Electric Meter And Fuse Box Question

[wolf63]

My electricity is supplied by Scottish Power.

My new flat is supplied by SSE. I have been told that I need a meter upgrade by an electrician. Is SSE responsible for doing this?

Yes, it probably is a stupid question

[Atheist]

I thought the power supplier was responsible for installing a meter.

[klazomaniac]

Very odd that he would suggest such a thing. Are you sure he didn't say that you need a PME installing ?

[klazomaniac]

Atheist. The power supplier is the national grid. The service provider is responsible for all metering.

[wolf63]

He said that the meter needs to be checked with the possibility of meter tails being upgraded. I wanted a smart meter installed too.

[klazomaniac]

Right. That sounds better. You will have old style 16mm squared tails with a Earth (main CPC) of 6mm.
Regulations for new installations are (and have been for some time) 25mm and 16mm

Contact your service provider and ask for a New smart meter to be installed. (Should be free of charge) But as you know, they may ask for a fee. Tell them you will swap service provders. I'm very sure you will get the upgrade for free. When the new meter is installed, They will change the tails at the same time as they have to conform to regulations.

[klazomaniac]

The link below is from SSE. AS you can see, They're installing for free.

https://sse.co.uk/smart-meters

[Buenchico]

The company that actually owns your electricity meter is Scottish & Southern Electricity Networks. Phone [phone] to ask them for their advice on the matter.

[klazomaniac]

Please don't just look at the picture as that is just an 'In-Home Display unit' They will provide the smart meter that works in conjunction with the in home display. ALL for free.

[wolf63]

Klazomaniac - your explanation makes more sense than the one given to me by the 18-year-old electrician. He was very informative but it meant nothing to me.

I have emailed SSE, they are supplying the electricity at present so I will just stick with them.

He was muttering about lead pipes.

And my storage heaters - he explained that newer ones are more flexible so I may as well investigate getting them changed. I would prefer to get things done before paying to get the place decorated.

I am taking the bath out and getting a walk-in shower installed. This means that the two immersion tanks (pressure tank?) will be heating up water for the two sinks only. Is there an alternative way of heating water in such small amounts?

The guy tried to be helpful but to me, electricity is magic and invisible.

[wolf63]

I took so long typing that rambling post that there are more answers.

I will set up an account with SSE and get the meter sorted.

This is seriously doing my head in. Waiting around in an empty flat for tradesmen is frustrating and by the time the locksmith arrived four hours late, I was ready to burst out crying. But he was very nice and very apologetic.

I am going to have a nap.

[klazomaniac]

Sounds like you are moving into a property that has not been upgraded for some time if you have lead pipes in the installation. Personally I wouldn't want lead pipes in my house. If it is only the main water feed into your house (and the rest of the house has copper piping running through it. You can request from your local water board to replace this under the lead replacement act. But you will have to have the new main Dp (blue 25mm waterpipe) installed yourself to your boundry where the waterboard will connect you for free. As for the storage heaters. It sounds as if the young lad is saying that your heaters will cost a lot to run. as newer heaters are more efficient. that is up to you whether you fancy incurring more costs for newer models. The wiring to each heater will be the same. so no need to rewire. just swap the storage heaters itself. But that would be pricey and may take you many years to get that money back from savings on your electricity bill. Something only you can decide.

[klazomaniac]

Wolf63, Moving house is one of the most traumatic things that most people do in there lives. Chin up. After you've moved in I'm sure you'll be very happy. Try and stay positive :-)

[barry1010]

The H is a 2015 model, the U is a 2021 model

[barry1010]

The H is a 2015 model, the U is a 2021 model

[237SJ]

Have a look at Trustpilot before you sign up with SSE.

[Ryzen]

Did the electrician tell you to upgrade the meter or fusebox?

[Tuvok]

As has been said the majority of the power grid in Scotland is SSE. There is one area where Scottish Power owns that part of the grid.

However your provider can be a different company. Its all the same electric, you are just paying the different company.

When we were with Scottish Gas for our electric they changed the meter (to a first gen smart meter) not SSE.

My current supplier keeps asking me to change to a smart meter. They would be the ones to install it, not SSE.

[Dizmo]

I hope you have more luck with SSE than we did. My OH made them aware she's autistic. Instead of taking slower and making sure she understood what they were saying, they talked quicker and lied to her about the standing charge and unit costs. They also tried to bully her into changing broadband providers.

That's just our experience of them. It may just have been bad luck. We've only dealt with them on one occasion.

[The Builder]

Wolf... if you take the immersion out, then, as you say, you'll need hot water supplied to the kitchen sink and the bathroom basin.

You could fit undersink water heaters to each of them.
But.... you will need wiring for them which, for the basin in the bathroom gets complicated to meet the regulations.
It can be done though.

Alternatively... fit a small "Multipoint" in the airing cupboard in place of the immersion cylinder.
Unfortunately, they tend not to give a very hefty flow. Nothing like the flow from a tap.
Also, being around 10kw, it would need a new 10mm cable from the consumer unit to the multipoint. That can be an expensive faff if there's no direct route.
The plumbing would be easy though. Just connect to the existing pipework.

All in all, I really think you would be just as well off keeping the existing cylinder

[wolf63]

Gosh, this got complicated real fast.

237SJ, I tried phoning them. That alone was a nightmare, I eventually sent them an email.

My initial query was which company changes meters? I realise that all electricity is the same and it is administered by different companies. I didn't know if each company was responsible for the upkeep of their own customer's meters.

I shall ponder over all the kind info that each of you has supplied. I am getting a sore head thinking about it all. It is a first floor flat in the city centre, the location is perfect.

Thanks!