ok , while removing my old kitchen i found the fuse box for the property is stuck onto the side of a cabinet, just in front of a wall where the cables come into the property , from the outside electric cabinet.
obviously want to get rid of this bit of wood before fitting new cabinets. i guess it would be best to fit the fuse box, or a new one, directly onto the wall?
my main question is can i get an electrician to do this, or do i have to call the electric supplier as i was told only the electric board can access the outside cabinet. ?
You should have a key to the box outside (they're often triangular) unless it's a wall-mounted feeder box that tees off to other people and your meter is inside.
If your meter is in the cabinet though, you should have a key, or be able to ask them to provide one.
Once you get into the cabinet, you'll probably find there isn't an isolator fitted - at which point you need to call the supplier again to tell them you need to work on your installation and need one put in.
Some RECs wriggle, but you should be able to stop this by pointing out that your only means of isolation is by cutting seals to pull the main fuse, which, depending on the condition and age of the main fuse, may be a safety issue.
If they still f*ck you around, call Energywatch, and tell them the same.
hi i checked the outside cabinet and there is a thick black cable going into a black plastic transformer type thing. this then splits to a red and back which enters the meter reading thing. from the meter theres 2 grey cables and an earth cable going into the flat. how do i find out my suppler as i'm yet to have a bill??? if i want to replace the grotty old fuse box inside the flat do i need to contact the electric company to switch off power ? thanks
You don't need to contact your supplier yet. Get an electrician to quote you for moving the consumer unit. The electrician may or may not need you to talk to your supplier.
Note that the electricity industry is split up into three types of company. They are:
Companies that manage the physical infrastructure up to (but not including) the electricity meter.
Companies that manage the provision and reading of meters
Companies that retail electricity.
Your "supplier" who will send you a bill for the electricity you use is not the company you will need to contact about getting you physical installation changed (unless they happen to be part of the same company
- even so, it will be different people on a different phone number).
As I say, get an electrician you are confident with and he/she will tell you who you need to contact, if anybody.
The "black plastic transformer type thing" sounds like your cutout - its the main fuse. From there, it goes to the meter, then ideally you want an isolator fitting to the outgoing cables ("tails") prior to it going into the flat. That will allow you to turn off "your" supply to allow you to carry out work inside the premises without frying yourself :-p
Call up the company that used to look after all the supplies in the area (i.e. for the london area, it's now EDF) - ask for the number for their MPAS service (meter point administration service).
Once you're through to them, you should be able to give them your address and they will give you a) the MPAN (meter point administration number), and b) tell you who the supplier is
Don't necessarily take that as a done deal though, as flats can be renumbered etc. - ideally, get the serial number of the meter, and when you call the accounts dept. of whichever supplier it is, ask to confirm the serial number of the meter that have related to that MPAN.
This is where I mentioned getting an isolator fitted in my previous post...
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