Updated on 14/07/23 by Abby_OVO
Your meter setup can be a complex beast of many parts all owned and maintained by different people. So we’ve put together this handy guide to help you figure things out and know who to contact in case something goes wrong or you’re looking to do some home improvements!
Electricity
Example of electricity meter setup:
Parts maintained by your Distribution Network Operator (DNO)
- Meter tails before the cutout
- Meter backboard (although technically part of your property your DNO can help replace this)
- Cut-out (also known as 'service head'), which holds the main fuse - Its purpose is to absorb any energy surges which could damage the wiring and appliances within the property
You should contact the DNO in the event of:
- Loss of power which is affecting your neighbours too
- Emergencies or repairs required to your main fuse or main service cable
- Meter relocations beyond the current meter back-board, (check out more on that here).
To find out who your DNO is, check out this handy topic below:
Parts belonging to your energy supplier (that could be us!)
- Meter (traditional or smart) - this records the electricity consumption of all electrical items in the property
- Meter tails between cut-out to meter and between meter and isolation switch - they carry current between pieces of equipment
- Time-switch (for older Economy-7 meters) - this dictates when each register on a meter records consumption
You will need to book an engineers visit with OVO:
- To upgrade to a smart meter
- Report a suspected meter fault
- Isolation switch installation
- Meter relocation on current back board
Parts belonging to the Home-Owner (that could be you) or Landlord
- Consumer unit (also know as a fuse box)
- All the wiring from the consumer unit into their property and appliances
- Meter box
You should contact an electrician in the event of:
- Issues with your consumer unit or an appliance
- Rewiring
- Installation of new appliances
- Shocks from appliance
- Appliance causing fuse to trip
- Sparking, smoking, overheated appliance
- Any faults after the meter towards house
Gas
Example of gas meter setup:
Parts belonging to your Gas Transporter
- Incoming pipework
- Emergency Control Valve (also known as the ECV or isolation valve)
Contact your transporter in the case of:
- Suspected mains gas leak
- Meter relocation
Parts belonging to your supplier (that could be us)
- Inlet pipe (also known as flexi pipe or anaconda)
- Regulator - this maintains the gas pressure to the meter
- Meter - this records the gas consumption of all gas appliances in the property
You will need to book an engineers visit with OVO:
- To upgrade to a smart meter
- Report a suspected meter fault
Parts belonging to the Home-Owner or Landlord
- Outgoing pipework from meter
- Gas appliances
You should contact a gas-safe engineer in the event of:
- Issues with your gas appliances or boiler
- Installation of new appliances
Hope this helps clear things up slightly.
Still confused? Comment below (pictures help) and we’ll help work out who owns that bit!