How to install an electricity meter - step by step instructions

It is possible to install an electricity metering device yourself, it is not necessary to call a certified specialist for this. It is quite enough to know and be able to safely carry out work with electricity, correctly follow the instructions and imagine what the danger of electric shock is. However, before installation it is necessary to obtain permits, and directly to connect to the network you will need to call a representative of the energy supply company. We will talk about all the issues in more detail, having examined how to install the electric meter with your own hands in a private house and apartment.

Organizational activities

First thing you need conclude an agreement for the supply of electric energy to you with a local supplier, with paperwork and a contract for a current account to pay for energy consumed. The supplying organization issues technical documentation that indicates the type of meter, input circuit breaker, wire cross section and length, type or name of the mounting panel or box.

Technical condition

In order for the newly installed electricity meter to be allowed into operation, you must write the application yourself at the office of the supplying organization, or send a letter of confirmation of receipt to the address of this company.

The statement shall indicate:

  1. Surname Name Patronymic of the applicant with whom the contract for the supply of electricity was concluded.
  2. The number of the contract or personal account opened with the supplying company in the name of the applicant.
  3. The exact address and contact numbers of the applicant.

Statement

After installing the electric meter and connecting to the network, commissioning is carried out, which in turn is carried out by drawing up documents by the representative of the electric grid company on the results of the inspection and verification of the correct connection diagram. A sample of the completion of the act is provided in the photo below:

Act

Also, the act must indicate:

  • type and number of the counter;
  • initial indications;
  • number of installed seal.

From the date indicated in the executed documents, payments will be made for the consumed electricity. Only representatives of the energy company supplying you electricity with which you have a contract and open an account are entitled to draw up an act and filling meter.

Technical Activities

Having the technical documentation on hand, indicating the names and place of installation, you can proceed to install the electric meter yourself. First of all, you need to purchase materials and elements for self-assembly.

If the electricity meter is planned to be installed on the street (for private houses and summer cottages this is the optimal location), on the outer wall of the house (facade) or on a pillar, it is necessary to install YaUR-NG (metering and distribution box is an external, airtight box). It is already equipped with a place and elements for mounting the metering device, as well as a separate lockable box under sealing the circuit breaker input.In addition, the box is equipped withDIN rail for installation of modular automatic machines. An example of installing an electric meter in an outdoor box you can see in the photo:

Street counter on a pillar

In order to install the electric meter in the room, you can use the Jaur box for indoor installation or a mounting board, it also provides a place for mounting additional machines.

Box for indoor installation

Cable cross section calculation described in our article. It is better to transfer or replace the meter, as well as install a new meter, with replacing the old input cable on new. In addition, it is recommended to install protective elements (RCDs, automatic devices) in the shield instead of obsolete traffic jams, having previously laid down the possibility of switching to a modern power supply system TN-C-S. About, what are the grounding systemscan read in our article. The figure below shows the connection diagram for a single-phase meter with grounding:

Single phase connection

In the event that you decide to install the electric meter yourself, in accordance with the rules of the PUE (see Chapter 1.5) it is necessary to fulfill the following requirements:

  1. The electricity meter can be installed in electrical cabinets, on boards and panels with a rigid structure.
  2. The installation height at the terminals of the meter varies from 0.8 meters to 1.7 meters.
  3. In places where there is a possibility of damage, pollution, access by unauthorized persons, the meter should be installed in the box and locked with a key.
  4. The location of the meter should allow easy access to service, readings, and replacements.
  5. The lead-in cable must meet the design requirements and correspond to the cross-section, for trouble-free supply.
  6. Twisting, soldering on the input cable is not allowed, it should be one solid piece from the entrance input to the meter.

When connecting the cable to the meter, be aware that color marking the cores must be such, according to the accepted rules - brown, black, red, white are the conductors connected to the phases, denoted as L. Blue - zero wire N, yellow-green insulation of the protective conductor PE. Remembering color coding is difficult to get confused.

We draw your attention to the fact that installation of an electric meter under voltage is strictly prohibited! All electrical work should only be carried out with the input circuit breaker turned off!

In a private house, as well as in a summer cottage, if the newly installed electric meter is located on the border of the land, it is possible to connect the house from the nuclear power plant by laying ground wiring, or by cable installation at altitude by air. We recommend that you familiarize yourself with these articles on our resource, which describes in detail the methods of laying the cable in the trench and the independent manufacture of cable wires.

By the way, the cost of installing an electric meter by a specialist varies from 1000 for a single-phase model and from 1500 for a three-phase device.

Finally, we recommend watching a video that clearly demonstrates how to install a single-phase and three-phase electricity meter:

Mounting a single-phase model

Rules for installing a three-phase meter

Regarding how to connect devices, three-phase meter connection diagrams, and single phase, we reviewed in detail in the relevant articles, which we strongly recommend that you read. For the rest, we hope that you liked our information on how to install the electric meter yourself and what documents are needed for this.

Mounting a single-phase model

Rules for installing a three-phase meter

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7 comments

  • Zoya

    how to correctly apply for a brush connection before in the brush house was not?

    To answer
  • Nataliya

    They do not write about the possibility of sealing the old electricity meter when changing the owner-individual in horticulture and transferring to an accessible place for taking readings with the repair of tattered external wiring. Electricians of the company came, carried out repairs. The chairman does not seal with words that are not his duties. Who to call - not to find. Horror!

    To answer
  • Michael

    What are the requirements for connecting a 1ph counter. from a post directly to the meter or can it be done through the machine, provided that the machine can be sealed?

    To answer
    • Admin

      As you wrote so often, they do (through a machine in a sealed box)

      To answer
    • Valery

      Can I use a three-phase direct connection meter in a single-phase network? Are any additional approvals required for this?

      To answer
  • Sergei

    “On shields and panels having a rigid structure”
    What material should the panels be made of? Should it be factory panels or you can cut it yourself from a laminate? There is information that the apartment can have a counter at a height of 2 meters. Is it true?

    To answer
    • Admin

      https://my.electricianexp.com/en/mozhno-li-ustanovit-elektroschetchik-nad-dveryu.html - here are the requirements for height. For mounting meters directly to the wall, there are potential mounting panels with a lack of necessary fasteners. The material from which the panels are made should not be flame retardant (which is logical), but it is also necessary to adhere to the requirements for the method of laying electrical wiring depending on the wall materials. In short, if the walls are wooden - you need to mount on an iron panel or electrical panel.

      To answer

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