Gas Fitters, Quick Question re Leak

[Matt_85]

Evening

Question for any qualified gas fitters.

We moved into a new build in January 2020.

Been having fun and games with a disputed bill and EON (Wouldnt get back to us, couldnt setup an account, now want full payment) and part of that has some meter issues.

The bill we have has a meter serial number that doesnt match my actual gas meter serial number (Its out by 1) which is one error from them. They asked me to take a photo of the meter.

I went to do so (Only the second time in 10 month ive checked) and since it wasnt windy, I got a whiff of gas.

Called Northern Gas Networks who sent out an engineer who quickly confirmed Ive had a 3.4 LEL gas escape on the meter outlet connection as no seal/washer had been placed in the connector.

Two questions

Can the volume of gas lost to this leak be calcuated (I found out how to convert LEL to PPM but cant see how I would get that into m3/time)

Do smart meters fitted to new builds come with warranties ? & since EON are both my current (unwanted) supplier and fitter of the meter, do they have a duty of care in the fitment of the meter.

Thanks

 

[Madrab]

Whoever fitted the meter has responsibility, with gas it's the 'last man standing' scenario, whoever employs them would be duty bound, would be my view.
That being said, surprised no one has come across the leak by now (during any gas outlets/boiler install, build sign off, etc), especially if there was a seal missing.

 

[Matt_85]

I would love to agree

But as I snagged 172 faults in this property (They given a NHBC survey which asked have I had 0, 0-3, 4-6, 6-9, or 10+ faults lol) this wouldnt suprise me in the slightest. On move in we had three showers & a bath all without hot water. An incorrect amount of zone valves/thermostats compared to what we agreed at purchase and numerous leaks.

My only shock with this is its not one of the usual cowboy-esq contractors they have but what must be a CORGI approved fitter supplied by EON.

Had this been indoors, I would have likely picked it up quickly. But being outdoor, not near any frequently used door on the house & in a box of its own...

 

[muggles]

CORGI went out the window 11 years ago. It's Gas Safe now. Unlikely you could calculate the amount of gas lost unfortunately. If you had readings from before the meter was fitted, then you could compare with readings afterwards, but presumably that's not an option. The only other way would have been to turn off all gas appliances and take two meter readings a couple of hours apart to see what was lost, then extrapolate from that. Bit late now it's been fixed though unfortunately. Your smart meter doesn't have a warranty per se, as it's not owned by you so it's not your responsibility if it goes wrong. The installers do have a duty of care to install correctly, but meter monkeys are let loose with only the most basic of gas qualifications and are expected to complete up to 8 jobs in their 8 hour day, so you can't expect miracles.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Whoever fitted the meter has responsibility, with gas it's the 'last man standing' scenario, whoever employs them would be duty bound, would be my view.
That being said, surprised no one has come across the leak by now (during any gas outlets/boiler install, build sign off, etc), especially if there was a seal missing.

The OP has not indicated whether the leak was on the input or output of the meter.

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

The OP has not indicated whether the leak was on the input or output of the meter.

OP did state the outlet in fairness.

Evening

Called Northern Gas Networks who sent out an engineer who quickly confirmed Ive had a 3.4 LEL gas escape on the meter outlet connection as no seal/washer had been placed in the connector.

 

[Matt_85]

Yea it was on the output joint out of the meter.

I suspect EON will end up offering a lump sum as compensation as they wont be able to calculate how much was lost due to the leak.

It will be interesting if they try to offer nothing and suggest I pay for 100% of the usage when a percentage of that is a loss caused by their error during installation. I would imagine that wont stand up in a small claims court

 

[muggles]

The trouble is, neither will you. I'd be surprised if you won anything more than your court costs

 

[Madrab]

The OP has not indicated whether the leak was on the input or output of the meter.

on the meter outlet connection

 

[Matt_85]

Thanks muggles.

Its correct I cant set a figure, but the way I'd approach this is similar to claiming the meter is faulty with the exception that the meter doesn't need to be sent away.

The meter as fitted by EON has been fitted in such a way that it is unable to accurately measure my actual gas consumption.

Keyword there being "my".

I'm sure its recorded the actual use accurately and if the leak was for any other reason then I'd be 100% liable for the costs, but as the person charging for usage is also the person who has caused the over inflated readings by improper install, I cannot see how under consumer rights that will fly.

I do enjoy these things though so this is certainly turning into an interesting one. Never fought a utility firm before

 

[ianmcd]

Called Northern Gas Networks who sent out an engineer who quickly confirmed Ive had a 3.4 LEL gas escape on the meter outlet connection

No one can say what volume of gas escaped , and that includes the supplier so if they say they can they are lieing,to be honest 3.4 LEL is a very very small leak so I wouldnt go quoting that to them in any comms, just say there was a leak since the meter was fitted, and stand your ground about the meter serial number, it doesnt matter how many digits it is out by, it has to be exact, one of your neighbours is getting billed for your gas usage and you are getting billed for theirs, dig your heels in and keep asking to get passed on to a senior manager untill you get a satisfactory outcome,If you dont get a satisfactory outcome tell them you are going to complain to OFGEM, and actually do it
https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/consumers/...bout-your-gas-or-electricity-bill-or-supplier

 

[Matt_85]

Hi Ian

To clarify how serious is the serial number being out ?

In terms of usage, the bill I have is correct for the amount of units that has passed through the meter attached to my property.

The serial number I've been billed for is obviously not my meter (not sure if it exists elsewhere) but my actual meter serial doesnt exist on the database so he presumed it's not in another home somewhere.

 

[bernardgreen]

NPower

Mr Michael Lewis Chief Executive

Email [email protected]

Telephone 01793 877777
Switchboard 01793 877777
Fax 01793 892525

 

[Matt_85]

Nice lol!

 

[ianmcd]

Hi Ian

To clarify how serious is the serial number being out ?

In terms of usage, the bill I have is correct for the amount of units that has passed through the meter attached to my property.

The serial number I've been billed for is obviously not my meter (not sure if it exists elsewhere) but my actual meter serial doesnt exist on the database so he presumed it's not in another home somewhere.

Its very serious, they cant bill you for the wrong meter that they have on THEIR records, and I wouldnt beleive for a second that the other serial number is not in someone elses house, stick in there everything is in your favour, as said threaten to report them to OFGEM and do it if they dont give you what you want, it costs them a fortune in man hours and fines if OFGEM find in your favour, I wouldnt concentrate too much on the gas escape bit , they didnt actually fit the meter so arent responsible for it as they will point out