Have to say "DIYer", but I have no intention of doing any work myself - so "Consumer" might be better. Just adding 13A spurs is my limit.
I want to understand smart meters and Economy 7 in detail, before getting anything done at all. That will be after Covid, since there is no hurry.
I also want to have new consumer units. I have 1970s fuse boxes with internal isolation switches.
I assume the DNOs actually change meters, but all the marketing tells us to contact our 'energy supplier'. The national marketing website for them tells me by email that 'many suppliers are not yet able to supply Economy 7 smart meters', and that has started all this research and questioning.
I've got a large analogue meter with two sets of dials, for Economy 7 and daytime rates.
Alongside that, there's a similar size of unit that is a clock and a contactor that energises the Economy 7 circuit for my storage heaters. It also has a signal wire that runs to the meter to tell it to change over to the Economy 7 dials.
Now, I COULD keep all of the above, because it works fine. Suppose then that do NOT get a smart meter...
Shall I get the DNO to put isolating switches between the meter and E7-contactor and the consumer units? The DNO would presumably seal those switches but my electrician would access the top half, perhaps weeks later, to fit new tails from new consumer units.
If so, would the DNO move the existing consumer unit tails up to the top half of the isolating switches? And use some new cable to connect the meter and contactor to the bottom half of the switches and seal them?
A complication is that I am not sure the existing tails would reach back up to where isolating switches would have to be.
If not, the existing tails could be used to the bottom half of the switches instead, BUT would a DNO be prepared to fit new tails from inside the fuse boxes to the top half of the switches?
I suppose I could get the DNO to visit one morning, do all their work and leave, and find an electrician to visit that afternoon to fit new temporary tails to the fuse boxes.
An electrician could come back later on, to replace the consumer units.
This post is long enough, so I'll stop there for now.
I want to understand smart meters and Economy 7 in detail, before getting anything done at all. That will be after Covid, since there is no hurry.
I also want to have new consumer units. I have 1970s fuse boxes with internal isolation switches.
I assume the DNOs actually change meters, but all the marketing tells us to contact our 'energy supplier'. The national marketing website for them tells me by email that 'many suppliers are not yet able to supply Economy 7 smart meters', and that has started all this research and questioning.
I've got a large analogue meter with two sets of dials, for Economy 7 and daytime rates.
Alongside that, there's a similar size of unit that is a clock and a contactor that energises the Economy 7 circuit for my storage heaters. It also has a signal wire that runs to the meter to tell it to change over to the Economy 7 dials.
Now, I COULD keep all of the above, because it works fine. Suppose then that do NOT get a smart meter...
Shall I get the DNO to put isolating switches between the meter and E7-contactor and the consumer units? The DNO would presumably seal those switches but my electrician would access the top half, perhaps weeks later, to fit new tails from new consumer units.
If so, would the DNO move the existing consumer unit tails up to the top half of the isolating switches? And use some new cable to connect the meter and contactor to the bottom half of the switches and seal them?
A complication is that I am not sure the existing tails would reach back up to where isolating switches would have to be.
If not, the existing tails could be used to the bottom half of the switches instead, BUT would a DNO be prepared to fit new tails from inside the fuse boxes to the top half of the switches?
I suppose I could get the DNO to visit one morning, do all their work and leave, and find an electrician to visit that afternoon to fit new temporary tails to the fuse boxes.
An electrician could come back later on, to replace the consumer units.
This post is long enough, so I'll stop there for now.