My girlfriend lives in a 70's semi where the fusebox and meter are in the garage (part of the house, not detached). When the house was built, the builder put the fusebox high up on the garage wall next to the roof and the meter is just below it. To reach the fusebox you need a ladder and whilst the meter can be read by a tall person like me, my average-sized girlfriend needs a ladder to read it, as do any meter readers who come by.
Personally, I'd say the fusebox location breaches health and safety regulations (imagine stumbling around in the dark garage during a power interruption, say) and I can't understand why the original owners of the house back in the 70's didn't complain to the builders or Seeboard (they had presumably been responsible for the meter back then in those nationalised days) and get the items moved to accessible locations!
There is little or no slack on the leads going from the house ring circuits into the fusebox so relocating it is not a trivial task.
Anyway, my question is about getting the meter (and hopefully the fusebox) moved.
I accept that the fusebox location, dangerous though I think it is, is not the responsibility of the electricity supply company, though the meter tails (the leads to it) probably are. The meter location IS the responsibility of the supply company, I would have thought. However, EON (to whom my girlfriend pays the bills) refuse to move the meter. They say they'll ensure any meter reader who comes has his own ladder, but that's it.
Are we in a strong position to push EON (or is it UK Power Networks?) to get the meter moved or do we really have to live with the situation as it is? If we asked for a "Smart Meter" to be installed, that might give EON an incentive to do the work but would they just replace the meter at the same location?
Personally, I'd say the fusebox location breaches health and safety regulations (imagine stumbling around in the dark garage during a power interruption, say) and I can't understand why the original owners of the house back in the 70's didn't complain to the builders or Seeboard (they had presumably been responsible for the meter back then in those nationalised days) and get the items moved to accessible locations!
There is little or no slack on the leads going from the house ring circuits into the fusebox so relocating it is not a trivial task.
Anyway, my question is about getting the meter (and hopefully the fusebox) moved.
I accept that the fusebox location, dangerous though I think it is, is not the responsibility of the electricity supply company, though the meter tails (the leads to it) probably are. The meter location IS the responsibility of the supply company, I would have thought. However, EON (to whom my girlfriend pays the bills) refuse to move the meter. They say they'll ensure any meter reader who comes has his own ladder, but that's it.
Are we in a strong position to push EON (or is it UK Power Networks?) to get the meter moved or do we really have to live with the situation as it is? If we asked for a "Smart Meter" to be installed, that might give EON an incentive to do the work but would they just replace the meter at the same location?