchange it.   

There are ways of getting round the space problem, but suppliers are sometimes reluctant to exploit them. It sounds as if building management is going to have to get involved whether they like it or not.