Meter boxes often need replacements after a certain due to natural degradation like from frost and winds.
Most often this happens as we are bound to keep them outdoors where artificial vandalism also becomes an issue.
Some forty years ago, the answer to this question was easy as it was the sole responsibility of the gas or electric board meter companies to replace the faulty ones.
However, the time has changed a lot now and today after the deregulation came into existence, it is no longer the responsibility of electric companies to do that.
So, who is responsible for replacing the electric meter box now?
There are two important conditions to this question.
- As the homeowner, the whole responsibility of any change to a faulty electric meter lies on your shoulders only.
- However, things are tricky for social or shared kinds of houses, where the same is still unclear.
PS – Ultimately the responsibility is going to fall on the property owner only.
Installing an electric meter box – Safety and precautions:
It’s certainly not a super difficult job and one does it by themselves also provided they know the way of doing it.
Also, if you want to do it yourself, make sure you take ample precautionary measures before starting because tampering with electricity is not cool.
- Switch off all the electrical appliances so that none of them short out later. Also, make sure there is nothing inside your freezer because the power will remain shut for some time.
- Contact your electric company beforehand and let them shut off all power supply to your home.
Ensure that the power to your home is cut and don’t forget to tear the security tag that comes with the meter so the provider can fetch you a brand new one.
Crucial steps of a meter box installation:
Going ahead from the steps above, make sure you understand the process properly and go as follow then –
- Disable the High-Voltage feed with a wrench by unscrewing the cover which goes as the earth wire/ ground wire.
- Then tear the security tag with the help of a wire cutter and this will assist you to remove the meter. You can now visualize the connection terminals and there is a clamp holder there who is holding everything in place. You will also see the line and load side wires in a triple group, where the line connects to the electric pole, load connects to the home.
- Remove the insulation layer with some terminals by using a wire stripper and you will observe black or hot wires and white taped neutral wires.
- Then, move ahead by connecting the wires to their places on the new meter box by slipping and screwing technique. On the upper terminal, connect the line wires and do vice-versa on the bottom lower load terminal.
- Lastly, reconnect the wires and the high-voltage feed, and the earth wire.
PS – While you must have everything professionally, but one good recommendation is to have an expert electrician look at it to find any issue.
Because you do want to harm family or yourselves.
Bypassing the electric meter:
This is an electricity theft and means a prison or some fine.
- Tampering with the electricity meter is a punishable offense where one cheats with their meter box.
- The offender’s meter box does not record any electricity which is bypassing the electric meter reading.
PS – Offense is one thing, but this is also very dangerous because it involves electricity-related hazards.
Some other questions,
Related Questions and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
Q1.) Can one change their electric meter without informing the company?
Answer: No, it is illegal and possesses risk.
Only if you have the permission and the security tag with you, go ahead.
Q2.) How to replace your electric meter?
Answer: Contact the electricity retailer if you need a new connection of electricity for business or home.
They will then send the accredited version and appoint a legal person to install it for you.
Q3.) How much money do you need to spend in the UK for replacing the fuse box of the house?
Answer: One can expect to spend around 100 to 500 Euros and the average cost can be around 300 Euros.
The circuit breaker comes at 55 Euro on average.
Q4.) How much money do I need to spend on the replacement of the electrical panel?
Answer: $789 to $1,200 for a replacement for the 100 amps version and the 400 amp can cost easily up to $2500.
Q5.) Can one have faulty gas or electric meters at their homes?
Answer: No!
They are very rare. However, rarely doesn’t mean that they do not come with some faults of their own.
One needs to keep an eye as not only they are a potential safety hazard, but they can hurt your pocket.
Q6.) Who is responsible for UK meter boxes?
Answer: Though there is no proper rule, the responsibility falls on the shoulders of a property owner only.
And when it comes to the gas meter boxes, the companies can have some agreements with the consumer.
Q7.) Does my electric company own my meter also?
Answer: There are only a few things that come under the National grid.
First, the electric line from the service pole to the residence.
Second, the electric meter.
Q8.) Who installs the new meters?
Answer: We call them energy retailers or the company which sends you the bills.
They are solely responsible for the installation of the new or their replacement units.
And the smart meter is the new one that uses digital reading and is helpful for small businesses or residences.
Q9.) How can one pay for the smart meters?
Answer: They are the pioneers of next-generation electric meters.
They send the meter readings to the concerned supplier automatically!
You need not pay any money upfront to get a smart meter and the bill you receive is the same as the old ones.
Q10.) What are the shelf lives of electric meters?
Answer: Ten years and Twenty years!
You can call them Validity of the certification.
10 years for the induction ones and 20 for the static ones.
Q11.) Can we sell a house if it has the old kind of fuse box?
Answer: Yes!
The pricing can be less or seek out a cash buyer.
It is best to sell the house rather than go through the efforts needed in changing it to a modern breaker box.
Q12.) Is it mandatory to change the plastic consumer units in This Year?
Answer: No!
- With the new regulation, the old styles of plastic CUs are not outdated, however, don’t rush out to replace them yet.
- You just need to make sure that their safety features remain up to date and they have their enclosed shelling.
PS – If the old plastic consumer units are in a non-combustible casing, they are liable to remain a part of your property.
Q13.) Does the homeowner’s insurance cover the replacement of electrical panels?
Answer: Yes!
One can get them covered if they are damaged by certain perils.
- For those thinking, what are those perils? Let us explain!
- These cover and include fires, floods, storms, and other miscellaneous.
- However, if the damage occurs due to non-maintenance or aging, insurance will end.
Q14.) How to replace the breaker box ourselves?
Answer: No!
Don’t do it!
When you are replacing the breaker box, you must install wires and other cables along with an electric meter.
This part is dangerous and if you are not Thor better do not touch it!
Q15.) When to upgrade the electrical panel?
Answer: Under normal circumstances, it doesn’t need an upgradation.
However, if your lights are dimming a lot or have a flickering issue, then you should go for a panel change.
If the panel is of 60 amp, then change it asap while if it is 100 amp and flickering still happens, change it as well.
Q16.) Should you lock the electric meter?
Answer: No!
Do not use any padlocks or similar of your private ones.
As, in case of a fire or similar incidents, the meter readers or crew persons will be able to read the readings.
Final Verdict:
By now we know that an electric meter has lots of uses such as measuring the amount of electricity being used by your business or home.
Also, it tracks this on the Kilowatt per hour unit which is the standard one across the country.
The same unit above is the reading which electric companies take to generate the billing.
One should replace the electric meter with full understanding by taking all the precautionary measures to avoid getting electrocuted.
When it comes to an electric or gas meter box replacement, questions are plenty such as Who will bear the replacement cost? Or Who will pay for the replacement in social houses.
Some forty-five years ago, the scenario was simple and different where you don’t need to pay for any kind of changes or replacement to the electric meter box.
Soon, delimitation happened, and the rule was dissolved. Now, it became the sole responsibility of the property owner to pay for it.
Since the electric meter boxes are on the outside of your houses, they are bound to vandalism, frost, and wind damages.
This necessitates their change from time to time. However, there is no clear who will pay for the replacement in social houses.
If you want to go the DIY way of an electric meter box replacement, make sure you do that after lots of thought processes.
Thanks For Reading!