Saltash Properties to Receive Electricity Safety Checks

Customers in Saltash are set to receive visits from electricity inspectors as part of a safety inspection programme.

From 2nd March, domestic and small business customers in the town will be visited by contractors approved by National Grid Electricity Distribution to check that service termination points at properties are operating correctly.

What inspectors will be checking

The service termination point, often referred to as a cut out, is where the main incoming electricity cable and fuse are located. In many cases this is close to the electricity meter.

For most modern properties built since the 1980s, the cut out is usually housed in a meter cabinet on the outside of the building. In some properties it may be located inside.

Inspectors will carry out a visual check of NGED and energy supplier equipment and record basic details. No disassembly work will take place and customers’ power supplies will not be interrupted during the visit.

A long term safety programme

NGED is aiming to complete 400,000 inspections of cut outs in homes and small businesses each year across the South West, Midlands and South Wales. The work forms part of a rolling programme expected to run over the next 20 years.

The company has a licence obligation from Ofgem to carry out asset inspections to ensure that cut outs at low voltage metered properties are operating safely.

Richard Brady, NGED’s policy engineer heading the inspection programme, said:

“The UK is recognised internationally as having one of the most resilient and safe energy systems and this inspection programme underlines our commitment to the highest safety standards.

“Inspectors will visually examine cut-outs to check they are working as they should, taking photos and notes for our records. In the unlikely event of a defective cut-out being found, NGED engineers will be sent to carry out repairs at no cost to the customer.

“Visits will also be an opportunity to confirm what types of low-carbon technologies (LCT) are connected to our network, for example electric vehicle chargers and solar panels.

“This will help our planning for load growth on the network and enable LCT items to be connected quicker in the future, as we’ll have records of the cut-out asset on site and its condition.

“These are important safety visits, but we understand they could be inconvenient for customers and apologise in advance if this is the case.”

Who will be carrying out the visits?

Inspectors will be from a company called A Coole and will be clearly identifiable as working for NGED. They will be able to present identification and authorisation before entering properties.

Customers who would prefer not to have a visit can take their own photographs of their cut out and meter and send them to NGED. The company will then decide whether a follow up visit is required.