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Engineer unable disconnect my supply to install the replacement meter- Fuse box shared with other flats

  • 7 December 2023
  • 8 replies
  • 318 views
J
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I had a SMETS2 meter installed a couple of years ago. It worked fine for well over a year and then suddenly stopped working at the start of the year. Trying to arrange a replacement has been an absolute nightmare with failed appointments, etc but an engineer finally turned up today. I’m in a block of six flats with a meter cupboard for all the different properties in the entrance lobby. Adjacent to that is a cupboard, presumably where the mains supply enters the building and also contains all the mains fuses for each property. Unfortunately the fuses aren’t labelled and so he was unable to disconnect my supply to install the replacement meter. I fully understand why he can’t just turn the supply off to every property. He did advise that there was a piece of kit which can establish which incoming supply / fuse leads to which meter but that he didn’t carry one with him. He advised me that it was my responsibility to establish which fuse belongs to my property so that someone can come back and do the work. Is this correct? I would have thought that any infrastructure that comes in from the street, up to and including the meter itself is the responsibility of the supplier. I don’t have the necessary qualification to work out which fuse and wiring belongs to my property, nor do I think it would be safe for me to do so. An engineer must have had a solution when the now faulty smart meter was first installed. Any suggestions on how I proceed would be appreciated.

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Best answer by Emmanuelle_OVO 8 December 2023, 10:33

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BPLightlog
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Hi @john.sheret , I’ve not heard of the situation you describe where a number of property fuses are gathered together separately to the meters. 
I would agree that you shouldn’t be doing the identification as it’s plainly supply side (ie not consumer side) of the power feed. 
There is a way of tracing the cables and there’s also a switching routine that can work but surely the engineer should be the one to do all that. 
Another option is for your DNO to identify the fuse as this is normally their property. Perhaps get in touch with your DNO and ask them. 
You can find yours here https://www.energynetworks.org/customers/find-my-network-operator

Independent volunteer - Sitting in a Faraday cage, waiting for a signal
Emmanuelle_OVO
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Userlevel 7

Hey @john.sheret,

 

That sounds like a frustrating situation,

 

The engineer would need to switch the energy at the property off at the mains when they exchange the meters, so it poses a risk if they could potentially switch of the electricity for a property that isn’t yours. 

 

What is a fuse finder test?

 

Sometimes there may be some confusion about which meter belongs to a customer. This is most common in flats where all the meters are kept together in one room or cupboard. A fuse finder test is a way for an engineer to confirm which electricity meter is the customer's. Before booking a fuse finder test, please complete a Kettle Test (see instructions below). 

 

For gas please perform a Burns Test (see below). 

The engineer uses a piece of equipment that allows them to trace the origin of power from any point in a customer's property. They normally start at a plug socket and work their way back to the customer's meter. This test allows us to confirm which meter serial number (MSN) supplies the customer's property. 
 

How to book a fuse finder test

 

If OVO has asked for the fuse finder test, we won't charge the customer for the visit. OVO follows the normal process for booking a 17 working day appointment. 

 

How to complete a kettle test

 

It is important this test is completed a quiet point of the day so other properties don't interfere with the test.

  To complete a kettle test:

  1.  Take a meter reading from the meters they think might be yours
  2. Turn the kettle on to boil 3 or 4 times 
  3. Check which meter has clocked the usage

    Tip: There may be some usage on all of the meters, but your meter should have clocked a bit more quickly than the others.

 

How to complete a burn test


It is important this test is completed a quiet point of the day so other properties don't interfere with the test.
 To complete a burn test:

 

  1. Ensure all the gas appliances are off
  2. Check the meter stops clocking.
  3. Turn on their gas appliances
  4. Check that the meter starts clocking again
  5. Turn off gas appliances again
  6. Check the meter stops clocking again.


If the meter remains on and off as expected, then we can confirm that that meter supplies a customer's home.  

 

These topics may have some helpful information:

 

 

Hope this helps. 

Renewable Energy? Big Fan.
BPLightlog
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Userlevel 7
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@Emmanuelle_OVO , it sounds like the meters are in a separate area to the main fuses - just to confuse things. 
The engineer would need to be able to know (measure with clamp meter or similar) which fuse feed switches off and on at a designated point to correctly identify unless he can cable trace from the meter to the fuse. So I doubt that the fuse finder test will locate the correct fuse if they’re just looking to identify the meter

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Abby_OVO
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Userlevel 6

Hey @john.sheret 

 

Did you manage to get to the bottom of this one and find the right fuse?

Location: Electric Avenue
J
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Hi @Abby_OVO ,

Not quite yet. A member of the Advanced Resolution Team at OVO advised that I needed to liaise with my DNO, Northern Power to identify the correct fuse. Having had a couple of conversations with Northern Power they were very much of the opinion that I had been advised incorrectly by OVO - apparently a common problem. While the fuse is the responsibility of the DNO, Northern Power told me that it was the responsibility of the supplier to follow their own processes to arrange a fuse finder test. I went back to OVO who apologised for giving me incorrect advice and they have now arranged for one of their own engineers to come out to perform the test in January. I will then need to arrange for another engineer after this to carry out the meter replacement, because it’s apparently not possible for one engineer to carry out both tasks. The saga rolls on!

Emmanuelle_OVO
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Userlevel 7

Yes, it’s as I thought, the supplier is responsible for the fuse finder test. I’m glad OVO have taken responsibility for this and an appointment has been booked.

 

Pop back if you can to update the topic after the appointment. Your advice could be really helpful if another Community Member finds themselves in a similar situation.

 

Have a lovely Christmas @john.sheret 🙂

Renewable Energy? Big Fan.
J
Rank

Thanks @Emmanuelle_OVO 

Bizarrely an engineer arrived half an hour ago for an appointment I knew nothing about. He had come to swap the meter. I had to relay the whole saga to him regarding previous failed attempts and a fuse finder test booked in for 19th January.

You couldn’t make it up!

Have a lovely Christmas yourself!

Emmanuelle_OVO
Rank
Userlevel 7

Oh no! Sorry to hear @john.sheret.

 

If in January the fuse finder appointment doesn’t go ahead or gets cancelled please reach out on the Forum and we’ll get Forum_Support to chase this up for you. 

Renewable Energy? Big Fan.

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