The first such requirements began to appear more than 5 years ago, but still not all owners of dachas and private houses know how to respond to them. Has the problem affected you too? This means it’s time to study the legislative framework.
It is important to remember that this issue has quite significant nuances. For example, the legality of the requirement depends on whether your property is an individual housing construction or a country house, has been built and operated for a long time or is just under construction, is located in Russia or Belarus, etc.
Can they require that the electric meter be placed on a street pole?
Company employees cannot refer to the law in their demands for installing an electric meter on a pole. There is no such regulation in regulatory documents. Meanwhile, regulatory documents indicate the following rules for installing an electricity meter in homes:
- in a place protected from temperature changes (up to 0 degrees) and precipitation;
- fixation height 0.4 – 1.7 m;
- The owner of the facility bears full responsibility for the safety of the equipment.
Rice. 1 Installing an electricity meter on the street is a convenient solution for employees of the supplier company, but the law does not require it
The requirements of the supplier company’s employees are completely contrary to the norms:
- precipitation and winter temperatures reduce the service life and accuracy of the meter;
- installation at a high height prevents its normal use for humans;
- The owner of the facility bears the losses, since he is responsible for the serviceability of the equipment, which on the street breaks down faster.
Important: the street meter shows an error of 10% or more in the direction of the supplier.
Disadvantages of remote meters
For all their advantages, smart meters have a number of disadvantages. They are more expensive than conventional metering devices and require more attention from the owner. You can find fakes on the market, the installation of which is illegal.
Due to the complexity of the design, they must be treated with great care. If, in the case of repairs or installation of any furniture near the unit, it is accidentally touched or even knocked, it may break or begin to show erroneous values (not always in favor of the subscriber). At the same time, meters with remote control are dependent on communication (Internet, radio module, etc.).
If you choose an electric meter with remote information transmission that is too cheap, then there is a high risk of it breaking even at the installation stage
It will also be easier for the company to control the subscriber. If the homeowner makes several delays in paying for electricity, the supplier will be able to cut off the debtor’s access to electricity without visiting his apartment.
Before turning off, the electric meter will emit a certain signal, notifying the homeowner of the debt. If a person cannot deposit the specified amount, the light will go out automatically.
“Smart” electric meters are modern devices that will allow electricity suppliers to optimize costs and quickly disconnect defaulters from the network
Another disadvantage of smart meters: their information is very easy to intercept. Because of this, scammers can see the time of lowest electricity consumption, hack accounts, and so on. This way you can calculate when there is no one in the apartment. And for this you don’t need special devices, it’s enough to have access to the Internet and know that a smart meter is used in a particular apartment.
Today, metering device manufacturers are actively working to protect them, but so far the quality of data encryption remains at the same level. Because of this, almost any hacker, if desired, will be able to cut off power to all apartments in the city that use “smart” electricity meters.
Installation of a meter on the street in dacha cooperatives and garden associations
Rice. 2 Installation of an electric meter on a dacha pole or in a private residential sector is carried out only by decision of the owners
In such companies, all decisions regarding the course of action or disposal of common property are made at a general meeting.
Important: if there is no meeting and, accordingly, no minutes, no one alone has the right to make decisions regarding organizational issues, much less demand their implementation.
Therefore, if the chairman of the company unreasonably demands the installation of an electric meter on the dacha pole, such claims can be ignored.
Installation Rules
If, however, the owner decides to install the meter outside, he will have to adhere to certain installation rules.
The location, or support, of the branch should be no more than 25 meters from the input device. Otherwise, you will have to install additional support.
Where vehicles pass, the branch must be at a height of at least 6 meters. Where pedestrians walk – at a height of at least 3.5 meters.
The wires are attached to the building in such a way that the attachment point is no lower than 2.75 meters above ground level.
Without permission from the ESO, installing an electricity meter on a pole is prohibited. In addition, this work should only be performed by a certified electric utility employee.
What legislative acts can be referred to when refusing to transfer a meter?
Rice. 3 What do the laws indicate?
