Faulty Electric Meter⚠️

1) When a faulty electric meter is causing issues, it can be difficult to know what is causing the problem at first. If you have an issue with your electric meter this can sometimes cause problems like:

• Intermittent power cuts.
• Flickering lights.
• Slow running appliances.
• Tripping switches in the consumer unit.
• Funny smells as connections get hot or melt.

2) Who do I contact if my meter is faulty?🤔

You need to contact the company that supply your electricity to your home. That is, whoever you pay your electricity bills to. This is the company that ultimately has the responsibility for your electricity meter. An electrician may be able to make initial investigations to narrow down the problem and the cause but they are not normally allowed to touch the electricity supply mains incoming or the electricity meter itself. 

3) My meter is new, can it be faulty?

You may find that if you have recently had a new meter installed it could still be faulty. When an electricity meter is swapped the supply coming in has to be made dead so that the meter can safely be installed in your home. Once the meter has been installed the supply is made live again and off you go. During this process it is possible that things may go wrong. Loose connections on the new meter can result in overheating, melting or intermittent power supply issues. Sometimes new equipment can just be faulty and this would need to be checked by the company that installed the meter for you. On rare occasions it has been known for a new electricity meter to trip the RCD / RCB / RCCB device in the consumer unit although this is rare. 

4) Old electricity meter⚠️

As with all things, electricity meters have a life span and are not guaranteed to work forever without problems or failure. If your metering equipment is old then it may be worth asking your electricity supply company to upgrade or replace this for you to smart meters or new equipment. Technically if connections inside the old meter become corroded over time, then the resistance of these could be compromised leading to overheating and potential fire risk so it’s not a bad idea to consider replacement. 

5) You got cut off

It is of course possible that you do not have a FAULTY ELECTRIC METER but rather you have been disconnected from the electricity supply. This can occur accidentally and you should call your electricity supply company to check what has happened. 

6) Loose connections🤷‍♂️

Loose wiring at the mains may be the cause of your meter not working. There are connections in the main supply unit that comes into your home. This unit is usually black or grey and sits before the meter electrically speaking. This equipment should not be touched by anyone other than the Distribution Network Operator (DNO) and if loose connections are suspected in this unit, then you should call 105 to ask them about sending an engineer to check. 

7) Local power supply issues

You may think that you have a faulty electric meter when really there are power supply issues out in the street or beyond. Sometimes these issues resolve by themselves whilst the DNO work hard to get it fixed and sometimes you may need to make a call. Local power supply issues can sometimes be the result of a connection in the street affecting only your home or just a couple of homes in the street. 

8) Who to contact first?📞

In the first instance it is possibly sensible to try 105 and ask if there are any issues with the power supply that they know of. They will be able to tell you if there are scheduled works or emergency works happening. You can then try your electricity supply company and ask them if your meter is working correctly. If both of the above report no problems then call your local fault-finding electrician and ask them to come and investigate. They should be able to tell you what is happening and what is at fault in your home. They may then make a phone call on your behalf to the relevant body or company to explain the situation. If you are having electrical problems and think we can help then feel free to use our contact form and get in touch with us. 

📞 01925 595 980 (Warrington)

📞 0151 351 4011 (Liverpool)

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