Meter turning with no load

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2 Jan 2009
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Lanarkshire
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Noticed an oddity the other day in our new house. I flipped the main switch on the CU and the meter continued turning (very slowly). There's definitely nothing funny going on with the wiring - just regular tails from meter direct to CU.

It's also rather noisy - we can hear it turning from the next room.

Worth a call to the supplier? Are they likely to change the meter or just tell me it's normal?
 
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With the main switch OFF the meter should NOT be turning as there can be no current flowing. That is assuming there is only one main switch.

Reporting the meter as suspect to the supplier is a very good idea as you would be charged for the false readings on the meter. With the main switch OFF time how long it takes for the meter to make a complete turn ( assuming is the type with a large rotating disc ) and make a note of this. Then it is possible to calculate how large the false reading is and from that any bills can be adjusted accordingly.
 
With the main switch OFF the meter should NOT be turning as there can be no current flowing. That is assuming there is only one main switch.

Reporting the meter as suspect to the supplier is a very good idea as you would be charged for the false readings on the meter. With the main switch OFF time how long it takes for the meter to make a complete turn ( assuming is the type with a large rotating disc ) and make a note of this. Then it is possible to calculate how large the false reading is and from that any bills can be adjusted accordingly.
I haven't measured how long it takes to complete a full revolution, but I'd estimate it's measured in minutes rather than seconds.

The movement isn't constant though, as percussive maintenance seems to stop/start the movement sometimes (I accidentally bumped the meter while working).
 
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I haven't measured how long it takes to complete a full revolution, but I'd estimate it's measured in minutes rather than seconds.
In the meters with big rotating discs, they usually do 200-250 revolutions per kWh (it should give the figure somewhere). That is likely to translate into roughly 0.07 pence per revolution. That may not sound a lot but if it were happening continuously and if, say, it was rotating once every 5 minutes, that would equate to about £18 per quarter, aka £72 per year.

Kind Regards, John
 

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