We recently had an electrician in who said we have a very old and the original electricity supply box, even though we have a smart meter. He described it as “a biscuit tin” and it needs changing because it will be increasing the amount of energy we use. I have attached a picture of what it looks like.
Who would I contact to change this and can they do it as I don’t want to be charged more than necessary, especially as all other costs are increasing.
Best answer by Blastoise186
Updated on 17/12/24 by Abby_OVO
Ok, your DNO has been identified successfully. :) I’ve just had a really nice chat with Electricity North West for you and they’ve given me exactly the answer you need. Here’s what they told me. This exact answer has been adapted for agardner1 and might not be suitable for anyone else.
As this is just a main fuse upgrade, please email connectionapplications@enwl.co.uk . This one’s best used for general upgrades only in cases where it’s not a safety concern - simply request a main fuse upgrade and they’ll help you out. Oh, and this only works for properties in their area.
Not sure who your DNO is? This guide should help you out!
If you need it done urgently because of a safety concern, give them a call on 105 and they’ll be able to arrange an emergency engineer visit. I’m not aware of any charges but either way, you’ll always be informed upfront.
Hope this helps! If you get stuck, give them a call on 0800 195 4141 and they can guide you through the process. It’s option 4 then option 1.
We’ve got some other topics which may also be helpful in this case:
You can’t buy me on eBay though! :P
No you can't ...thank goodness for this forum!!!
+3UK power networks were very helpful and efficient when I wanted my main fuse upgraded. They asked me to video the route from pavement to fuse box so they could see the job before they got here. I’m in Surrey and the engineers were ’Mac and Cheese’ !! Thoroughly recommended.
Thank you, hopefully if they come out for a look or get in touch as I've put an online form in earlier with them with a photograph attached. They might need some extra info from what you say then like a video, luckily the front garden to the pavement is just gravel. Did they just upgrade the old fuse switch/main switch?
+3Mine was a 60 amp to 100 amp fuse. They did come and look at the job too, now I recall, then changed the fuse on their second visit. No charge !
Oh that's good. I have no idea what mine is but all I know it's very old and needs updating it seems. I've not had any issues but just old.
Up to you. I’d say Online is probably easier though. The site visit is free - you won’t be charged for anything without your explicit permission either.
Hi I spoke to you via messages a few days ago. Just wanted to update you. Ukpn have been out this morning. They have replaced one of the old things but not the other he did say he had a new other bit (please excuse my no understanding of the names!) because he said there was too many wires from the consumer unit. I'll attach photos of the before and after, can you let me know if they have done what they should of please? I know in time when I can afford it I will update the consumer unit but will this old mains switch still cause a problem or will this get replaced when I have that done or should ukpn should of replaced it now do you think? Any advice would be gratefully received.
+1Looks like the Main Fuse was replaced by the DNO Engineer. You should be able to get a Smart Meter far more easily now.
Looks like the Main Fuse was replaced by the DNO Engineer. You should be able to get a Smart Meter far more easily now.
Thank you for the reply and your help!!!
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