Meter Reading Change for our Freehold

[Jeremy2014]

British Gas has called us and emailed us to request a change from the existing old electric meter for our communal hallway. (Landlord supply for a block of 4 flats)
The old one is still working. Our consumption is pretty low - 193.2 kWh for an annual cost of £239.94 (this is only for the communal hallway and outside light)
My take is not to change if it's not broken.
Any reason to change it?

 

[davelx]

The Electricity Act 1898 required that meters are certified for a finite lifetime and in domestic premises must be replaced when that time has expired. Induction meters like your are generally certified for 10 years, after which they must be replaced. It may appear to be working OK, but it's the accuracy that suffers as it ages so you can't tell just by looking at it. Yours look quite old.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/electricity-meter-certification

 

[JohnW2]

The Electricity Act 1898 required that meters are certified for a finite lifetime and in domestic premises must be replaced when that time has expired. Induction meters like your are generally certified for 10 years, after which they must be replaced. It may appear to be working OK, but it's the accuracy that suffers as it ages so you can't tell just by looking at it.

Quite so.

Yours look quite old.

It does. Does this perhaps relate to a 1992 calibration (or possibly replacement) date? ....

An obvious questiion is why would the OP have a problemwith the meter being replaced?

 

[ericmark]

Your lucky they are going to change it. I had solar panels fitted, and could not be paid for export until smart meter is fitted, took three months and three attempts before it was changed.

 

[JohnW2]

Your lucky they are going to change it. I had solar panels fitted, and could not be paid for export until smart meter is fitted, took three months and three attempts before it was changed.

I fear that you did things in the wrong order.

If you were going to need a smart meter in order to be paid for export, you really should have ascertained that, and got the smart meter fitted, before you made a large 'investment' in your PV installaton and batteries etc. (particularly given that the effect of that'investment' could quite possibly be that you will remain 'worse off' {than you would have bee without the 'investment'} for the entire remainder of your life).

 

[ericmark]

I fitted solar panels just at the point when billing agents changed their rules, I had an export meter fitted, but by time I came to register they were no longer accepted.

I also made a mistake, the installers said they would do all the work to get us set up with Scottish Power, but my wife has noted British Gas gave better rates, so decided she would do it all and use British Gas, in hindsight an error, so between delay getting smart meter, and being tied with British Gas for a year, it was 20 months before we got any payment for export, then moved to Octopus and within 2 weeks was being paid for export, British Gas had given us incorrect information telling us we had filled in forms in wrong format, it was their forms, the real reason was we needed a second MPAN number you have one for import and one for export even if using the same meter.

Again hindsight, since you do not need to export to same provider as one imports from, clearly would need two MPAN numbers.

The delay in getting smart meter was part down to the meter board having other stuff on it, and so not enough room for the smart meter.

Looking at this I would not be supprised if they have the same problem here. They left me with the boxes the meters came in, to show the solar installers how much room is required, so the solar consumer unit has no lid on it, as tucked into corner of meter and CU box and would not be able to open lid, it would foul on the doors of the cupboard.

At least now I do not have meter readers call, and have to escort them into flat under main house where the meter is, which in winter down some slippery steps, was not really a good idea.

However now to read meter, I need to press buttons, it seems I want Rate 01 ImP, Rate 02 Imp and also a third for Export, but no amount of pressing buttons ever seems to display all, I have to rely on the Phone App to know how much I am using.

Since the solar software also tells me, at least I know it is not too far out, the two are never spot on the same, but near enough to know they are some where near correct.

But with a communal meter, all need to be able to read it, having unwanted info displayed like this is not helpful when all you want is kWh used. Wonder if they would issue 4 IHD (in home display units) one for each flat? And also 4 or more apps active so all can see what is being used on their phones?

 

[JohnW2]

At least now I do not have meter readers call, and have to escort them into flat under main house where the meter is, which in winter down some slippery steps, was not really a good idea.

Even with 'dumb' meters, I've hardly ever seen a meter reader at my current house- just a tiny handful of times in about 40 years.

But with a communal meter, all need to be able to read it, having unwanted info displayed like this .... is not helpful when all you want is kWh used. Wonder if they would issue 4 IHD (in home display units) one for each flat? And also 4 or more apps active so all can see what is being used on their phones?

Does such a thing as a 'multi-user' ('communal') 'smart' meter actually exist? That would have to have multiple 'outputs', and I've personally never seen such an animal!

 

[SUNRAY]

Even with 'dumb' meters, I've hardly ever seen a meter reader at my current house- just a tiny handful of times in about 40 years.

