moving electricity metre

[davegt3]

hi we are in the process of replacing our kitchen and are thinking that we may be better to move the metre rather than having it in the back of a cupboard. the metre is on the inside of an outside wall so surely would only have to replace the cables and relocate outside in a suitable box? can i get a normal electrician in to do this or does it need to be someone more specialist? also whats the goin rate for havein a fuse board replaced with a modern one? i know this will vary depending on the job and condition on current install so just a rough estimate would be really handy

 

[malcolmsanford]

Welcome to the forum

For the meter you will have to approach your provider about that, as it is their property, so it could be EDF, BG. Eon etc.

As for a CU change, that is very dependent of many things, age of existing installation, size of installation, condition of installation. So it could vary from 250-350 up to 750-800

 

[Specialist]

Hi: Your Electricity meter needs to be moved by your Electricity supplier not an Electrician. As for replacing your fuse box, unfortunately there is'nt a going rate. All Electrical contractors set their own prices & they vary widely fro marea to area.

 

[davegt3]

yea sorry should of prob said its a 1930 semi detatched property had a partial rewire when an extension was done aprox 15 years ago.


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[davegt3]

when i spoke to the supplier previously they said anywhere from 900 - 3500 but that i may be able to get an electrician to do it for me maby the bloke on the phone just didnt know what he was talking about lol

 

[malcolmsanford]

South East, old house, partial rewire 15 yrs ago

So you could be looking at some very old cable there, there could be a lot of fiddling about to get RCds to work, Upgrade of your main bonding and earthing is a real possibility,

I think your looking at certainly a days work if not a day and half, plus materials.................450 to 550 if your really lucky

 

[davegt3]

out of interest if i cant get them to move the metre for a reasonable cost what are the regulations regarding acess to the metre could they make me tear out the kitchen
units that are going there?


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[Specialist]

Why would they make you tear out the units ? there are thousands of houses all over the country with meters in kitchen units, it seemed to be the in thing years ago.

 

[davegt3]

just wanted to make sure that when it comes up for replacement and the metre is in the back of the cupboard that they dont come out and say sorry not enough room to acess it properly of what ever

 

[Spazz]

The Supplier would have to do it, as the main fuse would have to be pulled. Some Electricians do this but only the main Distributors are allowed to do this. This means that both the supplier and distributor would have to visit the property.

This is a very expensive job.

Again like I said some electricians would do it for a low cheaper price but they will not be complying with regulations or the DNO requirements.

It might also be classed as criminal damage as the ties have to be cut, and in-dangering life. If you get an electrician in just make sure they put ties on everything for your (and family) safety.



Why dont you get the CU (fuse box) changed before the new kitchen goes back in - this way there is no question about room and the new CU can also be mounted in the cupboard out of the way as well.

 

[davegt3]

were in the process of finding out aboput getting the fuse box replaced as the current one is a bit on the dated side of things lol would just make things so much easier if the meter was the other side of the wall

 

[LlandrilloSpark]

Hands up....,.. Have any of us moved a meter before???, I'm saying nothing

 

[Swicade]

As mentioned by many already the Cutout fuse and meter can only be moved by your supplier at an often extortionate price. Price can be lowered abit by getting a builder to supply the exterior box and getting the builder to do any necessary groundworks (if any are needed) as the supply company will charge over the odds for this.It would be beneficial during this to get the Supply company to also fit a Double Pole Isolator making the change of the fuseboard alot easier and safer.

Straight forward fuseboard change (to new 17th edition consumer unit) averages around £350-400 but extra costs will be involed for Main earth bonding upgrade (very likely in your situation) and possible circuit cable upgrades depending on existing wiring.

Meter move charges by supply companies vary alot so you'll need to try and get one of thier surveyors out to get a better idea. For fuseboard upgrade change it's likely anywhere between £350-£1000 pounds depending whats found.

One thing to take into account is that any upgrade to an electrical system is a very good (if expensive) thing for safety and well worth doing. My usual advice (as many advise) is to get at least 3 quotes, if 1 quote is alot cheaper than the others steer well clear and go for one of the quotes are that are pretty similar in price (cheaper quote often leads to either substandard work or alot of extra's added resulting in paying alot more at the end).

 

[Spazz]

Hands up....,.. Have any of us moved a meter before???, I'm saying nothing

Nor am I saying anything

 

[Specialist]

Hands up....,.. Have any of us moved a meter before???, I'm saying nothing

Yep: But then I was contracting to Swalec at the time