Is this the responsibility of the DNO?

[HappyHippyDad]

I am going to be changing this CU.

My question is who's responsibility is it to remove the old VOELB that is directly after the cutout but before both meters (see pic below). Im 90% sure it's the DNO? Is it just the meter itself that the supply company would be responsible for?
Will the DNO remove the VOELB and put new tails into the meter?

Thanks guys.

 

[Ian1981]

I am going to be changing this CU.

My question is who's responsibility is it to remove the old VOELB that is directly after the cutout but before both meters (see pic below). Im 90% sure it's the DNO? Is it just the meter itself that the supply company would be responsible for?
Will the DNO remove the VOELB and put new tails into the meter?

Thanks guys.
View attachment 50371

The dno stop at the cut out gear.
The utility company who own the meter will be the ones to connect to the meter but I doubt they will want to touch the voelcb as it’s part of the consumers installation

 

[Strima]

It's part of the supplier kit. Here's a pic of a diagram within the MOCOPA guide:



I'd request the customer contacts their supplier to get the VOELCB removed and their tails updated.

 

[HappyHippyDad]

Thanks both. Looks like I got it wrong!

 

[Lucien Nunes]

I doubt they will want to touch the voelcb as it’s part of the consumers installation

It can't be, as it's before the meters. But suppose the meters are the property of two different suppliers. Who would 'own' the VOELCB? Can one supplier even disconnect the feed to another's meter?

Usual story, if you are there when it's removed, try and nab it for us! TIA

 

[UNG]

I am going to be changing this CU.

My question is who's responsibility is it to remove the old VOELB that is directly after the cutout but before both meters (see pic below). Im 90% sure it's the DNO? Is it just the meter itself that the supply company would be responsible for?
Will the DNO remove the VOELB and put new tails into the meter?

Thanks guys.
View attachment 50371

Never understood the problem that some electricians have ringing the DNO and why they prefer leaving it to the customer to talk to them. A quick phone call would have resolved the ownership issue even down to arranging a mutually convenient date to carry out the work if they are down to remove it
Leaving it to the non technical customer to explain the issue is just a disaster waiting to happen IMO

Reminds me of a call out about 10 years ago the building I was called to was below voltage and checking the adjacent properties they had voltage issues as well that was clearly an external neutral fault, the owner of the building wanted to be important insisted that she would call the DNO while I was there after she waffled on for a few minutes she was a bit put out when the DNO's call handler asked her if the electrician was still on site and could they speak to me as they hadn't a clue what she was on about the result about 2 hours later was 4 DNO vans appearing and a big hole in the pavement as one of the cable joints had failed

 

[Strima]

Never understood the problem that some electricians have ringing the DNO and why they prefer leaving it to the customer to talk to them. A quick phone call would have resolved the ownership issue even down to arranging a mutually convenient date to carry out the work if they are down to remove it
Leaving it to the non technical customer to explain the issue is just a disaster waiting to happen IMO

Reminds me of a call out about 10 years ago the building I was called to was below voltage and checking the adjacent properties they had voltage issues as well that was clearly an external neutral fault, the owner of the building wanted to be important insisted that she would call the DNO while I was there after she waffled on for a few minutes she was a bit put out when the DNO's call handler asked her if the electrician was still on site and could they speak to me as they hadn't a clue what she was on about the result about 2 hours later was 4 DNO vans appearing and a big hole in the pavement as one of the cable joints had failed

I will quite happliy speak to the DNO however when the customers supplier is involved they tend to want to speak to the account holder.

 

[HappyHippyDad]

Never understood the problem that some electricians have ringing the DNO and why they prefer leaving it to the customer to talk to them. A quick phone call would have resolved the ownership issue even down to arranging a mutually convenient date to carry out the work if they are down to remove it
Leaving it to the non technical customer to explain the issue is just a disaster waiting to happen IMO

Reminds me of a call out about 10 years ago the building I was called to was below voltage and checking the adjacent properties they had voltage issues as well that was clearly an external neutral fault, the owner of the building wanted to be important insisted that she would call the DNO while I was there after she waffled on for a few minutes she was a bit put out when the DNO's call handler asked her if the electrician was still on site and could they speak to me as they hadn't a clue what she was on about the result about 2 hours later was 4 DNO vans appearing and a big hole in the pavement as one of the cable joints had failed

I think you make some good points and I expect i would have ended up dealing with the DNO, however this looks like it is the suppliers responsibility and I cant imagine them dealing with anyone but the customer?

 

[JK-Electrical]

My past experiences when communicating with Scottish Power Networks have been somewhat negative and I will not be contacting these clowns ever again unless it is absolutely imperative. Here's why.

In December 2018, I carried-out an EICR in a customer's home in advance of a consumer unit changeover that was scheduled to be completed once Scottish Power Networks had attended the property and fitted an isolator so to enable safe isolation of the incoming supply. To create additional space for the new board, I removed a shower consumer unit that had been fitted adjacent to the existing board. I asked the customer to advise SPN that the isolator should not be installed next to the existing consumer unit. She swears blind that she did as I had asked.

But when I returned to the property three weeks later, I was irate to discover that the isolator had been fitted right next to the existing board. I could not proceed with the board changeover as there is no other place that the new board can be installed other than where the existing board and SPN's isolator are presently sited. I had no other choice but to abandon the job. As I had allocated the whole morning to do this job, I ended-up out of pocket. The best way to get in my bad books is to waste my time and money.

So I phoned SPN to complain, but after 15 minutes of being transferred from one person to another, none of whom had a clue about what should be done, I gave-up and hung-up. I advised the customer to make a complaint herself and duly washed my hands of the affair. Not my problem. Six months have since elapsed and SPN still haven't returned to relocate the isolator. SPN are worse than useless. Their customer 'service' is absolutely atrocious.

I contacted SPN again back in April regarding a separate job. I decided to e-mail them so that there would be a written record of who said what and when. I'm glad that I did as SPN are more clueless than I had first imagined them to be:

Me: I am in the process of providing a quotation for the installation of three 7.2 kW electric vehicle charging points at xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Glasgow. The meter reference for this installation is xxxxxxxxxx. I would be grateful if you would please confirm whether the present TN-S earthing system for this installation is likely to be upgraded to TN-C-S in the future. Would you also please confirm the ratings of the three service cut-outs as there is no external indication as to the size of the fuses within.

Scottish Power Networks: Thank you for your enquiry, I have tried to call you to discuss but it went to voicemail so I left a message. It was just to advise we do not hold the details to your below enquiry. The type of earthing system does not affect the installation of the electric vehicle charging points and with regards to the fuse sizes an electrician can confirm this information.

I give up.