Meter Reading Change for our Freehold

[JohnW2]

Oh yes, Henleys were around.

But the meter fitter didn't have any space for them.

Fair enough - but, as I've said, I don't recall having seen them (or anything like them) in the pr-CU/DB days.

My recollection is that, back then, when there were usually multiple CI 'switch-fuse' rather than CUs/DFBs, the 'norm' was to have each of them fed directly from the meter, rather than having one set of tails for the meter which were then 'split'. Was that not the case?

 

[SUNRAY]

Fair enough - but, as I've said, I don't recall having seen them (or anything like them) in the pr-CU/DB days.

My recollection is that, back then, when there were usually multiple CI 'switch-fuse' rather than CUs/DFBs, the 'norm' was to have each of them fed directly from the meter, rather than having one set of tails for the meter which were then 'split'. Was that not the case?

Yes it was the norm.

And it is currently not rare for modern installations, however with the proliferation of 25mm² tails becoming the standard (even for 60A or smaller supplies) and more difficult to fit a second wire it is becoming rarer.

 

[ericmark]

But how does this change the question, smart meter or not? I was also asked by British Gas, and in the end realised I needed one to be paid for export, but other than that, the change has just meant I can no longer read the meter. I know how much I am using with the app, but down to nitty-gritty, the meter does not show anything without pressing buttons, and no instructions left as to what buttons to press. It should not be rocket science, it only has two buttons. But meter before did not have any, it showed a number, and you made a note, and took old number away from new number, and you knew how many kWh you had used.

So I have

so expect meter reading somewhere around 7857 at the moment. So looking at the meter

Which does not seem to line up with anything shown on my bill. But the bill says

So not really worried, although being charged VAT when it is a minus figure does seem a bit off. As far as I can make out, the meter reading is for export.

However, I would not want to authorise a smart meter which I can't read direct with a shared account.

 

[JohnW2]

Yes it was the norm. ...

As I said, that was certainly my recollection

... And it is currently not rare for modern installations ...

It presumably cannot be particularly common since (a) a high proportion of installations have only one thing (a CU) fed from the meter and (b) even when there is a second CU (or a second 'something') the two or more things would very commonly fed via tails that were 'split' in a Henley/whatever?

 

[JohnW2]

... the change has just meant I can no longer read the meter. I know how much I am using with the app, but down to nitty-gritty, the meter does not show anything without pressing buttons, and no instructions left as to what buttons to press. It should not be rocket science, it only has two buttons. ...

As you say, it's definitely not rocket science. If you haven't managed to work it out by 'trial and error' (which I would have thought would be pretty easy) the instructions (which tell you which buttons to press) must be pretty readily available.

Maybe what you need is the services of a 5-year-old - who could probably work out the buttons for you pretty quickly

 

[securespark]

As I said, that was certainly my recollection

It presumably cannot be particularly common since (a) a high proportion of installations have only one thing (a CU) fed from the meter and (b) even when there is a second CU (or a second 'something') the two or more things would very commonly fed via tails that were 'split' in a Henley/whatever?

I must have worked in an alternate universe because I have seen numerous installs over the decades with a "main" CU (4 or 6 way Wylex Standard) and 2 or more 1 way Wylex units, fed into the meter.

 

[JohnW2]

I must have worked in an alternate universe because I have seen numerous installs over the decades with a "main" CU (4 or 6 way Wylex Standard) and 2 or more 1 way Wylex units, fed into the meter.

Yes, I've seen that, too, but it's not really the 'pre-CU era' (i.e. 'post-switchfuse era'), because, although not cast iron, those 1-Way Wylex units were essentially just a manifestation of those previous CI switch-fuses, under a new name.

How often have you seen two or more 'multi-way' CUs each fed directly from the meter, and have you seen that at all in installations that have moved beyond the Wylex Standard era?

 

[securespark]

I'm not quite sure what you want from me, or what you are trying to prove.

I started in the industry in 1983 and in that time must have seen countless thousands of consumer unit arrangements.

Among these have been all sorts of Bill/ GEC/ Crown/ MEM style switchfuse type units and Wylex Standard units from 1956 onwards and the later 1980s and 1990s MCB boards of varying sizes, with tails also if varying thicknesses, both wired direct into the meter and via Henley blocks.

AFAIR, the Crown units were actually introduced after the Wylex Standard in the late 50s, circa 1959.

 

[JohnW2]

I'm not quite sure what you want from me, or what you are trying to prove.

I certainly don't "want anything from you" and nor am I trying to prove anything.

... I started in the industry in 1983 and in that time must have seen countless thousands of consumer unit arrangements....

... which obviously trumps me, since, as you know, I've never been 'in the industry' at all!

However, I've seen a fair bit over the years and decades and, as I've said, in the ancient days of CI switch-fuses (on which I was 'brought up'!), it was very common (probably 'the norm') for them to be connected separately and directly to the meter. However, I've also said that (obviously with my limited experience) I cannot recall, more recently, having seen two things that resemble 'modern CUs' separately/directly connected to the meter. I certainly have seen plenty of cases in which a small (usually 1-or 2-way) 'CU' has been added to supplement the 'main CU', but that has always, or nearly always, done by splitting the meter tails with Henleys/whatever, not by feeding them (as well as the main CU) directly from the meter.

So ... I've merely been reporting what I have, and have not, personally seen (in the context of my limited experience', rather than 'wanting something from you' or trying to prove anything

 

[SUNRAY]

I certainly don't "want anything from you" and nor am I trying to prove anything.

... which obviously trumps me, since, as you know, I've never been 'in the industry' at all!

However, I've seen a fair bit over the years and decades and, as I've said, in the ancient days of CI switch-fuses (on which I was 'brought up'!), it was very common (probably 'the norm') for them to be connected separately and directly to the meter. However, I've also said that (obviously with my limited experience) I cannot recall, more recently, having seen two things that resemble 'modern CUs' separately/directly connected to the meter. I certainly have seen plenty of cases in which a small (usually 1-or 2-way) 'CU' has been added to supplement the 'main CU', but that has always, or nearly always, done by splitting the meter tails with Henleys/whatever, not by feeding them (as well as the main CU) directly from the meter.

So ... I've merely been reporting what I have, and have not, personally seen (in the context of my limited experience', rather than 'wanting something from you' or trying to prove anything

I'm of the same opinion and similar experience as secure and I'm tempted to go back and count the number of times you have made you 'never seen it' type statement and asked the 'does it still happen' question... but it's not worth it.

The simple fact of the matter is it's significantly less common than it used to be but still very much still alive, it's one of those things that is common enough that it would not occur to me to mention it nor take a picture.

However a thought had just crossed my mind that a friends (Fred) naughty landlord had been stealing Freds electwiccy so I checked the pics but sadly he had added extra tails to the VOELCB incoming terminals

 

[ericmark]

Maybe what you need is the services of a 5-year-old - who could probably work out the buttons for you pretty quickly

May be, I will go down and push the two buttons, and never seem to get the same results twice.

To be frank, not that worried, the app tells me what I need to know, and I have the solar software which seems to confirm the readings are correct.

But, why fit a hard-to-read meter if you don't need to?