BG want to inspect my gas meter

[Mal Jackson]

Hmmmm, I got a letter from British Gas yesterday telling me that they want to do a Gas Meter Safety Inspection, which they claim "For your safety, we are required by law to visually inspect your gas meter every 2 years..."

Unfortunately I doubt that it'll passs, cos the previous owner built a wooden/glass/plastic lean-to on the back of the house and installed a cooker in there. The gas pipe goes thro' the outside wall, down to the floor, under the doorway and around the wall to the cooker. It doesn't look safe.

Also, the gas supply for the central heating boiler goes thro' same wall and along the wall (but inside the lean-to) and back into the house to the boiler. Does that sound right??

I guess I'll have to get a Corgi registered gas person in to have a look.

Cheers,

Mal.

[Christian McArdle]

As I understand it, external copper gas pipework is fine. Of course, it should be adequetely clipped and run in a sensible, safe route where it won't get knocked or trodden on.

Christian.

[BillR]

They will only want to check the meter. In my experience they won't want to look at anything else. Of course, you could draw their attention to other defects, which if bad enough will probably cause them to disconnect you!

[Christian McArdle]

I thought it was just a ruse to get die hards to let a meter reader into the building.

Christian.

[Mal Jackson]

"Christian McArdle" wrote in news:401a44ca$0$9395$ [e-mail]:

I moved into the house six-years-last-August (the month that that slag Dianna died) and nobody has been to read the meter since. So you may be right. The problem for me then, is that they underestimated my last bill by about forty-quid.

Cheers,

Mal.

-- malcolm dot jackson nottingham ac

[Andrew Gabriel]

I have an electricity meter which hasn't been read for somewhere between 10 and 15 years. The estimated readings for that drifted well into the future at one point, and I ended up having a payment holiday for almost the whole period VAT was introduced until it got back down to the low rate, having effectively bought the electricity in advance of VAT being introduced on it.

Recently it's been drifting the other way and I just corrected the supplier's records so that I don't end up buying last years electricity at this years higher prices.

I had some neighbours for a few years, and no one ever came to read their electricity meter or send them a bill until just before they moved out. They had recorded the meter reading when they moved in and so it was easy to work out what their bill should be, but it became apparent that most likely the last few occupants of that house had never been billed for any electricity.

[BillR]

The biggest culprits seem to be the elect companies who are billing for gas and vice-versa. I believe some of them have had big fines imposed on them for such omissions. my daughter has not had gas meter read for over a year and doesn't even know who her billing company is.

[Steven Briggs]

In message , Mal Jackson writes

Hahaha. Don't worry. Its just a ruse to get a meter reading. Do us all a favour, and challenge the person who comes to show you his corgi card. I bet he isn't qualified.

I had the same recently. Card through door, "called to do safety check, will call again Wednesday evening". Unfortunately I forgot and went out on Wednesday. So next day its a letter threatening legal action to gain entry, please phone to make appointment etc etc. So I did. Arranged Friday evening appointment, 4pm-8pm. Arrived home Friday to see npower van+bloke parked outside at 3:30pm. I had intended to challenge him for Corgi ID, but forgot.

"Safety inspection" consisted of 20 seconds writing down meter serial no & reading, 2 seconds visual scan around the meter.

[Dave Liquorice]

I'd keep stum, all the suppliers think one of the others is billing her. B-)

It does seems like a rather large crack that you could fall through though. Transco supply the gas and meter, thus are the only ones with physical knowledge of who has a supply but have no hand in actually getting any money out of the people they supply...

[Frank Healy]

I believe that legally they are required to do this. I have had my electric meter changed twice in the time I have lived here. When I asked why I was told that they were required by law to change them every ten years. The gas meter was replaced some years ago when they were laying a new main. They asked us and our neighbours if we would like it fitting outside. FOC so we said yes. Would assume that the same rule would apply to gas meters.

Frank Healy

[Ed Sirett]

Since they farm out the meter reading to all and sundry they have to have some sort of inspection system in place.

I doubt they will be very interested in _your_ installation pipework unless it is absolutely obvious to anyone there is a problem and that problem is immediate dangerous and the problem is right next to the meter.

They are insterested that _their_ meter is safe not _your_ installtion. Everything after the outlet connector on the meter is your property and your responsibility.

See my FAQ there _are_ correct and safe ways of routing gas pipes, possibly including the manner of your installation.

If you are worried about the installation you might find that is a good idea.

[Lurch]

On a similar note I've got a live electrical supply at my lock up that's been unused for years. I decided the other month to stick some lighting and heating down there and upon calling the leccy board and been redirected to various suppliers none of them had any record of there even been a supply there, never mind who was previously billing, (YEB by the way). Upshot of it is I just stuck a new set of tails in the (knackered) meter and get free electric! YEB refused to believe it even existed and wouldn't even send an engineer round to check.

SJW A.C.S. Ltd.

[Colin Wilson]

Anything pre-may 1998 that wasn`t an active account didn`t get issued with an MPAN number afaik.

Without an MPAN number, you will have an impossible task convincing the phone monkeys that there is a live supply to the premises.

Even better, just wait until the time comes when you want to *dis*connect it (ie. get the supply chopped) :-p

[Bob Eager]

Ten year change, yes. Two year safety check (as described here)...perhaps not.

[Lawrence]

It may be a security check. Have all the readings in the last two years been estimated/customer readings?

They need push>>

Lawrence

usenet at lklyne dt co dt uk

[Ed Sirett]

When the sub mains were renewed in a 1935 North London block of flats. One of the flats was discovered to have had free electricity since 1935 The occupant believed that electricity was part of the service charges!

[Mike]

About 5 years ago I had a notification that gas meter would be changed from an analogue dial type to digital. I was given no option and told it had to be done.

Last year I received another notification saying meter had to be changed again. Apparently the new yellow digital meters were not as accurate as they had thought.I got an analogue reploacement of even older vintage than the previous analogue meter.

Two months later I heard whining coming from the cupboard and called out Transco. I was told it was to do with the analogue workings. I asked for a replacement and got another analogue meter after being told that most of the analogue meters have this happen after a time.

The replacement meters have all been so called refurbished meters

Mike.

[tarquinlinbin]

Yes,its all about money you see. Time was that we had British Gas who did everytihng and despite their problems,were a good company. Digital E6 meters were first introduced about 5 or more years back. Having fitted thousands of them it was founf that there were technical problems with them and they were withdrawn. They can now only be seen as part of an "ironbridge" E6V card slot meter for prepayment purposes.

Meanwhile transco,who used to buy high quality meters almost only from Schlumberger,were forced by the regulator to buy meters from other suppliers. The other suppliers meters were cheaper to buy you see but Transco wanted Schlums becuase they were better engineered. The regulator won,the cheapo crap was bought,installed by the thousand,found to have technical problsm and were then ripped out and replaced by new,better quality meters,,sound familiar!!??

Now we have a situation whereby British Gas has decided it no longer wants to "hire" Transco;s meters and is visiting again to whip out Transco;s meter and fit British Gas' own meter!!..

Meanwhile joe public is the fool who pays becuase of all the waiting in and fannying about/assorted accounts problems/leaks found etc etc £££££££

Yes indeed,privatisation is not always a good thing!!