Electricity Supply Companys Engineers - Salarys

[flyingsparks]

I was wondering if any one knew what salary the supply companies would pay their linesmen or meter fitters? I am an electrician and am considering doing meter fitting, as far as i know you get your set jobs for the day, and off you go to do them, when you finish, your finished for the day! Sounds like a nice job to me, especially if they pay well!

Hopefully someone can help me with this question! Cheers Chris

 

[JohnD]

I know a chap who moved into meter fitting at what used to be the REC; recently, the company got a chart of job times and travel times; which he tells me was not in fact achievable if you do a proper job and left no time for tea breaks, sitting in the van reading the paper (this was doubtless the objective), eventually he gave up trying and took early retirement, as did his immediate manager and several colleagues. the company then outsourced the meter fitting to one of the specialist sub-contractors. the meter fitting is not now done by real electricians with a wide knowledge and training. They just do meters all day every day. Occasionally there is a risk of getting beaten up when you are asked to cut off a non-payer, or fit a pre-payment meter with a big overdue account to collect.

Doesn't sound like an easy job to me.

 

[Lectrician]

I gather the pay is not as great as you may first think.

My boss previously worked for a DNO, and the pay was crap (apparently). The best bet was being on call and sitting in the thunder and rain as you can't climb poles or work in open trenches during thunder/lightning. They have to wait for x minutes from the last flash.....

Another goot one was the feeder pillars used on estates in the 70's/80's - Rather than joint underground, the main feeder cables looped through pillars, and the house service cables jointed inside on vertical busbars. These where hit regularly by cars etc, and required repairing. The engineers would always book out from the yard a new pillar, and enough cold pour joints to let them sort the job. They often didn't need all the joints. They also used to leave PLENTY of slack in the ground if they did joint a cable.........meaning the month the pillar needed repairing no joints where required.......but plenty booked. Shame they didn't have Ebay back then!

 

[Steve]

Do people still get cut off by the electric co?

How is this achieved?

Job's easy if the meter's outside

 

[davy_owen_88]

I would think they just pull the fuse and reseal.

 

[nozspark]

Don't think they can now days (human rights) although they can gain forced entry to replace meters with pre payment types

 

[Steve]

Don't think they can now days (human rights) although they can gain forced entry to replace meters with pre payment types

I was thinking along those lines. 'lectric is no longer a privilege! I guess they up the tarrif on the meter Robbin gets.

 

[davy_owen_88]

Don't think they can now days (human rights) although they can gain forced entry to replace meters with pre payment types

I know this is in New Zealand so isn't really relevant but meh...

Read me

 

[RF Lighting]

I've seen a few supplies which have been cut off.

They usually remove the fuse, and reseal the cutout with a big scary notice on the front

 

[efiste2]

Working for the local REC, now termed DNO, used to be a job for life, but now as most of them are being swept up by overseas firms, it is not the case, also most DNO are split in many fragments and work very independently, As an employee of a DNO, i would say the best job to go for is that of a field engineer on standby to rectify faults, good money and a good variety of tasks. as long as you know your stuff. as with all jobs experience is like gold dust in this industry. as for meter fitting that too is fragmented into many companies, and most of them are on performance related pay, ie the more meters you fit the more money you get, but be prepared to travel and work alone. and if you work in some areas, be prepared for bother i work with an ex DEBT CONTROL (cut off) chap, he can tell some horror stories,

 

[JohnD]

Working for the local REC, now termed DNO, used to be a job for life, but now as most of them are being swept up by overseas firms, it is not the case,

True

 

[efiste2]

a spanish company has recently bought out my company, and even though it was frgamented before, i imagine we are going to see even more changes very shortly, during the paste 5 years i have worked for around 5 different "names" all within one company,MAINS, POWER SYSTEMS, NETWORK SERCVICES, ENERGY NETWORKS ...............same job different name and less benefits we are loosing our old perks left right and centre, every year they try to remove another one, they are starting to see thier backsides a little now though, as all the skilled experience staff have left. leaving them with trainee graduates and dilutees to coin a phrase in our industry, who really havnt got the experience of operating a network, and cock ups are becoming all to frequent, and until you have seen a few HV blow ups you dont really appreciate how much damage good fault or mistake can do, hopefully none human, you really have to watch your back these days,

 

[plugwash]

i'd imagine the last resort means of disconnection (for people who they think would just ignore that warning notice and put a new fuse in and/or bypass the meter if it was replaced with a pre-payment type) is to cut and pot end the cable underground.

 

[Lectrician]

Cables are cut and pot ended outside or the live dropped from the pole on properties taken over by squatters on a regular basis.

They are renown for opening the cutout and sticking what ever they can into it.

 

[Deleted member 54734]

a spanish company has recently bought out my company,

You must work for the same company as me then efiste2