If you refuse to install an electric meter on the street in 2022, you can refer to the following legislative acts:
- Clause 1.5.27 PUE – installation of electrical equipment, selection of a location with optimal conditions for it;
- Clause 1.5.29 PUE - permissible installation height and rules for storing meters, for example, in special cabinets;
- Art. 210 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation - responsibility for the safety and uninterrupted operation of equipment.
Government Decree No. 354 of 2011 also confirms the listed standards and does not indicate other parameters.
What do you need to connect?
First, you will need to decide on the location where the introductory electrical panel will be installed. If we are talking about a country cottage, then it is determined on the street, for this a wall cabinet will be used. However, most often it is mounted inside the apartment in order to ensure the safety of the equipment from strangers. The best choice would be a corridor closer to the front door. This location will save on the length of the power cable.
According to the standards, it must be installed on a flat surface about 1.5 m from the floor, away from pipelines, water and gas.
When connecting the electrical panel, you need to follow the following algorithm:
- prepare the wires;
- install a box;
- secure DIN rails;
- arrangement of modular devices and terminal blocks;
- switching is the process of connecting wires to modular devices. To complete this stage, first strip the conic wires and, if necessary, put lugs on them. Then they are inserted into the terminals of the machines and screwed tightly;
- connect the input cable, neutral phase and grounding;
- carrying out test switching on of machines. In this case, you need to wear rubber gloves and stand on a rubber mat.
A package of documents required when moving an electric meter to the street
According to the procedure for installing an electric meter in a private house, careful preparation should be made for its dismantling and removal to the street. First of all, collect the appropriate package of documents:
- Before taking the equipment outside, you should request a standard contract from the supplier company and an act on the division of balance sheet ownership. This document will clearly outline the rights and responsibilities of each party. The document will indicate the series and number of the meter, its type, and the owner’s current account.
- Afterwards, it is important to draw up an application for permission to operate the equipment. It is drawn up at the company’s office; upon receipt, a control team will go to the specified address and check the correctness of the independent work carried out. The meter will be sealed and an act of approval will be generated.
Important: the act will indicate the degree of readiness of the equipment for operation and the cost of the company’s services. If the sealing is primary, then it is free.
Electric meter relocation
In a garage cooperative, the board meeting decided that all members of the cooperative must take the meter out of the garage outside in a box under threat of being turned off. It is clear that I was not at all happy about being left without light, and even in winter.
In this way, the board will combat the theft of electricity.
It is clear that I was not at all happy about being left without light, and even in winter. I may not be there very often, but in winter it gets dark like crazy and dawns late. Well, it doesn’t make me smile at all to pick up and park the car in the garage in the light of a flashlight. And I need a garage not only to store my car.
So, I made the decision to reset the electric meter over the weekend while the weather continued to be good. Moreover, you may have to work without turning off the electricity, and you only need to do such things in dry weather! This pleasure is expensive for electricians, and right now I don’t have any extra money at all. It’s decided – I’ll do it myself!
Any work begins with preparation.
Purchasing materials
To begin with, we need a new single-phase meter that would have an accuracy class of at least 4, have a reverse stopper, and be designed for a range of 1-60 Amps.
I recently bought such a meter for my parents at their dacha, but there it quickly became unnecessary because a separate branch to the barn was cut off and connected from the main meter at home. Anyway, I received a nearly new meter from my parents along with a 16 Amp circuit breaker.
In principle, 16 A gives a current power of 3.5 kW. This kind of power should be enough for me! Even if I connect welding.
Now I needed the metal box itself with a window for reading the indicators. I went to a specialized electrical goods store, but such a box cost as much as 1,400 rubles! I thought it was too expensive and went to a nearby store. There such a box already cost 680 rubles.
That’s where I bought the box itself, a 16 mm corrugated pipe 10 m long, fastenings for the corrugated pipe, a sealed 10 cm distribution box and a DIN rail for mounting the machine. And an aluminum wire 2x4 mm, which was not useful to me, because my father made the input from copper.
Unfortunately, without the risk of getting an electric shock, it was impossible to know this in advance, and judging by the years when the garage was built, there should have been a copper wire, especially since the wiring in the garage and the terminals in the socket were made of aluminum wire.
At the same time, in another store I bought self-tapping screws for fastening inside the box and for fastening the box itself and the junction box. Remembering my torment with the shelves, I bought orange 8x60 dowels and 5x60 screws.
