Connecting electric meter to in-house office...

[Mike Armstrong]

Hi all,

Having worked from home for several years I have long yearned for a seperately electrically metered office. We just moved house and I am currently setting up office in the garage. The consumer unit is in the garage and I have added a simple ring circuit in 2.5mm2 T&E with three double sockets.

Previously my employer has estimated my electrical consumption based on number of PCs running etc but I have always felt that his estimations were rather low leaving me out of pocket.

I popped in to my local trade counter and asked how I could get my garage circuit metered seperately. A friendly spark suggested a reconditioned credit meter (£12 ish) would do the job quite nicely.

I now have the meter and am wondering what the best way is to wire it in.

It has 4 connections MAIN (Live and Neutral) and LOAD (Live and Neutral. Am I correct in assuming that I need to run one cable from the CU to the new meter (connected to the MAIN terminal) and then run my ring circuit from the LOAD terminal? As the new meter has no earth connections, I also assume that the 3 earth wires will simply be connected together?

Thanks!

Mike Armstrong

[Christian McArdle]

Yes on all counts. Meters are usually run in double insulated singles. Technically, you shouldn't use T&E (or single insulated singles), as the outer sheath will be cut back and accessible. I'd suggest running the T&E feed and load cables to a junction box (a simple double socket and blank faceplate would be good) and running the correct cable up to the meter on short double insulated tails from there, with the earths connected inside the box.

Christian.

[Mike Armstrong]

Thanks for the prompt reply Christian.

What size cable would you recommend using for the run from the CU to the meter (MAIN) and the run from the meter (LOAD) to the junction box (as these are effectively radial sections). Also, should I use normal terminal connection blocks inside the junction box. I haven't used double insulated singles before. I assume that they come in various thicknesses ... what would you recommend?

Thanks again

Mike

[Owain]

"Christian McArdle" wrote | Yes on all counts. Meters are usually run in double insulated | singles. Technically, you shouldn't use T&E (or single | insulated singles), as the outer sheath will be cut back | and accessible. I'd suggest running the T&E feed and load | cables to a junction box (a simple double socket and blank | faceplate would be good) and running the correct cable up | to the meter on short double insulated tails from there, | with the earths connected inside the box.

It may be possible to mount a double pattress and blanking plate butting up against the meter, which would neaten things and enable single-insulated cores of T&E to run right into the meter.

If using a metal box, it must of course be earthed, holes grommeted, and live and neutral of a pair MUST go through same hole (to prevent eddy currents).

Owain

[Ian Stirling]

What were the estimations on one PCs power use? They may in fact be high, in which case installing a meter may be a bad idea.

[Mike Armstrong]

Hi Owain,

It's all surface mounted. Would a plastic box will be OK? I've never heared of eddy currents ... what are they?

Do you think that 2.5mm2 T&E cores would be OK for the tails and connection to the CU or would 4mm2 be better?

Thanks

Mike

[Mike Armstrong]

I get about £90 pa. That is for 2 PCs running 24/7 plus associated modems/router/scanner/printer/speakers etc. The killer is that the office is heated electrically with a combination of an oil filled radiator and an electric fan heater.

I can't imagine that lot being less than £90 pa. It'll be interesting to see for sure though.

Mike

[Andrew Gabriel]

If your employer starts paying things like electric and heating bills for part of your house for work purposes, you will have to pay capital gains tax on the appreciation of that part of your house when you sell it as it will no longer fall under the main residence exception rules. You are normally very much better off paying the bills yourself than paying the capital gains tax. Certainly don't go down that road without working it out, and probably talking with your accountant.

[Mike Armstrong]

Hi Andrew,

I'm no expert in matters of taxation and you clearly are fairly knowledgeable. Currently my employer re-imburses me for out of pocket expenses (ie things I've paid for but use for the business) like consumables and my work-line phone bill. This is a straight reimbursement and I don't gain from it in any way. I think this figure shows up on my P11D?

How does reimbursing me for an element of my domestic power bill differ from this?

Actually, my employer has been paying me this estimated contribution since 1998. He is normally very particular about tax matters. Perhaps I should add that my home address is not a registered business address.

Cheers!

Mike

[Christian McArdle]

Minimum 6mm. Calculations might enable you to go 4mm, but this depends on the length of the cables involved and the installation method.

This applies to all cables that hold the full circuit current, including the T&E from the CU.

Christian.

[MBQ]

Just don't tell the boss until you know which system is most favourable to you. Then the taxman will have you for making a profit;-)

MBQ

[Andrew Gabriel]

oooh -- don't assume that! It's an issue which a few colleagues of mine have bumped into over the years when getting advice from their accountants. I'm just warning you to check with yours first.

I think that's fine (and AFAIK it shouldn't show up on your P11D unless you use it for non-work purposes).

I don't understand why it's different -- talk with an accountant.

[Owain]

"Andrew Gabriel" wrote | > Currently my employer re-imburses me for out of pocket | > expenses (ie things I've paid for but use for the business) | > like consumables and my work-line phone bill. This is a | > straight reimbursement and I don't gain from it in any way. | > I think this figure shows up on my P11D? | I think that's fine (and AFAIK it shouldn't show up on your P11D | unless you use it for non-work purposes). | > How does reimbursing me for an element of my domestic power bill | > differ from this? | I don't understand why it's different -- talk with an accountant.

