National Grid are coming in a few months to move my incoming supply, I think they will just move the existing meter and 80 amp fuse. Its costing £1300 !
While they are at it would it be an idea to ask for a larger fuse,t hinking ahead to days of electric car recharging etc? House has 8 bedrooms.
George
I'd ask for a 3 phase supply as a single phase 100A supply will not supply two EV's, electric shower, heat pump, immersion cylinder, electric cooker etc for a fully populated 8 bedroom house?
my own electricity board offers a free upgrade from 60A to 80A. Its also free to go to 100A provided that the drop cable to the house can support
100A loads.S.
You don't *need* three phase for those - because some like EVs can throttle down their consumption when something else (eg electric shower) is calling for it. But it wouldn't hurt to have it. It is worth asking what the difference in price is. However if they're just moving the meter then three phase might mean installing a new cable from the DNO's network, which could be a lot more expensive, depending on how much extra groundworks are required.
Check your meter tails are up to scratch (25mm2 not 16mm2), but yes UKPN did me a 60A to 100A upgrade for free. I got the tails upgraded for free when switching to a smart meter.
Theo
when my consumer unit was replaced, I asked for 25mm2 tails right back to the switchfuse and a 100A rated consumer unit so already sorted on that front.
I am still on a 60A fuse and when I enquired about an upgrade to 100A they said it was free and then got back to me with oh, we can only go up to 80A without replacing the drop cable from the road to the cut out.
My split concentric cable apparently goes to next door's meter cupboard and the house on the other side is also fed back to that neighbours meter cupboard. Apparently when the estate was built, they put in 3 phase to the house next door, gave that house one phase, the 2nd phase was cabled to my house and the 3rd phase was cabled to the house on the other side of my neighbours....
So to replace also means replacing the 3 phase cable from her meter cabinet back to the road as well as my own drop cable!
S.
Consider an isolation switch as well if you haven't got one.
+1 Tails upgraded and an isolation switch fitted for free with a smart meter install. The fitter was very accommodating rather than a jobs worth. I had requested a isolation switch on booking the appointment for the meter change but he didn't have this information on his job sheet. He just said - no problem I have one in the van. When fitting the isolation switch he just said he would upgrade the tails as well.
Tails upgraded to meter and from meter to the input side of the isolation switch. Currently I don't know what size of supply fuse he installed and sealed- the carrier just says 60A/80A.
Mine was upgraded for free from 60 amps to 80, but they said that the incoming cable wouldn't support 100 amps.
3-phase would enable charging at 22kW rather than 7.6 but would be pretty expensive to install and may also attract a higher standing charge.
I don't think the meter installer is allowed to change your supply fuse but, now you have the tails upgraded, you can ask your DNO to upgrade you to
100A. On mine they ended up changing the whole service head as it was so old (1960s bakelite BICC), and the new one has a label saying 100A supply fuse fitted.Theo
I have read the other replies.
3 phase is not an option as you have not chosen or paid for it on your installation/cut out move.However in my area it up to you to install your own 25mm tails from the consumer unit to the meter or isolation switch or the supplier will not upgrade the fuse. Assuming you have 16mm tails and they can upgrade to
100A with you supply cable.If you want/need a REC2 isolator to upgrade the tails to your CU )yes many of them) email me and I'll send you one.
I'll also send a couple of meter seals with it.
Adam
Few EVs have three phase AC charging, so the most you get is single phase
7kW. I think the Zoe is an exception, possibly some other Renault/Nissans. But having three phase is handy if you might have multiple EVs in future.Theo
My VW ID.3 can charge at 22kW from a 3-phase supply (not that I've got a
3-phase supply!) or much higher still (100kW I think) from DC.
Yes, mine ended up with a complete change. The old one was cast-iron (which they simply smashed to pieces with a lump-hammer, while wearing rubber gloves. The replacement was fitted, along with a 100A fuse. All free of charge - I hadn't even asked ... the meter reader had spotted the new CU and said he'd get the main fuse uprated.
The MG 4 can charge at 7.2 kW single phase, but only 11 kW three-phase - so hardly worth the hassle and cost.
I can afford the time taken to charge when my Enyaq is at home. It charging on a journey that needs to be quick. Once I've had my coffee, I'm ready to set off again. I've only got a 60A main fuse, My charging point has a CT on the input to the main CU and reduces the charge to the car if there's a significant load elsewhere - like the oven.
When my smartmeters were fitted, e.on upgraded my fuse from 60A to 80A, even though Central Networks was no longer owned by e.on by that time.
Not much of an increase, but it may well be more than the actual wires can do safely. It sounds rather expensive for a meter move, is the wire gold plated? Brian
That's interesting. When I had our supply converted from overhead to underground, at the same time as having a Smart meter, at the same time as having a new CU in another part of the house, it was a case of the DNO coming in the morning for the cable move, the energy supplier coming to fit the smart meter (and take away the old one from the old position) at lunchtime, then my sparkie coming in the afternoon to connect up the new CU.
(I had to organise all the appointments myself, the DNO and Energy Co refused to talk to each other, despite having the same parent company).
Anyway, it all happened. The DNO boys installed the 100A fuse, the energy man (who was a proper engineer, and not a normal smart meter installer) installed the meter, and a 100A double pole isolation switch. My sparkie connected the CU tails to the switch.
Indeed, but some of the larger batteries are pushing the boundaries of recharging at home overnight on a 7kW charger, so for the edge case of being almost out of charge and wanting a full charge for a journey the next day to avoid charging while out, 7kW may not be enough.
It certainly may not be enough for charging on an EV tariff giving only
4 hours of cheaper rate electricity per night.We are just due an electric car. 7kW will do us as any sudden, lengthy journeys, without time to re-charge first, will just mean using the other (petrol car). The EV should nicely cover almost all our journeys with home charging only.
Are you really going to be doing 100 to 200 miles every day requiring a full charge overnight or would you just be doing a daily top-up charge?
Question. The manufacturer of my phone recommends only charging to 85% to lengthen the life of the battery. The phone has an option to stop charging at 85% capacity. The manufacturer of my laptop recommends only charging to 70% to optimise the life of the battery, and again there is an option to select this mode. What is the maximum charge point for an EV battery for the optimum life of the battery?
For my car, 80% is recommended for normal use. When I have a long journey, I use 100% - that's been 5 times in the 18 months since I bought the car. I noticed the other week, that the 80% to 100% is done much more slowly - presumably to keep the heat down.
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