Smart meter installation aborted by engineer

Karinet

Ildhund said:

This is a sorry situation. However, it's not certain that the backboard contains asbestos, and that won't be apparent until someone has taken a sample and had it tested, although an SSEN compliance technician was recently quoted as saying that whoever called him in should have been able to tell the difference between an Asbestolux backboard and a Supalux one. It's possible that the local ratcatcher (i.e. a council Environmental Health Officer) could advise if you or the freeholder were to ask nicely. 

It's only if it turns out that the backboard does indeed contain asbestos that it begins to get both complicated and potentially costly. It's possible that your supplier has meter engineers specially trained, certified and equipped to handle asbestos, in which case the whole process would be much simpler. You would have to do battle with the freeholder to determine who should pay the £30 for a new backboard and fixings and have it ready for the engineer to mount once the old one has been dismantled. Meter engineers have authority to pull the main fuse - they just have to tell the DNO what they're doing. It's not guaranteed that the supplier would do all this free of charge, so ask if they can and what it would cost if anything.


 

Hello,

Thanks for your input.

I will have to have the board tested for sure, as I have no choice now.

I just hope that the test will come back negative, as it will make things much simpler for everyone.

Karine

HampshireH

Karinet said:

Ildhund said:

This is a sorry situation. However, it's not certain that the backboard contains asbestos, and that won't be apparent until someone has taken a sample and had it tested, although an SSEN compliance technician was recently quoted as saying that whoever called him in should have been able to tell the difference between an Asbestolux backboard and a Supalux one. It's possible that the local ratcatcher (i.e. a council Environmental Health Officer) could advise if you or the freeholder were to ask nicely. 

It's only if it turns out that the backboard does indeed contain asbestos that it begins to get both complicated and potentially costly. It's possible that your supplier has meter engineers specially trained, certified and equipped to handle asbestos, in which case the whole process would be much simpler. You would have to do battle with the freeholder to determine who should pay the £30 for a new backboard and fixings and have it ready for the engineer to mount once the old one has been dismantled. Meter engineers have authority to pull the main fuse - they just have to tell the DNO what they're doing. It's not guaranteed that the supplier would do all this free of charge, so ask if they can and what it would cost if anything.


 

Hello,

Thanks for your input.

I will have to have the board tested for sure, as I have no choice now.

I just hope that the test will come back negative, as it will make things much simpler for everyone.

Karine

I would recommend asking your freeholder if they have an asbestos survey for communal areas if that's where your meter is. If accessible and in a communal area this board may have been tested as part of a survey 

Your freeholder should hold a communal asbestos survey because they have a legal duty to manage asbestos in a communal area.

Karinet

Hello everyone,

Thanks for your replies.

Now I am even more surprised as, this morning, I have found out that two other neighbours have had a smart meter fitted about a year ago.  What's going on?  They've got exactly the same backboard as mine and everyone else in the building.

So some have had their smart meters fitted while others haven't.  Although, most of us are with EDF, one neighbour is with Octopus.  I really don't understand why we are not all treated the same way. So far I am aware that four of us have been refused a smart meter installation because our backboard potentially contains asbestos.

I am lost for words on this one.

Can anyone shed some light?  I have tried to explain this to EDF but they are unwilling to give me any information.

Thanks

Karine

Ildhund

Karinet said:

... two other neighbours have had a smart meter fitted about a year ago.  ... They've got exactly the same backboard as mine and everyone else in the building ... 
So far I am aware that four of us have been refused a smart meter installation because our backboard potentially contains asbestos.
I really don't understand why we are not all treated the same way. 

Not all meter engineers are equal. There must be some reason why four suspected the presence of asbestos while two others didn't. Perhaps the two could tell, or perhaps they just didn't care. The four obviously did care and weren't prepared to take the risk - not only to themselves but also to anyone nearby, like you. Asbestos is really nasty stuff: Exposure to asbestos is the greatest cause of work-related deaths in Great Britain. 

You haven't told us of the result of the survey you were going to have done, or whether the freeholder has had a survey done as @HampshireH suggested. 

