home electricity distribution board

[haway]

I need to replace the wooden board, under the stairs, in my house, which is very old and has woodworm. It houses the sealed electric meter and mains supply boxes. Who would I go to for this job and would it be paid for by the electricity supplier (In this case, British Gas). Obviously, I cannot do it myself without breaking the seals and risking some possible shock.

[LCDMAN]

If it is just the meter and the "supply head" (i.e. the end of the big fat cable connecting you to the electricty supply) on this board then this is not the responsibility of your electricity supplier. It is the responsibility of your Distribution Network Operator (DNO) who handle the electricity supply infrastructure. In the "old days" these were the same company, but since the break up of the old regional supply companies then the supply and infrastructure are handled seperately.

You can find out who your DNO is here;

http://www.nationalgrid.com/uk/Electricity/Abo utElectricity/DistributionCompanies/

Give them a ring and explain the problem. Whether they make a charge differs from company to company I'm afraid.

As a qualified and certified electrician I feel duty bound to tell you NOT to even begin to attempt this work yourself, if you have any hassle with your DNO then please ask a qualified electrician to come and have a look for you.

If, in fact, the board just has the meter and your consumer unit ("fuse box") on it then a qualified electrician should be able to do this job for you.

If all three items are on this board then you will need both your DNO and an electrican to disconnect/remove/replace things - the DNO only handle items upto and including your meter, nothing beyond that.

[spudqueen]

We had our house rewired a couple of years ago and moved the meter and fuse box thing into another room. The electrician set up the new meter thingy then the leccy board (or possibly the DNO) came out to connect it, then the electrician had to come back to connect it up to the house! Does that make sense?!!

[haway]

Thanks LCDMAN and spudqueen. It's a DNO job, then. EDF for me. No way would I try it!

[Disco Fever]

As a sparky myself I agree with all that LCDMAN has said....