My understanding is because the supply is separately metered, you are dedicating that area of the house *solely* to work purposes and it thus loses the domestic dwelling exemptions. (It may also become a workplace under the Health and Safety At Work Act... lots of implications there.)

Use of a room in the house for work is okay provided it can /also/ be used domestically, eg sofa bed makes it a 'guest bedroom with desk' rather than 'office'

Owain

[Owain]

"Mike Armstrong" wrote | It's all surface mounted. Would a plastic box will be OK? | I've never heared of eddy currents ... what are they?

If you have the phase and neutral of a pair going through different holes in a metal box, the box in effect becomes a coil round the conductor, and a current can be induced.

| Do you think that 2.5mm2 T&E cores would be OK for the tails and | connection to the CU or would 4mm2 be better?

Given that this is a ring circuit with a 32A MCB then the conductors must be rated accordingly. A *ring* of 2.5mm is (usually) adequate, but for a radial (which is what the tails between the CU and the submeter are) you should probably use 6mm.

Bear in mind that as this is an installation specifically for work purposes, the Electricity at Work Regulations will probably apply. You (or your boss) would therefore need to obtain inspection and test certificate on the circuit(s).

Owain

[Mike Armstrong]

Gosh, this getting more complicated than I had imagined!

This 'office' is basically a partitioned-off section of the garage which houses a couple of PCs and desks. Although I work from it during the day, it also serves as a 'study' as my main PC is my own and I use it for leisure purposes in the evenings. As I frequently also work in the evenings (and my backup-image creation happens in the evening), my boss is OK to pick up the tab for a PC which is on 24/7. The 'office' also contains a tumble dryer (connected to a circuit NOT on the submeter) so the room also functions as a utility room!

The area is definitely not dedicated solely to work purposes! I guess it's a matter of interpretation.

Mike

[Brian Sharrock]

The proportion of usage for 'work purposes' will be a consideration for the tax-man; you have excluded the sole domestic residence part of the CGT regulations ... ;( Also, entirely separately, have you examined your household insurance policy to see whether it covers usage of your 'domestic' building for business purposes. [ A company I worked for insisted on seeing that private motor vehicles had 'business use' added to folks' policies before paying mileage-allowance] ... (You're not using a Social, Domestic and Pleasure type policy are you?)

If you're using either the telephone or electricity supply for non-domestic purposes ... have you consulted your providers to ensure you're paying the appropriate tariff?

Are there H&S compliant fire extinguishers and first-aid facilities?

Finally, are there any covenants in your title-deeds restricting the usage of your land (and heridaments)? Mine, incidentally only permit the land (and heridaments) to be used for the purposes of 'trade' by a Medical Doctor or Dentist -one wouldn't want the tone of the neighbourhood to go down hill

The provision of a legal and compliant work-space is a not-inconsiderable cost to an employer ... see rental fees per square foot for your area and/or business such as Regis(?) which rent out office space by the hour/day/week .. It's no surprise that your employer "re-imburses me for out of pocket expenses".

[Ian Stirling]

Ok.

2 PCs running 24*7 (assuming you are only running the display when using them) will use some 50-70W each. Maybe 30W for the rest (inactive). Call it 200W. (neglecting heater, what sort of room? 200W may go quite a way towards warming it)

200W = 1 unit / 5 hours, or 5 units a day. Call it 2000 units, or maybe 160 quid.

It is very unlikely to be under 90 quid, unless the PCs are laptops, in which case it probably is.

Personally, I'd use a small electricity meter of the sort that maplin sell for around 15 quid to measure the electricity use. (these may overread on some sorts of PC) and submit this info to the employer.

[Owain]

"Mike Armstrong" wrote | This 'office' is basically a partitioned-off section of the | garage which houses a couple of PCs and desks.

Oh, even worse! You've converted garage space into habitable accommodation without (I presume, correct me if wrong) Building Regulations approval (fire separation between a garage and habitable space - and as its a workspace the Fire Precautions Act possibly applies too).

I trust the desks and chairs have been audited as compliant with Display Screen Equipment regulations ...

Owain

[tony sayer]

In article , Owain writes

Sometimes..

I wonder how we in this country ever get anything "done" anymore....

[MBQ]

As Andrew says, the capital gains tax will only be due on the proportion of the house used for business. It will also be pro-rata if that portion of the house is shared use. E.g. if the "office" is 10% of the house but that room is also used 50% of the time for domestic purposes then CGT is ony applicable to 5% of any gain. You have a CGT allowance of £8200 fot the current tax year so your house will need to appreciate by £164000 from the date you set up the office before any tax is actually payable (assuming no other gains in tha same tax year). If the house is in joint names then you each have that allowance and you would need to make £328000 before any CGT is payable. You can also make allowance for appreciation due to improvements so that they do not incur CGT.

Unless you're house is going to appreciate considerably then CGT will be the least of your worries!

MBQ