Refused Connections to Electricity Grid for Newbuild?

[Ferdinand]

A news story from Orkney brought to my attention. Date is late July.

 

Is this a thing?

 

Quote

Amid a block on the installation of electricity meters for new homes, two Orkney politicians have this week taken the issue to the authorities responsible for energy regulation.

 

Alistair Carmichael MP and Liam McArthur MSP, have this week written to the UK’s Business Secretary, the head of Ofgem, and the trade body Energy UK to challenge the refusal of energy suppliers in the isles to connect new built homes to electricity supply.

 

Orkney housing developers have voiced frustration in recent days that all relevant energy suppliers have refused to install energy meters in new build homes, believed to be due in part to uncertainty and volatility in the energy market.

 

The refusal to connect is causing vital new build homes in the isles and elsewhere to sit vacant, despite high demand for housing. The isles representatives have called for all key stakeholders in the industry and government to come together and take urgent action to address the “market failure”.

https://www.orcadian.co.uk/ridiculous-energy-block-on-new-build-homes-challenged/

[JohnMo]

I saw it also on the STV news, a few weeks ago.  

 

We are in NE Scotland and our two neighbors are are doing a new build and will be asking for meters this week, will be interesting to see how they get on.

[Kelvin]

It’s previously been posted on here. Similarly some people are being given dates of many months for a meter installation. In our case it’s been 4 months from request from Octopus although they don’t do the meter installs themselves. 
 

The terms of the supplier licence is that they can’t refuse to install a meter. 
 

https://epr.ofgem.gov.uk//Content/Documents/Electricity Supply Standard Licence Conditions Consolidated - Current Version.pdf#page157

[ProDave]

It's funny how they won't fit a new meter, but continue to pester me to have a smart meter.......

[JohnMo]

That reminded me to submit a meter reading, when I tried the app said my smart meter was working and I couldn't submit. Over two years after it was first installed!

 

British Gas (electric supplier) had not completely finished the commissioning in the house, so rang this afternoon to get an appointment - the engineer will be with me tomorrow at 8am.

 

Make wonder what the meter team are doing, to get an appointment that quickly.

[Temp]

9 hours ago, Ferdinand said:

A news story from Orkney brought to my attention. Date is late July.

 

Is this a thing?

 

 

It's not so much the connection, it's the new customers they dont want. Started last year..

 

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2021/nov/20/energy-suppliers-reject-new-customers-amid-crisis-in-market

 

Quote

 

Sarah Greaves*, a single mother who has spent the last six months renovating a home near Stroud, was left facing a winter without proper heating because no energy supplier was prepared to take her on as a customer and install a meter.

 

Over the last few months the UK energy market has seized up. Spiralling wholesale gas prices have led to the demise of 21 energy suppliers – two failed this week – and about 2 million customers having to be switched to a new supplier appointed by the energy regulator, Ofgem.

 

For most of those affected, it has been a story of big price increases as they have found themselves switched to a price-capped tariff. However, a new problem has emerged that could affect anyone connecting a home to the grid for the first time: suppliers are refusing to take on new customers in case they end up making a loss.

 

 

 

[JohnMo]

Well my smart meter installed failed to communicate correctly, so has now been abandoned.  Now have a manual read smart meter.

 

Neighbour applied today to get meter installed, after a bit of a ring round, EDF are installing in two weeks.