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Free Energy Nationwide, (offering smart meter removals)?

Tomgunn

Hi, I've been in an online discussion, about having a smart meter removed. I keep saying that only the DNO can do this but... some of them, online, insist that this company will do it for you and not go through the local DNO! 

The company suggested is "Free Energy Nationwide." The online people keep saying it is legal. for an electrician, to remove the smart meters... I say that you cannot as it has to go via the DNO!

I did a quick search, on them, to find they dissolved in 2013 and, in the link provided, was a poor email address.

Any info on this, please?

Thanks... Tom

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  • 0

    Hi, can I be a nuisance and add something else, that keeps cropping up?

    You don't mind? GREAT!

    So, is it legal, (I get the feeling that most of you would now be groaning, haha), to remove the seal, from an electrical meter?

    There ya go... wasn't too bad?

    Regards... Tom

  • 0 in reply to Tomgunn

    Illegal in the sense of criminal, and magistrates or crown courts and prison, no, not on its own - but if done so as part of an abstraction attempt yes it then becomes criminal.

    However, even without the abstraction part the electricity company can still bring a civil case against you which can land you in civil court looking at a big fine, for the more general act of interfering with their apparatus - however, they will be most likely to do so only if they detect an attempt to avoid paying, and when  there is enough evidence for that then we are back to point 1 above.

    So in general do not fiddle with the seals on the meter without permission. Fuse seals are less likely to raise such repercussions, as removing the fuse it is the only sensible means of safe disconnection in some fault situations. Meter seals never are.

    Mike.

  • 0 in reply to mapj1

    Hello Mike, 

    Great reply! 

    So, boiled down, we're not really allowed, (as I was led to believe, over many decades), to remove them BUT... none of us would ever do such a thing! 

    Someone posted / boasted, online, that they use a magnet, to stop smart meters'... even if they could then this would alert the providers'! 

    Wishing everyone a happy Christmas, and hope all goes well, in 2023, too! 

    Regards... Tom

  • 0 in reply to Tomgunn

    If plod wanted to be very picky, they could bring a case of criminal damage because the meter seal belongs to the supplier. I cannot think of any lawful reason why an electrician would want to remove a meter seal. If the consumer's tails were in a dangerous condition, the supplier would be asked to replace them.

    The fuse seal is a different matter and some DNOs (e.g. SSE) allow registered electricians to remove the seal and place a temporary seal afterwards.

    Of course if the previous electrician removed the fuse seal and didn't tell anybody, that's their business. Wink

  • 0 in reply to Chris Pearson

    Hello Chris, good points!

    Thanks for the replies... I've had a lot of stick, from where I have been trying to explain to some people... but, now we all know!

    Regards... Tom

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  • 0 in reply to Chris Pearson

    Hello Chris, good points!

    Thanks for the replies... I've had a lot of stick, from where I have been trying to explain to some people... but, now we all know!

    Regards... Tom

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