How to replace an electric meter according to the rules

An electricity meter is necessary in order to determine how much an electricity consumer must pay a supplier, since it is easy to calculate how much electricity is actually consumed for a given period of time. However, there are times when this device also needs to be replaced; accordingly, any person has several logical and adequate questions: at whose expense are these works carried out, who is required to do this and where to start this procedure? In this article we will tell the readers of the site as detailed as possible Elecroexperthow to replace the electric meter in an apartment and a private house.

Reasons for replacing the counter

There may be the following reasons for replacing the meter:

  1. The meter has visible mechanical damage, glass is broken.
  2. The disk of the induction counter does not rotate, the indicator of the electronic counter does not light.
  3. Counter having self-propelled.
  4. The meter incorrectly takes into account electricity and this is recorded by the act of the energy supplying organization.

Preparation of documents

Before proceeding directly to the replacement of the electricity meter, it is necessary to clearly understand that even if it was purchased for the consumer’s money, the removal of seals and interference with the design of this device is prohibited, without the permission of the company that supplies the electricity, that is, Energy Sales.

If the meter is the property of the electricity supplier, it should be replaced free of charge. However, there are times when the meter is the property of the owner. In this case, all work, including replacement, will be paid at the expense of the consumer.

Learn more about who should pay for the replacement of the meterYou can from our article.

In order to change the old electricity meter to a new one, it is necessary:

  1. Take a citizen's passport and documents proving ownership of the premises, which are connected to the power grid. If the replacement is initiated or occurs without an owner, then you need to arm with a power of attorney.
  2. Come with them to the supplier and write a statement about the need to replace the electricity meter.

In turn, the energy supplier must fix it and send it to the inspector, who will draw up an appropriate act on the need for replacement, remove the seals from the electricity meter, and record the latest readings.

Inspector Checks Counter

From this minute, the calculation of consumed electricity by the client will be carried out at the average monthly consumption or standard. About how it is made electricity calculation without meter, we told in a separate article. The installation, or in this case, the replacement, of the meter can be performed independently or paid to the energy supplier for the provision of such a service. The most important thing is to correctly connect and securely fix the electric meter, as well as connect current-carrying parts according to the circuit indicated in the meter's passport.It is best to buy an individual electric meter yourself in an apartment or in a private house from the company supplying electricity. Often they have such a product in stock, it is certified and working.

If you buy the meter in the market or in the store, you should make sure that the meter has a passport, a seal of the state attorney, otherwise it may turn out to be inoperative or not to be installed without first checking.

The requirements for the presence and maintenance of state verification seals are established by the document “On Approving the Procedure for Verifying Measuring Instruments, Requirements for the Verification Sign and the Content of the Verification Certificate (as amended on December 28, 2018)”. For single-phase newly installed electricity meters, the verification period should be no more than 2 years. This requirement is spelled out in PUE p. 1.5.13 (Chapter 1.5).

About, how to choose an electricity meter and which is better, we told in a separate article.

Removal and installation of the counter

In order to replace the individual meter installed in the control cabinet on the landing, on the street or in another place designated for this, it is necessary that this is performed by an experienced specialist who has a certificate of assignment of at least a third electrical safety groups. All work is carried out with the voltage removed and with the implementation of technical safety measures, as well as a working tool.

Works in the shield

The number of tools must include, tested on existing equipmentvoltage indicator. At the same time, it should be designed to check its corresponding value, that is, a high-voltage circuit will not work in low-voltage circuits, and vice versa. In addition, the person performing the replacement of the electric meter should have a Phillips and flat head screwdriver, pliers, a tool for stripping the wires and electrical tape.

About, how to remove an electricity meter, we detailed in a separate article. In order to correctly, and most importantly, safely replace the electricity meter, you must:

  1. Disable introductory machine. Here you need to be careful, as there is a circuit breaker installed in front of and after the meter. You need to completely remove the voltage on the meter, so turn off the machine to the meter.
  2. The cover opens with the wires connected and the absence of voltage at all terminals is checked.
  3. Disconnect all wires under the cover. In the case of a single-phase power system, there are four of them: two of which are input and two are output.
  4. Bolts of fastening of the counter case are unscrewed, modern analogs are installed on the standard DIN rail.
  5. Installing an electricity meter carried out in the reverse order, after which the connection is checked for correctness. The connection diagram of a single-phase electric meter is provided by the link:https://our.electricianexp.com/en/sxema-podklyucheniya-odnofaznogo-elektroschetchika-v-seti-220-v.html.

Single-phase meter connection diagram

When replacing an electric meter in an apartment and a house, the following rules must be observed:

  • Do not leave exposed wires that could cause short circuit and damage to humans by life-threatening electric shock.
  • Not allowed to perform twisting wires, all of them must be connected in the switchboard through terminal boxes specially designed for this.
  • The meter must be turned on when the circuit breaker is off after the counter, that is, without load.
  • The metal case and the entire metal structure where the device is installed must be grounded.
  • The wires must be neatly laid and connected by dielectric bundles into a bundle.

Having turned on the input circuit breaker, the corresponding “Network” indicator should light up, while others of the “Reverse” type, etc. should not light up, otherwise the connection is incorrect. When the outgoing machine is switched off, the LED that fixes the power consumption should not blink.Of course, it all depends on the design of the individual electric meter, the type and its indication, which can be found in the instruction manual.