So, everything is ready. Here is a photo of all materials
Materials for moving the electric meter
Shield assembly
Here is a photo of the old meter
Old electric meter in the garage
First you need to assemble the box. In the box, I first secured an electric meter drill on self-tapping press washers with a 4.2x13 mm drill. I hung the machine on the DIN rail and roughly positioned it between the meter and the input below for the wires.
There is a subtle point here: if you make it too close to the meter, it will be inconvenient to install, and if you lower it too far, then it will be inconvenient to insert the wire into the panel.
This is what happened on a special plate, which is then attached to the shield.
Pre-mounted meter for installation in a box
Wall mounting of input elements
If you turn off the light at this stage, it will be very problematic to attach the shield, corrugation mounts and distribution box to the wall. Therefore, you must first prepare all the holes as much as possible and assemble them, and only then make the switch.
General procedure for installing an electric meter on the street
Rice. 4 Requirements for moving electricity meters to the street
If the owner of a summer cottage or private house decides to meet the requirements halfway, the rules for installing electricity meters on the street should be followed.
- Choose a location for the equipment - the first pole you come across will not work. The support for the meter must be rigid and durable.
- The owner must protect the device from weather conditions by placing it in a special cabinet with a window through which readings can be taken.
Important: the device can be operated at temperatures from 0 to +40 degrees.
- The cable must be reliably protected from kinks, bends and various damages. It is equipped with a reliable support.
Work on installing the meter is carried out in the following sequence:
- the electricity supply line is de-energized before operation;
- an automatic machine is installed in front of the device, and then an electric meter is connected behind it;
- Grounding must be installed for operational safety;
- House wiring is connected to the output contacts of the equipment.
Important: the first test switch-on must be performed to check the correct operation of the device.
A cabinet for an electric meter on the street will partially protect the device from damage
The closet is a separate topic of discussion. It is created and installed before installing the electric meter and in compliance with the rules:
- availability of burglary protection – reliable installation, fastening and installation of burglary protection;
- ensuring tightness to protect against moisture penetration;
- reliable protection from low temperatures through insulation; without it, the device will operate with errors in favor of the company.
Important: to ensure that the wire is reliably protected, an iron pipe is mounted to the box.
Rules for choosing a machine
The machines are selected taking into account the load parameters and characteristics of the wire. The main indicators of the circuit breaker are displayed on the front of the case in the form of markings.
Deciphering inscriptions on the machine
Depending on the voltage value and the number of poles, the following types of products are produced:
- single-pole - 220 V (for one phase wire);
- bipolar - with a similar voltage value (for 2 wires - phase and neutral);
- three-pole - 380 V (for three phase wires);
- four-pole - the same voltage (with three phase and one neutral wire).
When choosing a machine, you need to take into account the characteristics of the network and the number of wires involved. If the installed devices constantly work for no apparent reason, it makes sense to select products of higher power and install them to replace the ones in use.
We recommend: Reasons why the electricity meter may be buzzing
The device is selected based on the wire cross-section, current and power characteristics indicated in the table:
The operation of the electrical network is organized in such a way that the weak link is played by a circuit breaker that turns off when the indicators are less than critical. The devices are formed into groups, depending on the categories of consumers according to power characteristics, with the corresponding selection of device power.
One of the characteristics of the machine is time-current, the essence of which is determined by the formula:
K = I/In
wherein:
- K – multiplicity value;
- In – rated current;
- I – value of current in the network.
The following categories of multiplicity are distinguished, depending on the value of K:
- B – from 3 to 5;
- C – from 5 to 10;
- D – from 10 to 20.
As the magnification increases, the response speed of the device increases.
In addition to the multiplicity, the response speed varies depending on the ambient temperature. As it increases, a smaller current value will be required to turn off the machine.
There are 3 classes of current limitation, indicating the operating time of the device:
- third – up to 3 ms;
- second – 5 – 6 ms;
- the first is about 10 ms.
As the class increases, the cost increases and the quality of the device improves. Most household products are manufactured in the third class.