Does such a thing as a 'multi-user' ('communal') 'smart' meter actually exist? That would have to have multiple 'outputs', and I've personally never seen such an animal!

I can think of one straight away but only 3 outlets.

 

[JohnW2]

I can think of one straight away but only 3 outlets.

a '3-outlet' single-phase 'smart' meter? - i.e. one with at least 6 terminals (L&N in, one N and 3 Ls out, or maybe 8 terminals (L&N in, L&N x 3 out)

 

[Jeremy2014]

An obvious questiion is why would the OP have a problemwith the meter being replaced?

I had a friend who was in a similar setting to mine - a block of 4 flats - with a share of the freehold. When BG changed the meter to a smart meter, the fire alarm was disconnected, and BG was adamant it was not their responsibility. So if something were to go wrong, the least I want is to have to chase BG to fix it.

Understand that the meter could be providing a wrong reading, but a quick AI search is showing this information on the snip. We have been trending below 200 kWh for year, so happy to take a gamble if we were to consume more than we do as anyway, standing charge is more pricy than consumption.

Thanks to everyone's feedback - very much appreciated.

 

[Rodders53]

You have little to no choice:

You don't own the meter. Supply Co do. Out of certification meter needs replaced. THEIR choice to do it. Ofgem want them to replace with Smart.

Just let them in to do it.

Changing meter is just moving the existing 4 wires in the bottom of existing to a new meter. Probably more than enough space. No more estimated bills and no need to send in readings from it. (Some meter installers may want to fit a DP isolator between meter and consumer unit but that is a 'nice to have' rather than compulsory as far as I can tell.)

Who is Freeholder? Who is managing the Freeholder maintenance and electric meter payments? It's their problem... and if equal shares of Freehold by the 4 Leaseholders --- put it to a vote.

 

[Stuart981]

I believe the certification period for the S200-16 has been recently increased to 40 years by the products and safety standard office - so 2032 for your meter.

 

[JohnW2]

I had a friend who was in a similar setting to mine - a block of 4 flats - with a share of the freehold. When BG changed the meter to a smart meter, the fire alarm was disconnected, and BG was adamant it was not their responsibility. So if something were to go wrong, the least I want is to have to chase BG to fix it.

OK, but that happened to your friend because BG, or someone working for them, interfered with something which they should not even have touched (and theoretically 'was not allowed to touch') - so not really anything to do with a meter replacement - you would have the same problem if BG (or whoever) broke a window or whatever whilst replacing a meter- and such events are extremely unlikely to happen in the future.

Understand that the meter could be providing a wrong reading, but a quick AI search is showing this information on the snip. We have been trending below 200 kWh for year, so happy to take a gamble if we were to consume more than we do as anyway, standing charge is more pricy than consumption.

Sure, in your case a malfunctioning meter would not be much of an issue (although you would still have to 'chase BG' to get it {and your billing} sorted out). However, IF the present meter is past its certified 'calibration expiry' date (which it now seems may be in doubt), then it's past its certified 'calibration expiry date, so the supplier is under an obligation to replace it (not necessarily with a 'smart' meter), as required by Ofgem.

Do you also believe that it would be OK to carry on using, say, a smoke alarm beyond its expiry date?

 

[SUNRAY]

... When BG changed the meter to a smart meter, the fire alarm was disconnected, and BG was adamant it was not their responsibility. So if something were to go wrong, the least I want is to have to chase BG to fix it.

...

And not the only one I've heard of.
Current rules seem to be that only one wire may be terminated in each port and the meter fitter will then have to chose which to reconnect, but they should negotiate with the customer which it should be.
If no customer is present (frequent situation with outside meter boxes) then they try to estimate which includes the lighting.

Yes now we're going to get all the blah blah about the obligatory testing etc... One of my neighbours thought they had a power cut and no other signs of a meter change but the paper work showed tested at kitchen socket nearest door.

 

[JohnW2]

And not the only one I've heard of. ... Current rules seem to be that only one wire may be terminated in each port and the meter ...

That sounds very reasonable, doesn't it? I must say that I can't recall every having seen otherwise.

... fitter will then have to chose which to reconnect, but they should negotiate with the customer which it should be. .... If no customer is present (frequent situation with outside meter boxes) then they try to estimate which includes the lighting.

As above, I don't really see why that situation should arise. In particular, in terms f the OP's friend, it would seem particularly odd that a fire-alarm should be fed directly from the meter (if t was) - not the least because there would have to be some OPD somewhere!