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A lot of people do it to change the panel. Sure, they like to know up front (some insist on doing it themselves - and charging disconnect/connect fees for it) but most don't get panty-bunch if they're notified.
The new smart meters are networked through the power line and read in real time. At least the ones here in Waterloo North and Kitchener Wilmot Hydro areas.(Region of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada - home of the "Blackberry"
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Working on the premise that it is easier to get forgiveness than permission, perhaps??
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Well said. I know people who just cut the thing and forget it. If questioned by the power company, "what seal?".
I'm in Halton Hills. I look at my data online the next day. You can definitely see when we clean our dishes and when we wake up and sleep
Because the times I've called the power company it involved making an appointment, waiting several days for them to come, filling out paperwork, and then paying a fee them to come. When I worked for rental companies that needed to get these buildings ready for tenants, they wanted the work done today, not next week. Not to mention that they did not want to pay me for numerous trips to the property, and honestly I did not want to lose money by not being able to complete a simple task like tapping into the mains for a sub-panel, and having to leave the job, spending the rest of the day without pay, and then having to drive a considerable distance to come back, for a half hour of work.
Then too, I had to disconnect my own meter once when lightning fried a connection to an old main cartridge fuse disconnect box. I had flickering lights, saw sparks in the box. I was not going to wait for the company to come, possibly causing a fire, or other damage. I pulled the meter, took a photo of the burnt connection in the old box, and removed that box. I had a good used breaker disconnect box. I installed it and put the meter back, then called the company. I told them I had a photo of the burned connection, they said not to worry about it, they would put a new tag on the meter. I was several months later before they did it.
I'll tell you right now that electricians pull meters all the time. They are on a schedule, they dont have time to piss around waiting for the power company. Actually I think in most cases they power companies dont want to be getting calls all the time for meter removals. They have more important things to do.
And does it say in the instructions to break the seal and pull the meter WITHOUT FIRST AT LEAST CALLING THE ELECTRIC COMPANY?
Geez....
And does it say in the instructions to break the seal and pull the meter WITHOUT FIRST AT LEAST CALLING THE ELECTRIC COMPANY?
Geez....
No, the instructions assume you are an electrician and know what to do in your area when you pull the meter or want it pulled.
Tomsic
In my area there are no permits or the like required for electrical work. I've pulled the meter a few times to do work before the main breaker and never had a complaint from the utility. The one time (first time) when I actually called the utility the idiot whined about permits and whatnot (after I had already confirmed with the city that none were required) so I just hung up on them and got on with my work. The key thing is that *nothing* is consistent from state to state or even city to city, so figure out the deal in *your* area.
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