Challenges in Electricity Metering in Northern Scotland

Metering is a topical issue and has been for the past 2-3 years.

This isn't just renewable energy specific, but is the case if you are building a new house or want to have a failed meter replaced. The energy companies, who own the meters, just don't have enough metering engineers in the north of Scotland. New sites can be waiting up to 6 months for a meter installation, OR a meter change. 

Part of the delays appear to be down to the focus in meeting the installation deadlines for smart meters, and the easiest place to meet the numbers is in centralised built-up areas. So rural areas can sometimes be a low priority.

How does this work?

We all think of SSE (the green vans) as the electricity folk, but they are now SSEN. They control the power lines outside our homes. They have sold the division of their company that used to sell electricity (and hence operate the meters) to OVO.

But it's still a wee bit confusing because there is still a sub division of OVO called SSE Energy Services, and these folk were the ones associated with FITs and exports. They are an electricity supplier, just like E.ON, EDF, British Gas and so on.

SSEN only deal with the electricity up until your main fuse, or cut out. Thereafter the electricity meter belongs to your electricity supplier, the people you buy your electricity from.

Plan Ahead to Avoid Project Delays

Whilst fitting meters is a relatively straightforward thing to do for any trained electrician and maintenance engineer, it's quite heavily controlled by the electricity companies.

A single phase meter engineer cannot fit a 3 phase meter. A 3 phase meter engineer (we believe) can fit a single phase meter. How do we know? Because of the amount of failed appointments for customers where the engineer turns up after a 6-week lead time, says they cannot do the job. "Oh, it's 3 phase, I don't do 3 phase". And then you are back in the queue, on hold, waiting to book another appointment for 6 weeks' time.

So think carefully about how metering or meter changes can affect your project. We are aware of examples where metering issues have generated up to 3 months delay. If metering changes are required, get onto them early in the project so that they don't hold anything up.