(OT) Disconnecting electricity supply

[Windmill]

Some years ago I wondered about the cost-effectiveness of asking for disconnection of the supply to a flat (it was expected to remain empty for some time, and it annoyed me to have to pay the standing charge).

Recently I received an estimated bill for a different flat which was too high because I was no longer living there, emailed actual figures, and until recently was too busy to visit again to see if a revised bill had been posted. I just received a belated reply to my email, reducing the bill to 1/2 what it was and making threats about this 'overdue bill'.

So I'm again wondering about asking for disconnection. How much would they charge for this, and for later reconnection? It probably involves only pulling a fuse in their supply box. In this case I don't think I seriously mean it (but in future who knows?). Presumably they can't charge for a supply you've asked to be disconnected.

[Dave Liquorice]

More than a year or two's standing charge I expect...

Just switch to a tariff that has no standing charge. nPower PriceFix April 2015 doesn't have one, unit cost is a bit higher than the cheapest with standing charge but as you are only using a tiny amount, if any, the unit cost isn't particularly relevant.

Ebico are another flat rate only pay for what you use supplier. We used to be with Ebico but that nPower tariff was cheaper, no cancellation fee either. Comparison sites are your friend. B-)

[Andrew Gabriel]

They have been known to refuse to reconnect without a recent inspection certificate, and they might well insist it's to current regs when connecting a new supply, which the existing installation probably won't be.

It might go swimingly well, but just beware of the potential problem.

[Tim Watts]

EDF asked for my NICEIC number when pulling the cutout fuse at my request so I could add a new consumer unit (all old wiring ripped out at this point).

When I told the bloke I didn't have one and was doing the work under building control he looked surprised. However, when he looked at my super neat tails presented and check the CU for polarity, he was happy enough - and even upgraded my meter connection to 25mm2 from 16mm2. And didn't moan too much about the 100A isolator I had installed in the meter box.

Still, it was probably the first box he'd seen with heavy duty 32mm Kopex plastic conduit taking the tails and earths (MET in meter box) through the bungalow soffit rather than just ramming the tails between a couple of bricks with the mortar joint raked out!

The Megger hanging conspicuously next to the CU maybe helped too!

[newshound]

No FIEE certificate hanging in the hall?

:-)

[Tim Watts]

No :-|

Though I keep meaning to join - but under the computing arm. So hanging an MIET cert up under such conditions might be a little naughty :)

[Andrew Gabriel]

I've never been asked either - if the installation looks neat and professional, you might get away with it.

It's not a requirement that an installation conforms to wiring regs to be connected, just that it has to be safe. The easiest way for them to check that is to ask for a certificate, and that way they are not taking responsibility for checking the safety. An installation conforming to anything from 14th Ed regs onwards should have no arguments in theory, although they probably do expect at least the earthing and service bonding to be nearer to current regs.

[Windmill]

A few years ago, tenants who left seemed to have had a 'no standing charge' tariff, which was in turn helpful for me, but when I've tried to arrange that myself I've had a lot of resistance from the supplier (surprise!). Of course persistence for a sufficient number of months would doubtless succeed, but I'm slow moving and have a couple of thousand projects many of which I no doubt should never have begun.

[Windmill]

Hadn't considerd that possibility. Best reserved for cases where the installation is new, I suppose.

[Windmill]

I know of a very rushed cable replacement by the electricity company's contractor which resulted in the earth wire to the CU etc. being left just hanging loose (stripped, but just hanging) in the company's earth block. Maybe it was just touching the terminal, maybe not, but very slight finger pressure popped it out. Probably lots of copper water pipe bonding in adjacent flats, and certainly plenty in this (though some of it out of sight), so there would likely be a roundabout earth path. That bonding isn't something to count on though; all it would take is for someone else to switch to plastic pipe, and any roundabout earth path might disappear.

Nobody harmed, luckily.

Motto: Don't trust the supplier: get out the earth impedance tester every time they change anything; nowadays everyone is excessively rushed.

[Nick Odell]

AIUI the energy regulator has demanded that all companies now use a standing charge in order, they say, to simplify tariff comparisons. Some energy companies - a very few - will offer a standing charge of zero but the majority won't. There's been a lot of discussion about this on radio programmes like the BBC's Moneybox on R4 and in the money pages of the newspapers. If you are thinking of switching to a zero-standing-charge supplier, check the T's and C's carefully because they may well be out to get you in some other way.

Nick

[Windmill]

Hmmm... the energy companies told the regulator what they'd asked their pals in government to arrange, and the regulator made sure they'd get some income no matter what.

[Dave Liquorice]

Presumably to get rid of that mess of "no standing charge" and Tier 1 and Tier 2 rates where the first x units (Tier 1) in a billing period cost more than the rest (Tier 2). Curiously the extra money equalled that suppliers standard tariff standing charge...

There seems to be more true no standing charge tariffs about now than there was. At one time only Ebico offered it.

That is always worth while.

[Roger Mills]

Yes, indeed. Provided you used all the Tier 1 units each billing period, it worked out exactly the same.

At one time, I had no-standing-charge tariffs at my holiday flat - where the usage is relatively low because I'm only there for about 25% of the time. Nevertheless, I rarely ever failed to use all the Tier 1 units. Then the supplier moved the goalposts to make damn sure that I used all the Tier 1 units - they moved to 6 month billing periods rather than 3 months - making sure there was some winter usage in each period!

[Andy Wade]

Hmm, that might be the case, but the 2002 ESQC regs say:

25(2) A distributor shall not give his consent to the making or altering of the connection referred to in paragraph (1) [i.e. a supply connection], where he has reasonable grounds for believing that?

(a) the consumer?s installation, street electrical fixture or other distributor?s network fails to comply with British Standard Requirements [i.e. BS 7671] or these Regulations; or

(b) the connection itself will not be so constructed, installed, protected and used or arranged for use, so as to prevent as far as is reasonably practicable, danger or interruption of supply.