re-siting the meter = £2000!! UK Power Networks

[pk1977]

any advice appreciated!

my dad is having major works to his bungalow and the meter needs to be relocated to a temporary location outside (in a special cabinet).

to disconnect the existing underground single phase supply and to set up a new 100A service he has been quoted £2000!
(that;s not including the groundworks, cabinet, new fusebox etc etc)

Is this quote correct? Is there an alternative to UKPN??
thanks

 

[Iggifer]

Yes that sounds about right

No there is no alternative, if they are your DNO that is the only option.

You say temporary relocation? Are you planning on moving it somewhere else at a later date? That will likely cost you another £2000

 

[pk1977]

thanks Iggifer
Yes it's temporary because the kitchen is structurally unsafe and major works are needed, perhaps even a demolition of the entire bungalow (a very old building).

I'm trying to work out a way to cut down on the cost as my dad's a pensioner and can't spend £2k or even £4k on this...

 

[bernardgreen]

No Alternative, they are the DNO

But that is a quote. Unless it was based on a site visit by a UKPN surveyor then it is almost certainly the maximum you will have to pay.

The quote for my new supply was £ 3000 which I paid to get the project started. The surveyor arrived to draw up the work plan and suggested a minor alteration to my plans would save me a few pennies. It did, the refund was £ 2100 bring the cost for a new supply down to £ 900.

The change was to have the joint to the street cable under a grass verge instead of my driveway meaning my trench had to be two metres longer.

Some work is contestable. This is work you can do to reduce the cost or have UKPN do the work and they charge you for it.

 

[Iggifer]

There are are people much more experienced with meter moves than me, but you will be able to keep the cost at £2000 if you're willing to dig the trench/get the trench dug to their specs.

The best way to do it would be to try and get somewhere permanent for it to live built first, this will negate the need to move it again once building works are completed.

If there is an exterior wall that will remain, I'd go with that, if you're planning on knocking the whole thing down, presumably he will have to live somewhere else temporarily and if this is the case, perhaps just bring this forward and have UKPN disconnect the supply and then reinstate in the new location when rebuilt?

 

[pk1977]

ok i think there are experts here...

i prepared this diagram earlier which shows the situation:

Untitled

• pk1977
• 21 Aug 2013
• 1

I guess, there's no need to dig two holes (eg one to permanently disconnect at point B and then a new connection at point E)?

 

[westie101]

Find a location close to the existing cable run and build a brick or stone cubicle about 1.2m high, 1m wide and 1m deep, in the larger rear wall fit an outdoor cabinet to take the DNO cut-out & meter, inside fit an 80A switch fuse feeding a small consumer unit to provide site power during the work.
Note you will need to be sure of the earthing arrangements as a TNCS cannot be used for a temporary supply

On completion leave the metering where it is and lay a 16 or 25 mm cable from the switch fuse into the bungalow and to the consumer unit in there.

Only one bill from the DNO and if all excavation is on private property that will show a huge saving.

 

[Iggifer]

I was going to suggest a 'meter house' but wasnt sure if they'd go for that.

Westie has the answer

 

[flyingsparks]

Westie's idea is just wha I was thinking, only I was 47 mins too late...

 

[bernardgreen]

That could explain why a neighbour's meter is in the wall next to the entrance gates.

 

[pk1977]

Find a location close to the existing cable run and build a brick or stone cubicle about 1.2m high, 1m wide and 1m deep, in the larger rear wall fit an outdoor cabinet to take the DNO cut-out & meter, inside fit an 80A switch fuse feeding a small consumer unit to provide site power during the work.
Note you will need to be sure of the earthing arrangements as a TNCS cannot be used for a temporary supply

On completion leave the metering where it is and lay a 16 or 25 mm cable from the switch fuse into the bungalow and to the consumer unit in there.

Only one bill from the DNO and if all excavation is on private property that will show a huge saving.

Thanks westie

One question though - in the event the bungalow has to be rebuilt, it may be re sited further west...
This means that the fixed, outdoor meter, as you described, might be 40-50m from the new building.

Won't there be a voltage drop? Or can this be remedied by a thicker cable??
Thanks!!

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Won't there be a voltage drop? Or can this be remedied by a thicker cable??

Yes and yes.

Seek the advice of your electrician - you don't need to worry about the cable size yet, but he does need to make sure that the switchfuse he installs has terminals large enough to take the largest cable which might be needed.

 

[phatboy]

If its structural issues, is there not an insurance policy that will cover this? If they will cover the building repair costs, I would expect they would cover this work as well as its part of the same.

 

[pk1977]

Won't there be a voltage drop? Or can this be remedied by a thicker cable??

Yes and yes.

Seek the advice of your electrician - you don't need to worry about the cable size yet, but he does need to make sure that the switchfuse he installs has terminals large enough to take the largest cable which might be needed.

thanks - what's the practical issues surrounding having a very long cable from meter to house though??

assuming the right cable is selected, would you still expect reliability problems at all (based solely on the length of cable)?
and what about "wastage" of electrical energy? ie the long cable has clearly got X amount of Ohms, would that lead to electricity being wasted and having higher bills??

sorry for all the questions, I'm trying to make the most informed decision I can and will definitely ask the electrician to give me his opinion too

 

[Iggifer]

if it's a 40-50m run you will find it's probably going to need to be an impractical size of cable to get around volt drop unfortunately