Best practice guidance for the delivery of energy efficiency advice to households during smart meter installation visits
Meter Operators are encouraged to provide quality energy efficiency advice to households during smart meter installation visits. The Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has published a toolkit for installers and ten fact sheets on the GOV.UK Website.
Advanced Metering Communications Good Practice Guide
Advanced Meters for CT Metering Systems
Asbestos Reference Document
Meter Box Specifications
Many manufactures produce electricity and gas meter boxes; a search of the internet will list several manufacturers/suppliers. Standard meter boxes are available from many builders merchants. BS 8499:2009 Specification for domestic gas meter boxes and meter bracket, was published in 2009 and BS 8567:2012 Specification for outdoor electricity meter cupboards, was published in 2012.
Metering Equipment Packaging and Transportation Guidance
Removal of the cut-out fuse to fit an isolator switch or change a consumer unit
Electricians are not permitted to remove the cut-out fuse to fit an isolator switch or change a consumer unit. To remove the cut-out fuse the security seals will be broken, this is not only dangerous but can leave you and/or the property owner liable to prosecution for energy theft.
Electrical Connections to Gas Meters
Making electrical connections to gas meters must be made by a suitably qualified person, who is acting within the various rules, laws, regulations, directives and standards that relate to hazardous areas and intrinsic safety. Guidance can be sought from the IGEM document GM/7. You must contact the owner of the equipment for permission prior to making any electrical connection. In April 2010 the AMO produced this model agreement for making a connection. Existing connections must not be disturbed without permission of the meter owner.
Length of Meter Tails
The meter tails should be as short as possible. Different metering companies have different policies but the length should always be less than 3 metres of cable from the cut-out through the metering equipment to the consumer unit. A example may be 1m of cable from the cut-out to the meter, then 1.5m from the meter to the consumer unit. The meter tail cable size must be consistent. BS7671 Reg. 434.2.1 gives some guidance. If the consumer unit is required to be further away, then a switch-fuse unit should be installed close to the meter and a sub-main compliant with BS7671.
Sub-meter Standards - Residential, Commercial or Light Industrial Use
Statutory Instrument SI1153:2016 applies: “…3. – (2) … (b) gas meters for use for trade except a gas meter which is used under an agreement providing for the supply of a quantity of gas at a rate of flow which, if measured at a temperature of 15°C and a pressure of 1013.25 millibars, would exceed 1600 cubic meters an hour (or the equivalent quantity in kilograms); (c) active electrical energy meters for use for trade other than an instrument which is used under an agreement providing for the supply of active electrical energy where – (i) the maximum quantity supplied exceeds 100 kilowatts per hour; and (ii) the instrument provides measurement on a half-hourly basis;…” This means sub-meters are within the scope of the SIs when used for trade. In practice, where the owner of a multi-building commercial premises installs sub-meters to determine each building. If these meters are used for energy management purposes, they do not need to comply with the SIs. If the owner then rents out one of the buildings to a tenant and uses the meter for recharging the energy to that customer then the meter is used for “trade” and, to be legal trade, the metering should comply with the SI.
Reverse Running Meters Guidance
The AMO has participated in work with other industry stakeholders and regulators to investigate where meters run in reverse. See FAQs for links to other stakeholder information. The AMO has prepared a technical document which explains the background and detail of the issue. The AMO has also published a list of suspect meters; this has been revised in September 2014 – see the updated document which shows the changes. The list is now published as two documents; the shorter list only showing the meters which are suspect, and a longer list showing all the meters based upon a list from the NMO Schedule 4.