The meter/electricity supplier may choose to fit an isolator, but they are not obliged to. The breakdown of responsibility goes like this:

1. The cable coming into the main fuse, and the main fuse head itself, belongs to the DNO, so only they have the authority to do any work on it (and that includes pulling the fuse).

2. The tails from the main fuse to the meter, and the meter itself, belong to your chosen electricity supplier. Ownership of those parts changes if you change supplier but may not be reflected by changes to brand stickers etc on the meter.

3. The tails from the meter to your consumer unit, isolator switch etc and everything downstream from the meter belong to the householder/landlord.

Isolator switches are fitted in the tails from the meter and so belong to the householder usually, even if supplied and fitted as a courtesy by an electricity supplier. Any competent person can install an isolator switch, but it does require the main fuse to be pulled in some cases, unless the meter is one of the few that includes a built in isolator (in which case it's questionable as to whether it's worth fitting a second one). The law (and it is law) states that the only person, other than in an emergency, that can cut the seals and remove the main fuse (in order to safely isolate the supply to either change the meter or install an isolator switch) is the DNO, or someone directly authorised by the DNO to act on their behalf.

The meter monkeys employed by suppliers have DNO authorisation to pull main fuses, electricians or any other competent person not employed by the DNO or supplier do not. Anyone that pulls a fuse without DNO authorisation is in breach of the law, specifically the ESQC Regulations. Having said that, I have yet to meet an electrician that has not pulled a main fuse, more often than not because it's just too much faff to call out the DNO to do it for something like a CU change. That does not make it legal though, and there are significant risks involved, which is why the specified procedure for doing this includes wearing an arc flash safety helmet and visor and long insulated gloves that also provide arc flash protection.

I will own up to having recently installed an isolator switch and pulling the main fuse to do so, but I did ring the DNO before hand and they were OK to authorise me to do so. I'm a competent person and have the required PPE, so it was not an issue, and I strongly suspect that any other competent person would get the same response from a DNO. It doesn't save them coming out, though, as electricians are not normally authorised to replace seals, not are they issued with the serial number encoded crimping tool, that identifies who fitted the seal. The work around for this is for the home owner to call the DNO and report that they have discovered that the seal is missing from the fuse. Nine times out of ten the DNO will send someone around within a few weeks to fit a seal and makes things legal again. Worth doing, as it avoids the missing seal being reported at a future date as possible evidence of electricity supply tampering.

 

It doesn't save them coming out, though, as electricians are not normally authorised to replace seals, not are they issued with the serial number encoded crimping tool, that identifies who fitted the seal.

The seals on my fuse and meter ( fitted by the guy from Octopus who installed the smart meter a year or so ago) have no serial number or identifying marks.

If having a smart meter installed the suppliers will often fit an isolator at the same time, if it is requested

Or if you can't request it when ordering, buy one ahead of the install, and ask the installer nicely if he'll fit it!

 

Octopus should be sorting out the appointment to have this fitted.
My supplier arranged to fit mine, when I had it fitted a couple of years ago.
There is in GB a concept of supplier hub, whereby various different responsibilities are owned by different entities, meter operator, dno etc. The only entity that should be messing around with a meter is the meter operator, employed / contracted by octopus to maintain it. The idea is that the supplier (octopus), provide a point of contact for you the customer, and make arrangements for the relevant agents to carry out the appropriate work. (It has been 20 years since I worked for a MOP, but I think the description of how it is supposed to work is still broadly good enough)

 

Octopus should be sorting out the appointment to have this fitted.
My supplier arranged to fit mine, when I had it fitted a couple of years ago.
There is in GB a concept of supplier hub, whereby various different responsibilities are owned by different entities, meter operator, dno etc. The only entity that should be messing around with a meter is the meter operator, employed / contracted by octopus to maintain it. The idea is that the supplier (octopus), provide a point of contact for you the customer, and make arrangements for the relevant agents to carry out the appropriate work. (It has been 20 years since I worked for a MOP, but I think the description of how it is supposed to work is still broadly good enough)

There's an exception to this now, with some newer meters having non-sealed accessible terminations that an electrician can access. These meters also usually include an isolator switch, usually operated by a screwdriver slot in the front cover, so they make things like changing the tails or CU a doddle, without any need to call out the DNO to pull the fuse. The bummer is that I have yet to see a smart meter fitted with a built in isolator, it seems like they have taken a backward step, perhaps because there is a remotely controlled isolator fitted inside every smart meter (to allow remote disconnection/reconnection of every consumer's supply). As yet there is no tool that allows anyone other than the supplier to operate this built-in isolator contactor though.