Many are interested in the question of how much it costs to replace an electricity meter. In 2019, the average price does not exceed 2 thousand for all work (dismantling the old meter and installing a new one). The price does not include the price of the meter itself. If you take into account the costs of buying a meter, a total replacement will cost 4-5 thousand.

Design and commissioning

After a visual check of the health of the electric meter, you can proceed to its design, for this you need:

  1. Draw up another application to the company supplying electricity with a request seal and take the meter into operation. After accepting the application, the energy supplying organization sends an inspector to accept the PU.
  2. An authorized inspector must draw up an acceptance certificate on the appointed day, which indicates the type of device and its serial number. Moreover, if the connection was carried out independently, his responsibilities also include checking the connection.
  3. When changing the meter, it is necessary to fix the readings and install the seal on the cover of the electric meter. The electric meter is sealed by a representative of the energy supplying organization.

Thus, it is still better for the replacement of the device to be carried out by the specialists of the supplier’s company themselves, who will not only bring and install their own electricity meter, but also arrange the replacement and make seals.

Finally, we recommend watching a useful video on the topic of the article:

Now you know how to replace the electricity meter in an apartment and a private house. As you can see, it’s not difficult to change the electric meter, in principle, but without the representatives of the energy sales, this is impossible.

It will be useful to read:

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8 comments

  • Alla

    I didn’t understand, it was written "... if the meter is the property of the supplier, then the replacement is free" and hereinafter referred to as the meter, you still need to buy it yourself. About 5 years ago, the counter was replaced with a new electronic counter for free, it recently turned out that they were defective, I was offered to buy a new one. So who is right?

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  • Khairulla

    Checking the meter showed that the inspector instructed to replace the meter. I bought a meter, what should I do next?

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    • Eugene

      inform the company about replacing the counter with a new one, do not forget to indicate the initials of the inspector. he is obliged to react, to come to you again and remove the seals from the meter, having drawn up the act of removing the seal. Then you can proceed with the replacement, either on your own, or ask for service.

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  • Andrew

    All meters with an accuracy class higher than 2.0 must be replaced. ??? Above is 1.0; 0.5

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  • Sergei

    Do not mislead people. Replacing a counter in 2019 costs 500 - this is the cost of the counter itself. Sealing will be free. Where do you get these numbers from 5000?

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    • Vladimir

      these grabbers want so much. Normal electricians at the end of 2019 in the shelves charge for replacing the meter 700-1000 drawing up an act and sealing for free. The cost is increased by the work of installing a DIN rail and replacing or lengthening the wires.

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  • Eugene

    Replacing the counter by the supplier itself is certainly a convenient thing, because and the counter will be brought and changed and sealed ... BUT, as we all understand, you need to pay a lot for any convenience. So on July 15, 2019 in St. Petersburg, the single-phase multi-tariff meter NEVA 124 with the acquisition and replacement of Petroelectrosbyt (information on the website) will cost 3900 rubles. (this is if you do not need to repair the wiring, install new hardware, etc., etc.).Separately, the very procedure for replacing the counter (again on the company's website) is 2700 rubles.
    If you buy a counter yourself in one of the networks of electrical goods stores, then the same device will cost an average of about 1400-1500r. You can order a replacement counter through the emergency service of your UK. The arrival of an electrician is the next day in the morning, the cost of replacing the meter is 500 rubles (do not forget about the need to draw up a dismantling act indicating the old readings and the readings of the new device during installation).
    And now the funny thing is that you will have to order sealing of the installed meter in Petroenergosbyt (the service is free) ... BUT it is performed within 22 days from the moment of filing the application !!! Moreover, inspectors, after all, are the same people as we (consumers) - they work from 9 to 17.
    So it turns out that changing the counter of a "monopolist" costs exactly 2 times more expensive and even longer at times (and you will have to pay in the interval from installation to sealing according to the standard, even if no one lives in the apartment during this period, although the act is in order to compile to fix the testimony) - the choice is yours

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  • Gala

    In March 2014, NovosibirskEnergoSbyt for my money (at that time 1000 rubles) delivered me a counter of Energomera CE101 (three times more expensive than the counter price). After 5.5 years, the meter stopped - could not scroll from 13999.9 to 14000. I called the NES, the operator told me that the warranty period was 5 years, it had been six months since, despite the fact that the verification interval was three times as long - 16 years. And now they offer me again to put a counter for my money, only now it costs already 1750 p. I went to read reviews about the counter that I was given - it fails from a third to a quarter of copies (see, for example, the otzovik site). I decided that again I wouldn’t want to put the counter, which may turn out to be mousy with a high probability, I’ll buy myself another model. I called my housing department, they said that an electrician with an act would do the job for 500, after which I would have to transfer the document to the electricity supplier.
    I did not wait a moment - 01/07/2020, when the supplier will already install meters at its own expense with the transmission of readings over the Internet. In general, I think that the counter warranty should extend to one inter-calibration interval, otherwise the electricity suppliers will weld well, changing the counters three times during this interval.
    Until March 2014, NovosibirskEnergoSbyt “turned off” a working meter in my personal account after 4.5 years with a verification interval of 8 years. Without an explanation of the reasons, it’s just that you need to change everything.

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