Each element is made in the form of a separate module mounted on a DIN rail. The width of one module is 17.5 mm.
conclusions
If they are forced to install meters on poles, is this requirement legal? There are no rules according to which it would be possible to force the owner of a private house to install a meter on the street to his own detriment. He is the owner of the equipment and is responsible for the quality of its work. As a result of low temperatures, the device may refuse to work at all, or may show inflated data. In addition, such equipment can be stolen by vandals.
The energy company has no legal leverage over citizens in the event of a failure; they cannot cut off the power supply or sue the owner of the house. If the claims come from the chairman of the cooperative, then he must act on the basis of the minutes of the general meeting. The document gives him the authority to demand that the owners of the site comply with the rules adopted by them.
If the owner of the site decides to move the meter outside, he must comply with all the requirements for its equipment, connection and startup.
Order a free legal consultation
Purpose
Remote transmission of electricity meter readings is carried out via the Internet. Special software reads and sends the necessary information to the servers of the energy supplier. Such systems are fully automated and do not require human intervention in the work process.
Electricity meters with remote readings and transmission are used to automate the processes of collecting and sending information and analyzing energy consumption. Energy supply companies that use information and measurement systems in their work receive not only data on the electricity consumed by customers, but also a number of opportunities that are not available when using standard metering devices. These include:
- Several tariff modes of operation.
- Remote connection and disconnection of the consumer to the power supply system.
- Effective and close cooperation with the client based on the terms of the drawn up contract.
- Guaranteed delivery of notifications to the consumer.
- Analysis of collected information for more efficient operation of the device.
Electronic counter with remote control
When all apartments had induction electric meters, craftsmen invented various ways to change their readings downwards. With the advent of electronic analogs, this became almost impossible.
But on the Internet you can find a large number of offers for the sale of modified meters with remote control. The basic principle of operation of such a meter is that the electricity consumer can independently turn it on and off. At the same time, electricity enters the house, but remains unaccounted for. With such a remote control you can stop the counter completely or slow it down.
Almost any electronic meter can be modified and equipped with a remote control, but in this case the device case is opened, which means the factory seal and sticker with a digital code are broken. Sellers of meters with remote control claim that they are able to restore all this. New seals and stickers do not differ from the factory ones, and a visual check of the meter body before its installation is not able to detect these changes.
Such proposals are especially appealing to those who have moved their electric meter outside. With such a remote control, you can influence its operation. There is an opinion that it is better to place the device outside and stop it as needed from home.
Interfering with the operation of metering devices is illegal. If uncontrolled use of electricity is detected, the supplier company may impose a large fine on the consumer. Therefore, before purchasing meters with remote control, you need to think carefully about everything.
Which electric meter to choose
On store shelves you can find special household energy meters designed for placement on street poles. Thanks to other operating criteria, they are not subject to temperature fluctuations, which eliminates the possibility of any error.
They are both single- and three-phase, single- and multi-tariff; street meters have different power levels.
Attention! Our qualified lawyers will assist you free of charge and around the clock on any issues. Find out more here.
Without calculating the power of all electrical appliances, it is impossible to determine the power of a specific meter. If the total power is less than 10 kW, you need to choose a meter with a power of about 60 A, more - more than 100 A, class not lower than 2.0.
Today, active production of equipment capable of withstanding low temperatures is underway.
When purchasing an installation box, do not forget to pay attention to the degree of its tightness; the presence of heating is not mandatory.
The moisture-resistant box must have a degree of protection of at least IP53-IP54.
We should not forget that there is a connection between the shape of the box and the design of the device.
Normal readings are impossible without a window on the door.
A single-phase meter will be an ideal option if placed outdoors in the territory of a holiday complex or a small house; a three-phase meter is more suitable for a building with many luxurious frills.
The last point presupposes proper connection and distribution of electricity to all areas. Electric meters have a great advantage over induction meters due to their higher accuracy. In this case, the meter readings remain at the same level throughout the entire time the device is used.
When selecting the type of device mounting, it is better to give preference to a DIN rail because of its versatility. The presence of the seal and the inspection date should be decisive factors in deciding whether to purchase a meter. If no more than two years have passed since the last inspection of the device for single-phase and one year for three-phase, then the purchase of such equipment does not promise problems in the future.
Watch the video. Residents are forced to take meters outside:
