On 17/12/2020 15:35, Jonathan wrote:
We live in a building divided in three, two of the properties being holiday lets. I finally gave in to the nagging and agreed to have smart meters installed for our property.

They didn't turn up on Monday for no reason and were rebooked for today. The engineer then said he coudln't install our meters because there is a shared neutral for the three properties.

A waste of time and a farce. Shan't be bothering to make another appointment.


Is this a case of the 3 properties having separate meters but only one
big cable coming in and one "head end" with a big fuse (see the photos
in the link below) which serves all 3? If so the engineer couldn't do
anything because it would have meant pulling the fuse and cutting off
power to all 3 properties*. Without the permission and presence of
their owner(s) that could have unknown and consequences.


http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php/Earthing_Types

*Such arrangements haven't been permitted for some years now because of
the way the properties are interdependent. Eg one person blows the main
fuse and all 3 suffer.
--
Robin
reply-to address is (intended to be) valid