Electric Ireland - Installation of new meter in old house

MJK2 · 09-05-2012 05:19PM #1

HI,
I am currently renovating an old house, built in the 60s. We bought it in February of this year, our electrician had removed the old meter which could no longer be used as the house has been in a state of disrepair for a few years, I contacted Electric Ireland about reconnecting the elctricity and after them calling out to the site was sent a lovely bill of 1807euros! The house is in an urban area in an existing estate in Galway city, how could you be possibly charged this amount? I was expecting a bill of a couple of hundred max. Just wondering has anybody recently being in the same situation? Or if Electric Ireland can answer the qestion themselves, I have reviewed Electric Ireland's statement of charges and my charge does not relate to anything they have recorded there,
Thanks for your help

BrianD · 09-05-2012 05:50PM

I don't believe that your electrician had the right to remove the meter. It's the property of ESB Networks. If it was no longer fit for purpose you or he should have contacted the ESB and you'd probably be able to upgrade it.

Also how did he safely remove it? Was there previously a supply to the meter? Normally the fuse boards etc are after the meter.

The €1,807 is the charge for a completely new connection.

jor el · 09-05-2012 06:35PM

It would also be ESB Networks that would charge a connection fee, not Electric Ireland, which could be why you can't find this fee in their documentation.

If the electrician was able to remove the meter without any trouble, then ESB Networks must have already had the house disconnected from their network. Since you were then completely disconnected from the electricity supply grid, you would have to pay for a new connection. This can only be done by ESB networks.

ESB Networks list of charges are here
http://www.esb.ie/esbnetworks/en/download_documents/charges-policies/index.jsp

chris85 · 09-05-2012 07:46PM

Jor el is correct. Electric Ireland and ESB networks are separate now. One looks after the network the other is a supplier to customers. Their list of charges does state the charge is €1807 for a new connection as in the link provided by Jor el. You cannot become a customer of Electric Ireland (or any other supplier) until you are connected to the grid, which is what networks have done and charged you for.

EI would more than likely told you ESB networks would do it for you. They can request is through a system between them which other suppliers are linked to to request this stuff from ESB networks

MJK2 · 09-05-2012 09:31PM

Thanks for your comments, but if you refer to ESB networks charges on link given above it states for table 2.1 in which the charge of 1,807 is recorded- 'The charges in the table below are standard charges for a connection to a single rural or urban house which is not part of a multi-unit residential or mixed development.' My house is part of a multi-unit residential development as it is part of an existing estate, the charges in the table on page 7 I believe would be more appropriate - 'the standard charges for houses in domestic developments where there are twenty or more houses, each with a MIC of 12kVA' - charges in this table range from 675euro. Again this is not a new connection even though we do require a new meter, the old meter was not functional.

jor el · 10-05-2012 12:39AM

The €675 charge is what a developer would pay if they were having 20 or more houses in one estate connected at the same time, not for someone that's connecting one house (as in your case), whether it's in an estate or not. The fact that it's in an estate is irrelevant, you are getting a one off connection where there isn't currently a connection to the network. You therefore pay the one off rural or urban charge, which is €1807.

If there is not connection already present, then this is treated as a new connection. This is something you should have had organized before buying if you didn't want to pay for it. The seller would more than likely have just incorporated the cost into the house though, which is what builders/developers do. House buyers don't normally pay this fee directly because it's already set up for you by the builder. The fee is always included in the price you pay for the house though.

dudara · 10-05-2012 08:00AM

Moved to Electrical

dudara

MJK2 · 10-05-2012 09:39AM

Thanks for your reply, we didn't buy the house from a builder or a developer it was from the owner who had left the house in a state of disrepair over a few years.
Again, I still don't understand, I'm being charged for a new connection but the house was connected up to the network until 2010 (as far as I know), we may need a new meter but in my opinion it should still be classed as a reconnection as the electricty poles and existing wiring are still there.

bertie1 · 11-05-2012 06:52AM

You could always take the matter up with the regulator CER. If it was connected to the network in 2010 I agree the bill they sent you to put in a new fuse at the transformer is too expensive . They have the monopoly they can do what they want

Gate Automation · 11-05-2012 11:41AM

Put back old meter, take MPRN number from meter and tray open new account in ESB. Maybe then they can do upgrade/reconnection.

Electric Ireland - Installation of new meter in old house

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