My smart meter couldn't be installed because the traditional meter is too old and has asbestos fuses - what should I do now?

It also seems to slow the process down by Ovo requiring that their engineer inspect the issue. I wonder if it would be useful to allow customers to nominate a qualified and registered electrician to communicate the observed fault to the supplier (or DNO), saving everyone time on this.

I agree with you @killicrankie. It should possible for a DNO to receive an email with a photo of a customer’s meter board and automatically take it forward from there. Any network engineer would see the dual fuse-housing and assign the required B11 code to a job-sheet.

In fact the DNO will benefit financially from doing so. They are operating under a pricing constraint called RIIO-ED1. Ofgem requires them to make efficiency savings to hit agreed targets.. Being able to receive and act on such a report directly from the public can be logged as a credit towards those targets.

That’s a brilliant idea @Transparent . That would be the quickest way in getting this resolved.

In fact, if the DNO won’t do this, it would also make sense if OVO could do this instead of booking an engineer to visit.

I’ve moved your comment to a new topic here, @Transparent - I’ll need your help to edit to so it stands alone without users having to see this thread for context!

Hi, I’ve been trying to get a smart meter installed for best part of 2 years now.

The initial ovo engineer who visited commented that I had asbestos based fuses and that this will need to be replaced before a smart meter could be installed. he said that ovo would contact the ODN which is UK Power Networks..

However it’s been passed between the two companies and nothing has moved forward for pretty much the 2 years. I want OVO to own this. As a paying customer, they should be sorting this out.

I logged a request in to the UK Power Networks site to replace the fuse, however it explicitly mentions on the application

“Supplier Request - If you have been referred to us by your electricity supplier, for example they have been unable to change your meter because of an issue with our equipment, you will need to go back to your supplier.

They will need to send a data flow known as a D0135 to us, this has to be sent by the supplier and they cannot request that you contact us to arrange these works. This is to ensure that the correct party is billed for the work.”

OVO appear to passing the buck here and nothing is moving. Any suggestions?

Picture attached of my antiquated fuse

That looks so vintage! It would be a shame to chuck that all out…

When my fuse needed replacing, OVO organised all of that. I wonder why they asked you to do that? Is the fuse still functional, or is it past its life expectancy? 

It is vintage!

The OVO engineer said he is not qualified to touch asbestos based fuses. I can’t blame him for that!

To be honest, just about all asbestos stuff is well past it’s life expectancy at this point.

The more of the stuff we’re able to get rid of, the better!

I can confirm the main fuse is the property of your DNO though and OVO can’t replace it for that reason. I think I’ll ask @Jess_OVO to stop by on this one though, as it’s probably about time your fuses actually got replaced.

Good question here, @ovo_lego and one that’s been asked before:

Why are asbestos backboards an issue?

In some properties, meter backboards were fitted which were made out of asbestos. There are a number of safety issues with asbestos backboards, and if damaged, can pose a serious risk to the occupants of the property. We're unable to remove or fit meters onto asbestos backboards, as there is a high chance that the asbestos would be disturbed and release dangerous particles into the air. Therefore, any job in which an asbestos backboard is present will be aborted by our engineers.

Who’s responsible for replacing a meter backboard?

As you can see on our great guide, the meter backboard is maintained by your Distribution Network Operator (DNO). The DNO should contact you to schedule in the necessary work based on it’s urgency, see the timeframes for each category below:

Unfortunately we cannot speed any of these up - as they are decided by the DNO, although if you’re still waiting to hear from them it might be worth contacting them directly to check when the maintenance work will be scheduled.

You can find out more about DNO’s (including their contact details) on our DNO guide.

I’ve had the meter board replaced - How do I re-book a smart meter exchange?

Great news! You can usually re-book a smart meter appointment on your online account or OVO app (download for Android or iOS). If you’re unable to do this here, reach out to our Support Team (they may need to log that the asbestos has been removed before booking).

You’ll soon be able to enjoy the benefits of a smart meter!

@ovo_lego in your case it sounds like the DNO are implying they haven’t received the report (data flow known as a D0135) from us. Our Support Team should be able to get another OVO team to check and make sure that has been sent. 

Sigh…. same old reply….

You are neglecting to read the part where UK Power Networks state:

“Supplier Request - If you have been referred to us by your electricity supplier, for example they have been unable to change your meter because of an issue with our equipment, you will need to go back to your supplier.

They will need to send a data flow known as a D0135 to us, this has to be sent by the supplier and they cannot request that you contact us to arrange these works. This is to ensure that the correct party is billed for the work.”

What do I need to do to confirm whether OVO has sent in the D0135 has been sent to UK Power networks that will allow this work to be booked in and charged back to OVO accordingly?

Thanks.