Colin Wilson wrote:
[1] This is a good time to consider earthing arrangements, and check what
will be offered. If the service cable has to be replaced you'll almost
certainly be offered PME

Not necessarily - under the supply regs they`re not obliged to provide an
earth, and cutouts are usually replaced "like for like" without altering
existing earthing arrangements.

In our area, providing an earth is now a chargeable job.

I think also you may be expecting a more 'sophisticated' situation
than there is in reality. When our supply was undergrounded a couple
of years ago the chap who actually made the connection said to me
'would you like an earth terminal?' to which I said yes without really
thinking.

Since the existing installation was TT and, on inspection, the 'earth
terminal' was a TN-C-S (PME) one I have actually not used it as I know
that our earth bonding isn't up to the standards required by a PME
supply.

The undergrounding was done very well by the way and the installers
(24/7) were very helpful to me, they dug an extra trench to allow the
meter to be moved into the garage (from being a box on a pole outside)
and left me some bits and pieces to finish off my bit of underground
cable to the house.

What was missing was a proper interface to 'the electricity company'
which of course no longer really exists.

--
Chris Green )