Anything bad about Octopus? Looking to switch to them.

[John_S]

When you order smart meter from Octopus makes sure you ask for isolator switch as well. They do it for free but it takes more effort to do it separately.

When Octopus converted replaced my old meter with a smart meter, they also replaced my isolation switch with a new one. I was a bit annoyed that they did no leave the old isolation switch as it was me who had paid for it.

Without an isolation switch, you would need to remove the service fuse to isolate the system and the DNOs no longer like/allow electricians to remove the service fuse and charge to come and remove it and then replace and reseal it.

[ducabi]

When Octopus converted replaced my old meter with a smart meter, they also replaced my isolation switch with a new one. I was a bit annoyed that they did no leave the old isolation switch as it was me who had paid for it.

Without an isolation switch, you would need to remove the service fuse to isolate the system and the DNOs no longer like/allow electricians to remove the service fuse and charge to come and remove it and then replace and reseal it.

My electrician didn't bother with notifying DNO when replacing CU but apparently it's a bigger issue when a smart meter is installed.

[Stinsy]

When Octopus converted replaced my old meter with a smart meter, they also replaced my isolation switch with a new one. I was a bit annoyed that they did no leave the old isolation switch as it was me who had paid for it.

Without an isolation switch, you would need to remove the service fuse to isolate the system and the DNOs no longer like/allow electricians to remove the service fuse and charge to come and remove it and then replace and reseal it.

My electrician didn't bother with notifying DNO when replacing CU but apparently it's a bigger issue when a smart meter is installed.

Pretty much all electricians will pull the main fuse if they need to isolate the supply. This used to be allowed, then it was frowned upon, now it is outright banned and smart meters are programmed to send an alert to the DNO who can send an enforcement team round and there are stories of sparks getting fined.

[Oldgreybeard]

My electrician didn't bother with notifying DNO when replacing CU but apparently it's a bigger issue when a smart meter is installed.

There's no requirement to inform the DNO when it comes to the majority of electrical work, like a CU change. AFAIK, the only time the DNO need to be told about something, or give consent, is when there are high load appliances installed (car charger, hot tub, heat pump, etc) or when there is generating equipment or battery storage installed. In your case the DNO should have been notified that a G98 compliant battery storage system has been installed. This is a pretty straightforward process for a system that is under 16A per phase, just notification after installation. You can do this, some DNOs have an online system to allow easy notification, I believe.

When it comes to pulling main fuses, the policy varies from one DNO to another. For example, SSEN are fine with granting consent to pull the fuse over the phone here. The chap that installed our car charger used our landline to get consent to pull the fuse from SSEN and said that he does this pretty much everyday. My understanding is that the DNO people that pull and replace fuses aren't fully qualified electricians, anyway, which makes a bit of a mockery of the whole daft situation.

[Fintray]

When Octopus converted replaced my old meter with a smart meter, they also replaced my isolation switch with a new one. I was a bit annoyed that they did no leave the old isolation switch as it was me who had paid for it.

Without an isolation switch, you would need to remove the service fuse to isolate the system and the DNOs no longer like/allow electricians to remove the service fuse and charge to come and remove it and then replace and reseal it.

My electrician didn't bother with notifying DNO when replacing CU but apparently it's a bigger issue when a smart meter is installed.

Pretty much all electricians will pull the main fuse if they need to isolate the supply. This used to be allowed, then it was frowned upon, now it is outright banned and smart meters are programmed to send an alert to the DNO who can send an enforcement team round and there are stories of sparks getting fined.

When I was going to change my consumer unit, I called the local DNO (SSE) and told them what was happening, and they said go ahead and they will get someone round in a couple of weeks or so to put new seals on the main fuse.

[NikoV6]

When my smart meter went in (long story!) the Octopus guy put in the isolator and an additional ariel to ensure we stayed connected. It failed to send signal after a few days so they came out again and successfully made it work

No issues with Octopus since, happy camper

[ducabi]

There's no requirement to inform the DNO when it comes to the majority of electrical work, like a CU change. AFAIK, the only time the DNO need to be told about something, or give consent, is when there are high load appliances installed (car charger, hot tub, heat pump, etc) or when there is generating equipment or battery storage installed. In your case the DNO should have been notified that a G98 compliant battery storage system has been installed. This is a pretty straightforward process for a system that is under 16A per phase, just notification after installation. You can do this, some DNOs have an online system to allow easy notification, I believe.

Is it my job if an electrician has done the installation? I'm not sure he's done it but I wonder whether I should chase him or just do it myself?
I was reviewing a pack from solicitor for a friend of mine who is buying a house and there was a question about changes that should have been notified. So, I guess when it comes to selling my house someone may ask for a paperwork for the new mini CU, but I haven't got anything.

[dangermouse]

As far as I know there are two bits of paperwork you're legally obliged to do - send a G98 notification to the DNO, and obtain a BS7671 certificate for the wiring modifications. I'm going through the same process myself right now.

The BS7671 probably won't be an issue until you come to sell the house (?) but if you've had an electrician install your system then I would chase him for it otherwise you'll have to pay someone else for one at a later date. And many are reluctant to certify someone else's work.

The G98 you can definitely do yourself, there are threads on this forum from people who have done the same.

[Oldgreybeard]

As far as I know there are two bits of paperwork you're legally obliged to do - send a G98 notification to the DNO, and obtain a BS7671 certificate for the wiring modifications. I'm going through the same process myself right now.

The BS7671 probably won't be an issue until you come to sell the house (?) but if you've had an electrician install your system then I would chase him for it otherwise you'll have to pay someone else for one at a later date. And many are reluctant to certify someone else's work.

The G98 you can definitely do yourself, there are threads on this forum from people who have done the same.

That's as I understand it too, with the proviso that lodging the electrical installation certificate on the building control database, to show compliance with Part P, only applies in England and Wales (Scotland doesn't have Part P I think). The DNO notification applies for the whole of the UK I think.

The Part P thing in England and Wales is just for notifiable electrical work, not everything. Notifiable work includes installing new circuits like a new inverter, car charger or outdoor socket, replacing a consumer unit, etc. Just doing things like fitting new light fittings, sockets, minor wiring alterations (outside kitchens and bathrooms) or replacing existing things with new (for example swapping a failed inverter for a new one) doesn't normally require part P approval, AFAIK.

All the work needs to comply with BS7671, anywhere in the UK, and all electrical work normally requires some sort of certification, ranging from a minor works certificate for something like replacing a socket to a full electrical installation certificate for something like a new circuit or consumer unit change. Unless the work is notifiable under Part P, then the certificate only needs to be given to the customer, although I had to chase to get a copy of one last time I had work done. The reason I chased it was because the lack of any certificates for our old house was picked up by our buyers solicitor when we sold it, I needed to do a periodic inspection and give that to them to keep them happy. I think this is a relatively new thing, as it didn't come up when we moved house 15 years earlier.