UK Shared mains supply

[Seventies1]

Afternoon all, need a bit of advice. I live in a flat in a building which has been divided up into 6 flats, next door is a similar building of 6 flats, both buildings are owned by the same management company. When we get our service charge each year, we have noticed that it says "Landlord supply of electricity for 5 and 7 = £xxxxx /2" so the charge for communal lighting is split with next door. We always thought this to be curious until we had an electrician come and do some work in our electricity cupboard.

He pointed out there was a cable running from our communal supply meter, down through the floorboards. he also noticed that the isolation switches were doubled up, ie 2 switches for lights, 2 for sockets. Only one of these switches affected our lights or sockets. We called the supplier and they confirmed that there was no landlords supply for 7 (we are 5) We knocked at 7 and they told us they had no meters for landlords supply, only their own meters for th individual flats, as do we.

So my question is: Is this legal?

 

[Seventies1]

Thanks for the replies, all very useful. We have identified that 2 of the RCD switches are associated with our building, lights and sockets. We switched off the other lights one and the communal lights in 7 went out, we assume the sockets one would have the same effect. The Electricity bill is based on actual reads, not estimates and the bills we are paying are reflected in the elec bills, so the amount we are paying is accurate.

The issue is there are outside sodium lights which are on a timer 12 hours a day for both properties, this is obviously the culprit and we have asked the MAnagement Company to remove/replace, as they own all but 1 of the flats in 7, they are refusing.

Hence the reason for us in 5 to go for a right to manage, we cannot do this while we share a utility supply with 7. So we need to find a way of forcing a seperate supply to 7, so they can be billed for what they use and we can be billed for what we use. Then we can get our Right to Manage and install efficient LED lights.

Our question is: Is there a legal/safety route we can go down to force this feed to 7 to be disconnected and a seperate meter point to be installed in 7?

 

[snowhead]

Whoever is doing /going to be doing the legal work for the Right to Manage will be able to sort out the correct way to force the situation with the L-L supply.
It won't be the first time this has happened so they should be familiar with it.

As it is now the Management and their contractors will have right of access to the L-L meter and supply.
At the changeover to Right to Manage this right of access should be removed, that means the L-L cannot maintain their supply to no 7 and would need to arrange a new supply.
I doubt they will be eager to do this so it may end up with no 7 taking over Management and then give the L-L notice to remove thier connection in no 5.

 

[davesparks]

The issue is there are outside sodium lights which are on a timer 12 hours a day for both properties, this is obviously the culprit and we have asked the MAnagement Company to remove/replace, as they own all but 1 of the flats in 7, they are refusing.

Then we can get our Right to Manage and install efficient LED lights.

Sodium lamps and LED are generally the same energy efficiency, depending on exact brand of LED and the technology they use they could be slightly less efficient than the existing sodium lamps.
Don't just assume that your bills will do down because you have installed LED lighting.

Why not adjust the timeswitch so that they are only on at night instead of 12 hours?
Or change the timeswitch for one which automatically tracks dusk/dawn?

 

[snowhead]

Adding to above, instead of just changing the sodiums directly for L.E.D an approppriate lighting scheme needs designing just as has been done when street lights went /go to L.E.D.
A good bit of the saving came from reduced numbers of lights and better positoning of the new L.E.D.

The road I live on had 5 Sodiums on columns, when they were changed to LED it ended up with 4 columns with LED and the pavement and street are fully and better lit and brighter than with the 5.
Immediately there's a 20% saving.

 

[Seventies1]

The sodium lights are timed to be on between 9pm - 9am. As noted above, the idea is to change them to motion sensed LED as the lights cover the car park and front entrance and should only come on when someone gets out of their car or approaches the front door. That is where we hope to make the saving.