Great detailed post. So in summary the isolator fitting is my responsibility? So, any idea on cost? I'd assumed once I'd spent for the charger install it would all be covered.

Yes, it is, but some suppliers will install one as a courtesy, usually when also changing the meter. If having a smart meter installed the suppliers will often fit an isolator at the same time, if it is requested. They aren't costly, and the very best one on the market in my view (on the basis that it is well made and has excellent terminations) is this one from Proteus: 100 Amp 1 Pole + Neutral Electricity Meter Isolator Switch

The switch costs around £20 and only takes around half an hour to fit, so should not be a costly job.

 

Great detailed post. So in summary the isolator fitting is my responsibility? So, any idea on cost? I'd assumed once I'd spent for the charger install it would all be covered.

 

My supplier said they would charge £100, but never did. You cannot fit one yourself, as per Jeremy's post, you are not allowed to break the seals on the main fuse that will need to be pulled.

 

Jeremy's post is excellent, and provides a much more comprehensive answer than I did!

 

I asked the smart meter fitters to fit one and they did before I had my charge point fitted if you don’t yet have a smart meter get that fitted first abs get the isolated fitted at the same time

 

That was what I did.

Arranged to have the electricity smart meter fitted and the installer asked if I wanted an isolator fitted once they knew the meter was because of an EV. No charge for it.

Timing then meant the Ohme charge point was installed before the main fuse upgrade, but Ohme just limited the output from the charger until that was done.

However when the charge point installer fitted the charger it was a bit of a squeeze to fit the connector and new dedicated CU in the meter box, so they needed to move the isolator slightly and just pulled the main fuse to do the work.

When the DNO came out a week later to swap the 60 amp fuse for 100 amp they couldn’t care less that the seal was broken.

 

Years ago when we fitted an ASHP we needed an isolator switch which the DNO did for free. From memory, the ASHP and fan coils were on their own small consumer unit.

 

I had a Smart meter fitted by SSE when I had the house re-wired 4 years ago and they fitted a new head unit and new 100AMP fuse, but they didn’t offer to fit an isolater switch and back then I didn’t give it a thought, as I wasn’t considering getting an EV.
However, when I had my BP Pulse charger fitted recently, they (BP) sent a guy out to fit a 100AMP Double Pole Isolation switch a week before, at no charge to me. He was authorised to pull the fuse and carried the new seal and crimper to do the job.
I think the average charge would have been £100-£150 to have one fitted by an authorised sparky.

 

About £100 sounds about right, as a decent isolator costs about £20 and it's about half an hour's labour to fit. Chuck in an hour or so for travelling time and picking up the switch from the wholesaler and you're looking at about £50/hour or so, which seems fair for a small job, where there will be time lost during the day (hourly rates for small jobs have to be at least 50% up on the equivalent day rate because of this wasted time, as small jobs never dovetail precisely during a day).

 

When I had the current house rewired the electrician had the DNO send someone out to cut the seal on the fuse.

He could then remove as required to do the rewire or whatever he was doing associated with the wiring. He then called them to up to come back and replace the seal when he was done . They never came back that was 5 years ago there is still no seal !

This is common procedure he told me at the time. It's also common they don't come back and replace the seals apparently.

I subsequently had a new meter fitted as the old one had become faulty.

When fitting they put in an isolator free of charge. But still no seal on the fuse.

 

So just to bring this thread to a close. Shell Energy wanted £138 to install the isolator but would do it free if I had them fit smart meters. So I went with that and they are coming early June.

 

Ask dno to isolate for sparks to fit isolator if metersuppliercant be bothered to fit one!

 

I had a perfectly serviceable 18 month old switch replaced when my SMETS2 meter was changed in December 2020 due to issues with my Powerwall 2. The installer was just following his script. The meter; isolator and IHD were all thrown into a plastic bag and chucked into the back of the van (along with lots of other old meters).

 

I've just asked E.ON to fit an isolator. They have said I first need to provide them with an EICR. Is this standard?

 

I didn't need an EICR when mine was done. That was a few years ago.

TBF if your house hasn't had a EICR done in over 10 years and you are getting a charge point that is going to stress your setup personally I would get one done.

I did and I thought it was well worth while. It helps if you ever have to sell the house and gives you peace of mind that your electrics are sound.

Of course it depends on age of house and when one was last done.

I was with Octopus when I got the isolation done and they didn't need an EICR.

 

I had an isolator fitted when they changed my standard meters to smart ones.

Needing an EICR is codswallop, the isolator cuts power to everything so it's irrelevant if it's cutting power to something in good order or not.

Probably get a different answer depending on who you speak to and what's already at the property.
I don't even have a consumer unit and have never needed an EICR for anything to be installed.

Gaz