DNO Work Upon Meter Terminals, Meter Tails And Customer Tails Following Work Upon Or Change Of DNO Service Equipment.

An outcome of the RIMISSE court case is an elevated concern over liability due to acts or omissions which might lead to elevated fire risk at the service termination / metering position.

When a DNO needs to replace its service cut-out it is likely, despite best endeavours, that the meter tails and possibly the customer tails will be disturbed to some extent and the quality of the electrical connection within the metering terminals may be affected. Without retightening of all of the metering terminals, preferably immediate retightening by the DNO operative on site, some elevated risk may exist. On a precautionary basis we consider that improved solutions are required that enable the DNO to discharge its statutory and licence duties in replacing and maintaining its systems in the safest manner efficiently and practically possible.
The matter of access to the metering terminals is further complicated by ‘key’ secured front terminal covers on Smart Meters, keys which DNOs are currently not in possession of nor likely to be given previous clarifications that Suppliers did not support DNO work upon metering systems.

Previous DCUSA Change Proposals were proposed to formalise DNO work upon metering systems, most specifically to conduct urgent metering services and for the DNO to conduct the moving of meters coincident with relocation of the DNO service termination. Whilst these topics differ in their extent from the matter to be discussed, some of the feedback from these earlier change proposals indicated a general unease amongst Suppliers with DNO staff working upon metering systems, typically whole current domestic and small commercial LV whole current metering systems.

We require discussion with DCUSA Parties to ascertain their preferred route to establish the retightening of the metering terminals to ensure the continued safety and integrity of the distributor/meter operator asset chain. The DNO for its safety reasons must replace its service termination equipment so as to comply with its general obligations in law and this need cannot be restricted. Therefore an effective arrangement for the management of risks arising from disturbance of the meter tails and customer tails termination into the metering terminals is required.

The DCUSA SIG considered the responses to the DIF 041 Request For Information at its meeting on the 06 November 2014. The proposer agreed to raise a Change Proposal based on Option 1. As a result, DCP 253 ‘Retightening and Remaking of Whole Current Metering System Terminal Connections’ was submitted to the November 2015 DCUSA Panel and a Working Group set up to analyse this CP.