Karinet

Hello,

If you were in my position you would probably wonder why your neighbours were able to have a smart meter fitted  and not you.  I'm now wondering if these meters were installed despite the fact that it was dangerous to do so but this will be confirmed if my backboard survey comes back positive. 

However, I am still very disappointed because I'm doing all the running around in order to have a new meter fitted before the deadline of 30th June, when they switch off the RTS and, obviously, until the survey is done we don't know if there is asbestos or not. The survey will be done on 11th April.

Our management is a self-managed organisation and there are no external agent. If there is asbestos in the backboard, I will have to have it changed and get the person who's responsible for making payments to refund me the money.  That's how we operate where I live.  We carry out work that needs to be done but we are not that formal.  Someone may say it's the responsibility of the management/freeholder but these electric meters belong to the energy suppliers and only the energy supplier's engineers can remove the metering equipment before the backboard can be removed and replaced by an asbestos specialist that the energy supplier use or an external one that can be appointed either by the management or leaseholder, at the same time the metering equipment is removed from the board and the management or leaseholder gets charged.  Because the energy supplier needs to be involved.  It's not a matter of the management getting its own electrician and tamper with the energy supplier's equipment.  This is not like removing asbestos pannels with nothing on it, where the management can easily appoint an asbestos removal contractor to do the work.

With electric meters, although they are located in the communal area and not inside the flats, there is a personal element to them because they are for personal use.  The leaseholders who face the same problem as me may also have to arrange a survey, as their energy supplier may insist on one, whether there is asbestos in my  backboard or not.  But, obviously, I can't speak for them.

Thanks

Karine

QrizB

Karinet said:

Our management is a self-managed organisation and there are no external agent. If there is asbestos in the backboard, I will have to have it changed and get the person who's responsible for making payments to refund me the money.  That's how we operate where I live. 

Have you spoken with the other leaseholders who have suspected asbestos back boards? You might be able to get all of them examined for less cost per person than if you all do them individually?

Lorian

£35 and about a week to test it.make sure you mention meter board on the test location.

Karinet

I have checked with a few other leaseholders.  Those who already have a smart meter don't need to have their backboards tested.  The trouble is, most leaseholders don't live on the premises.  In total there are only four owner-occupiers out of the twelve leaseholders.  You can't even get hold of them because they haven't provided any contact details.  Although, it would probably be cheaper to have all 12 boards tested, I cannot organise this for those who doesn't live on the premises and are not interested in anyway. They are only interested in collecting the rent from their tenants. I am only going to have my tested and I will report back to the two leaseholders only who have always shown some interest in maintaining the communal area.  If there is asbestos in my board, there is no point in having the other boards tested.  In this case I will make some arrangements to have all three boards replaced, unless we each need to have our boards replaced individually, via our own energy supplier.

Ildhund

You're in an unenviable situation, and I'm afraid there's not much to be done about it. Once you have the results of your survey (which I think just involves taking a small sample from the board and taking it away for microscopic examination*), you'll be better placed to decide on how to move forward. You can hope that your electricity supplier has meter engineers trained and certified to do the work.

I'd just add that if some of the properties are rented out, it's usually the tenant who's responsible for the electricity supply. So: the meter is the responsibility of the tenant's electricity supplier, while the backboard it sits on is the responsibility of the 'property owner'. It's apparently still not certain whether the 'owner' in this case is the leaseholder or the freeholder (because the meter is in a communal area outside the property), and that's something that you leaseholders will have to agree between yourselves if the freehold is held by you all collectively. Not every buy-to-let owner and new tenant is aware of the need for the tenant to open his own account with the supplier on moving in. At least you're spared the nightmare of having to involve the electricity distributor as well.

I'm glad I'm not a lawyer ...

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*   This is why it takes a microscope:
  

Photo adapted from a Personal Injury Lawyer’s awareness newsletter.
I trust he won't object to my using it to boost awareness of the problem. 

ChirpyChicken

When is your test booked for..