Smart Meter Courses

[focus2]

I am going to be made reundant shortly, I am interested in smart meter courses , are there any pre qualifications required to do this type of course, I am considering using a company called OLCI.
Any one else used them?

 

[Inky Pete]

Since the exact specifications of what the new smart meters are going to do and how have still yet to be finalised then I don't see how anyone can yet be providing proper and in depth training courses on them.

 

[Alarm]

Anything like the old meter swapping courses from what I have seen is they give you a volt pen/stick a 5 day course and expect 10 a day to be swapped out.

Last bloke at a clients house condemned the meter as being "live" on 3 occasions. He insisted the earthing was incorrect. We met him on site and asked him to test.
He used a volt stick from nylon trousers, it lit up when he touched it. That was his test, bless.

Low pay, dirty cramped conditions in most cases.

Just an observation from what I have seen.

 

[focus2]

Not quite sure as to your comment as British Gas are already installing smart meter systems for gas and electric meters in my area.[/img]

 

[streetlighter]

Meter fitters usually recruited by an agency keep an eye on the job centre website. They put you on a weeks training course about how to change meters and basic electricity no previous experience needed. As said above the pay isn't all that good and they want 10 a day minimum.

 

[focus2]

Also I am colour blind, but can distinguish red green blues yellows:

 

[Alarm]

Also I am colour blind, but can distinguish red green blues yellows:

I think you will find they will not take the risk.
What would you do with an sleeved Grey?

 

[Roo]

As Inky Pete has already said.
There has yet to be a standard as to what a smart meter is.
Some companies have fitted what they call a smart meter but this may not be what the industry decides is a smart meter and they may all have to be replaced.

G4S seem to be a big player maybe have a look at their website.

I know nothing about being colour blind so can't comment on that, but can say that most companies now use L and N tape to distinguish between live and neutral.
I personally don't trust any coloured cable without testing it anyway, so can't see a problem meter tail wise.

 

[Alarm]

HSE have said before you cannot work with this.
However they also publish this document http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/web03.pdf
So it may be possible, the other issue is company policy. What is their attitude on it. And this may well depend on past experiences.
If this is what you really want to do then go for it all guns ablaze, tell them of your condition and let them test you.
If you do pass ( Good luck) always always check and test, then do it again.
5 mins here and there won`t kill you, but not taking that little extra might.

As before good luck.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Since the exact specifications of what the new smart meters are going to do and how have still yet to be finalised then I don't see how anyone can yet be providing proper and in depth training courses on them.

Do any of the things that they can or might do affect the installing of them?

 

[flameport]

Also I am colour blind, but can distinguish red green blues yellows:

Can't see how that would matter in the slightest.

All the domestic meters I have seen changed have the numbers 1-4 written on the wires, the procedure seems to be write the numbers on first, remove old meter,then connect wires to new meter in the same order as before.

Some have printed labels instead of pen, a few have brown and blue plastic rings, with 1 ring on the incoming wires and 2 on the outgoing.
Obviously some meters have more than 4 wires, but the principle is the same.

 

[Inky Pete]

Since the exact specifications of what the new smart meters are going to do and how have still yet to be finalised then I don't see how anyone can yet be providing proper and in depth training courses on them.

Do any of the things that they can or might do affect the installing of them?

Impossible to say until they decide, isn't it?

Plus the OLCI website says that their course teaches how to "Maintain and repair electric and gas smart meters." Don't see how it can when no-one knows what a smart meter will actually look like or how it will work.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Ah, OK - I hadn't realised that there was a "maintain and repair" aspect.

But even when they are fully instrumented and controlling appliances for load shedding purposes, or facilitating a dialogue between appliances and supplier over the price of electricity I can't see how any "maintain and repair" actions will be anything other than swapping an FRU in response to a diagnostic code shown on the meter or on a laptop the guy has plugged into a port.

And the procedures for that sort of task will always be device specific and changing all the time anyway.

 

[Roo]

Apparently Key meters are a type of smart meter as they send data back to the supplier when the key is topped up at the shop.

The different things they are looking at as to class it as a smart meter include.
Taking payment remotely (ie swiping a credit card down the side of it)
The supplier being able to read it remotely.
The supplier being able to change the tariff and meter settings remotely.
The meter/equipment having the ability to turn on/off different appliances while away from home by means of a smart phone app/computer.
The meter being able to monitor and display energy usage from different appliances (similar to an energy monitor).


As for repair and maintenance I would put money on it would be the same as maintaining and repairing any meter.

If it shows an error code or it is not working for any reason, put a new one in!

There's not much you can maintain on meters these days as they are a molded unit with no way to open them.