Two Flats Converted Into One Property

Good Morning all,

I have recently asked to look at two flats in central London that have been converted into one and I had been predominately asked to look at bringing in a single water supply, gas supply and recommending a new boiler for these works, I have produced my report but whilst doing so I wondered regarding the electrical supplies.

Currently each original flat has a separate supply and therefore two electrical meters and cut outs are present, I'm thinking that should there be an issue in the flat and the electricians isolates the supply there could be an issue with the "other" supply still being live.

Is anyone able to point me in the right direction to provide the client with a definite answer whether it is acceptable or not acceptable to have this configuration? 

Many thanks

Dave

2 supplies and 2 meters = 2 electricity bills and 2 standing charges = poor value for money.

It would be better to rewire so they all come from one,

However there may be a charge to have one disconnected.  I wired to cottages being converted to one, and the DNO wanted £1000 to disconnect the unwanted supply. So the owner in "protest" kept them both and the redundant one he swapped over to a zero standing charge tariff.  It still has an electricity meter that connects to nothing and sends periodic meter readings that result in no bill because nothing has been used.  I think he is hoping one day they will see sense and disconnect it for free.

deturner said:

Good Morning all,

I have recently asked to look at two flats in central London that have been converted into one and I had been predominately asked to look at bringing in a single water supply, gas supply and recommending a new boiler for these works, I have produced my report but whilst doing so I wondered regarding the electrical supplies.

Currently each original flat has a separate supply and therefore two electrical meters and cut outs are present, I'm thinking that should there be an issue in the flat and the electricians isolates the supply there could be an issue with the "other" supply still being live.

Is anyone able to point me in the right direction to provide the client with a definite answer whether it is acceptable or not acceptable to have this configuration? 

Many thanks

Dave

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As ProDave says for practical functionality it would be better to combine onto a single supply. But from a technical perspective there is nothing preventing multiple supplies into one building, There should be suitable labels signs and documentation stating that the site has dual supplies so anyone working there will be aware. But any person working on any part of an installation should be 100% certain of the supply characteristics and the appropriate places for safe isolation to allow works to proceed. If they are not certain of these things then in my opinion they are not competent to be working unsupervised on an electrical installation. Unless there is need for significant circuit alterations and providing that the total load is not too great for a single supply, it is possibly easiest to just amend the one consumer unit to become a sub-main of the other supply.  

Doc H  

The DNO won't like two supplies  in my experience .   They generally like to pot end one outside the property .    If , as it sounds , you are running the project , ask the DNO what they want to do .    As Dave says , could be £1000  if they need to dig up outside .   

Evans Electric said:

 As Dave says , could be £1000  if they need to dig up outside .   

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Interesting. Although a long time back, that may explain a strange situation I once found. I used to do voluntary maintenance on lights, etc, in our local church. There had been a major development in the 1950s with a three phase supply provided near the East end of the building, supplying everything. The lighting fuse box for the main body of the building was in a porch at the opposite end, fed from one phase of the "new" installation.  Below the lighting board was a still live single phase incomer. There was no meter but if I recall correctly the fuse was still in place. 

Evans Electric said:

The DNO won't like two supplies  in my experience .   They generally like to pot end one outside the property .    If , as it sounds , you are running the project , ask the DNO what they want to do .    As Dave says , could be £1000  if they need to dig up outside .   

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Yes I believe in the case I mentioned the DNO wanted to dig up the road to pot it off there.

Geoff1946 said:

Interesting. Although a long time back, that may explain a strange situation I once found. I used to do voluntary maintenance on lights, etc, in our local church. There had been a major development in the 1950s with a three phase supply provided near the East end of the building, supplying everything. The lighting fuse box for the main body of the building was in a porch at the opposite end, fed from one phase of the "new" installation.  Below the lighting board was a still live single phase incomer. There was no meter but if I recall correctly the fuse was still in place. 

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Yes I've seen that  quite often , possibly back to the Electricity Board days  perhaps   where  in a large organization , no one picks up on getting that supply removed. 

Things have changed now .   

I got the DNO in   ( Western Power)  to look at a two flats situation  .  The landlord , who read the meters ,  wanted each flat to pay a power supplier for their own electric .

I asked the guy if they would just fit a double head  on the supply cable  and the metering would  be re-sited to the common hallway.      

Originally I 'd converted  wiring to two flats  with cash meters ,  and the old network board   (MEB)   decided to upgrade their cable  back then too.  

But as the Western Power guy said ,  things have changed , they would want a separate  cable to each flat ...one up , one down ..no shared supply cable .