Electricity meter change

[Another John]

Just had a letter from EoN saying they need to change my electricity meter (which, granted, is probably over 50 years old).[1]

Given that the Big Boys who run our entire society these days are often guilty of (a) sleight of hand which the lowest form of barrow-boy would be proud of and (b) frequent incompetence ... is there anything I need to be aware of?

Sorry if the above appears to be unduly sceptical, but -- shrug -- y'know ...

TIA John

[1] It's actually from their contractor, but it's on EoN headed paper. And for the record I've been pretty happy with EoN in the several years we've been with them.

[Andy Burns]

You may wish to find whether they intend to fit a smartmeter. It depends on your point of view whether you would welcome this (lack of having to deal with 'you were out' cards, in-house display and online history) or try to dissuade them (remote disconnect, potential for getting hacked, potential for snooping on usage patterns).

[Lee]

Just a practical point, photograph the meter showing the reading immediately prior to removal and the same for the new one on installation if its not zero.

You know, like just in case ;)

[harry]

Make sure you know the meter reading before they take the old one away. Also note the date. (There may be a change in the price of electricity.)

And also the new one, (which may not be zero).

[Another Dave]

I had smart meters fitted by EoN last year. Works well. The only problem was that the gas fitter found a fault in the installation dating back years (the on/off valve lever could fall to the ON position). He called in the gas distribution people who fixed it for free. I was without gas for 8 hours.

I don't know if you're dual fuel but if your gas meter is as old as your electricity meter I'd wait for warmer weather.

Another Dave

[Andrew Gabriel]

EoN changed my electricity meter last year. The new one is not a smart meter, just a plain electronic meter. The installer said he hadn't seen any smart meters yet.

[dennis]

that would be because they have smart meter installers who do all the smart meters.

My smart energy display has died so they are coming to fit a new one. Why they can't just send me a new power brick is a good question that they can't answer.

[Andy Burns]

Must be a sub-regional thing then, my smartmeters were fitted by E.on

[Dave Liquorice]

Yes, I like the photo idea of the old in situe and the new in situe both with a burnt in time and date. Make sure the camera's clock is set correctly. B-)

A meter change shouldn't trigger that but close examination of the bill covering the meter change is a good idea. If anything is likely to go wrong it will be the entering of the meter readings (and meter numbers) into the billing system. Check that your supply number, meter numbers, meter readings and the tarrif are all correct.

[Dave Liquorice]

IIRC the RECs have a legal obligation to change the meter every ten years, though in practice this may not happen. It may look 50 years old but I doubt it's been continuous service all that time. The ones they take out used to go back be refurbished, recalibrated then reinstalled elsewhere. This days I suspect they just get junked partly 'cause it'll cost too much to employ the skilled refurbishment/calibration people and the move to electronic "smart meters". Weren't we supposed to all have smart meters by now?

[polygonum]

Not so much "may" as absolutely "does not".

[Davey]

"It absolutely does not look 50 years old"?

[ARW]

Just be prepared to wait in all day and expect them to fail to turn up.

[Part Timer]

Our electricity meter got changed in '04 from the old Met-Vickers spinning disc one which made this one look modern!

They arrived when they said they would. Gas meter they sent a letter (2003?) quoting "regulator says we have to do this" but never turned up and have heard nothing since. We were in all day anyway and it was the summer. Strange thing was the gas meter is newer (1986 maybe - when we got a plastic pipe installed through the garden).

[newshound]

I had one of these from EON, I duly made an appointment agreeing to be in all day; they didn't show, and didn't contact me.

Next time I had the standard letter I wrote to them, said in view of their past performance I would not make any more appointments, gave them my mobile and said when they were in the area they could give me a ring in the day and I would commit to stay in if practicable (the house is occupied 80% of the time).

I had no reply to this, but later got another standard letter. I replied to that with a copy of the first one. I had no reply to that, but have had about three more standard letters at intervals of a couple of months, all of which I have ignored.

I've now changed suppliers and await developments!

[D.M.Chapman]

I videod the the guys face and id badge then panned around to show the meter reading using my phone.

Guy seemed perfectly happy with this, and said it was a good ideal and he'd recommend it :-)

Darren

[Roger Mills]

Very necessary! When my meter was changed a few years ago, the bloke who did it didn't have a clue how to read an analog meter, and recorded one digit as being higher than it actually was. When I argued with him, he reluctantly altered the card which he left with me but when I got the next bill, I saw that his original figure had been entered into the system. I did get the bill changed, but it was a lot of hassle.

[Huge]

Photograph the old meter, with the reading clear, before they remove it, then photograph the new one immediately after installation.

[<me9]

Mine was changed about 15 years ago because it was too old (date code 1976) the replacement had a date code of 1952 (but presumably recalibrated).

About 5 years later I changed suppliers. The new supplier had the meter changed for one of the newer electronic types, but it only is a basic meter and must be read locally.(it's in a cubicle).

The gas meter (locked away in the garage) was also changed around 15 years ago. it replaced one that measured in Cu metres with one in Cu ft, but the replacement does have a socket (network style) on it for remote metering, which isn't used.

[Stewith]

Things in the last year that I have come across after customers had a meter change.

Tails not tightened correctly in new meter. (complaint was buzzing noize)

New meter set on an economy 10 tarriff not economy 7 (complaint heaters are always hot and the last bill was huge)

Wrongly connected tails. (complaint was the power kept going off during the night)

The later was a bit of a headscrather at first, but the monkey who had changed the meter wired things up so that only the neutral tail was going via an RCD to the storage heater consumer unit. The meter was changed in March and it wasn't until October that the problem became apparent when the customer used the storage heaters for the first time.

2 of the above meters where changed by Siemens on behalf of EDF.