Electric meter lifespan

Round here, there are old analogue 40A Landis Gyr meters still in service from the 1950's. However it is not your equipment, it is the Electricity Suppliers equipment and they can replace as they see fit.

 

Yep just make sure you take a picture of the old meter readings before they change over the meter. We had an analogue changed over to a numbered (not digital) meter - much easier to read. They somehow took down the wrong reading and a few weeks we were sent a electricity bill for over £5000.... a lot of ringing around, they soon accepted their mistake.

It would also be a good opportunity to check your meter tails, most fitters won't change them - but can be persuaded to upgrade to 25mm tails

 

It's surprising (at least down here anyway!) the amount of meter heads that won't physically take 25mm tails. To be honest, most encountered in this way always have a 60 amp cut-out so 16mm are fine.

 

Meters have always had a specified 'in service life' dictated by the original Electricity Supply Meter Act or SMA (Statutory Metering Act) I think.

This was 10 years for Two Rate Meters (E7 White Meter etc) and 20 years for single rate meters.

When electronic Meters came out like Card Meters and Radio Telemeters these meters had to be changed at 10 years also.

Since 2006 ESMA has now stood for Europeon Smart Metering Alliance

 

Exactly Fats - I wonder what the DNO think of 25mm meter tails in an average dom situation..and exactly when are they really indicated?

 

My DNO will never fit larger than an 80amp fuse on a standard service. 16mm tails are the norm for us and them.

If your service arrangement requires 100amp fuses, they use a larger head, before hitting the CT metering.

This is a WPD 100amp service (69kVA). Anything larger is then CT.



And out of interest, the service cable feeding this is a SPLIT concentric type, providing a TN-S supply.

 

Sorry lec I have to disagree I've worked on metering installations for the past 15 years and I'm based in the WPD area and they like the vast majority of DNOs do fit 100amp fuses into a standard 100amp head the above is very much a rarity on the majority of whole current installations, some are fitting the larger 200amp head in industrial and commercial sites as it allows an easy change to a CT supply.

 

Don't agree. Certainly not may area. Perhaps you are in one the newly aquired areas?

 

My area also no longer fit split CT installs with a separate LUCY head and CT sat on top. They are the combined ryefield chambers.

I have dealt with WPD on provisioning and upgrades of supplies for just over 15 years.

 

Lec I totally agree on the CT units, they're very nice to deal with. I can't remember the last time I worked on one of the larger heads like you posted for whole current and they were all existing I've never seen one installed on a new supply always a Henley series 7 or 8 unless it's had a 200amp head in.

I'm based in devon but cover anywhere in the south of England, I do enjoy working with WPD rather than some of the other DNOs they still seem to do a good job.