The Gas (Meters) Regulations 1983

Citation and commencement

1.  These Regulations may be cited as the Gas (Meters) Regulations 1983 and shall come into operation on 1st June 1983.

Interpretation

2.  In these Regulations—

“the Act” means the Gas Act 1972;

“diaphragm meter” means a meter constructed so that it contains a flexible partition;

“meter examiner” means a meter examiner appointed under section 30(3) of the Act.

Prescribed standards for meters

3.—(1) The standards with which a meter examiner is to be satisfied that a meter conforms so that he may stamp, or authorise the stamping of, the meter in accordance with section 30(2) of the Act are as follows:—

(a) the meter is such that no gas or air will escape from it;

(b) in the case of any diaphragm meter, the meter, when used for the purpose of ascertaining the quantity of either gas or air passing through it—

(i) at any rate of flow not less than 1/50th of the greatest rate of flow for which it is designed and not more than that greatest rate of flow, will register such quantity of gas or air as does not differ from the actual quantity of gas or air passing through the meter by more than 2 per cent of that actual quantity; and

(ii) at the rate of flow specified in column 1 of Table A below which corresponds to the greatest rate of flow for which it is designed specified in column 2 of the Table, will register the passage of gas or air;

Table A

Column 1	Column 2
Rate of flow in cubic decimetres per hour	Greatest rate of flow for which the meter is designed in cubic metres per hour
15	Not exceeding 6
30	Exceeding 6 but not exceeding 25
60	Exceeding 25 but not exceeding 65
150	Exceeding 65

(c) in the case of a meter other than a diaphragm meter, the meter, when used for the purpose of ascertaining the quantity of either gas or air passing through it—

(i) at any rate of flow not less than 1/5th of the greatest rate of flow for which it is designed and not more than that greatest rate of flow, will register such quantity of gas or air as does not differ from the actual quantity of gas or air passing through the meter by more than 1 per cent of that actual quantity; and

(ii) at any rate of flow not less than the smallest rate of flow for which it is designed and less than 1/5th of the greatest rate of flow for which it is designed, will register such quantity of gas or air as does not differ from the actual quantity of gas or air passing through the meter by more than 2 per cent of that actual quantity;

(d) in the case of a diaphragm meter designed to operate at a pressure of not more than 1 bar, the mean difference between the pressure of air at the inlet of the meter and the pressure of air at the outlet of the meter, where air is passing through the meter at the greatest rate of flow for which it is designed, will not exceed the amount specified in column 1 of Table B below which corresponds to that greatest rate of flow specified in column 2 of the Table; and

Table B

Column 1	Column 2
Mean difference in millibars	Greatest rate of flow for which the meter is designed in cubic metres per hour
2.0	Not exceeding 16
3.0	Exceeding 16 but not exceeding 65
4.0	Exceeding 65

(e) in the case of any diaphragm meter, the difference between the pressure at the inlet of the meter and the pressure at the outlet of the meter, when air is passing through the meter at the rate of flow which is 1 per cent of the greatest rate of flow for which the meter is designed, will not exceed the amount specified in column 1 of Table C below which corresponds to that greatest rate of flow specified in column 2 of the Table.

Table C

Column 1	Column 2
Mean difference in millibars	Greatest rate of flow for which the meter is designed in cubic metres per hour
0.6	Not exceeding 65
1.0	Exceeding 65

(2) A meter shall be deemed to conform with a standard prescribed by paragraph (1)(b) or (c) above, notwithstanding that gas instead of air is passing through the meter, where the results of testing for that standard show that if it had been conducted with air passing through the meter—

(a) at a density of 1.2 kilograms per cubic metre, or

(b) in a case where the meter is marked in such manner as is approved by the Secretary of State so as to indicate that the meter is to be used only for the purpose of ascertaining the quantity of gas supplied to any person at a specified range of densities of which the lower limit exceeds 1.2 kilograms per cubic metre, at the higher and lower limits of that range,

the meter would have conformed with that standard.

(3) A meter shall be deemed to conform with a standard prescribed by paragraph (1)(d) or (e) above, notwithstanding that gas instead of air is passing through the meter, where the results of testing for that standard show that, if it had been conducted with air passing through the meter at a density of 1.2 kilograms per cubic metre, the meter would have conformed with that standard.

Re-examination of disputed meters

4.—(1) Where there is a dispute between any person to whom gas is supplied and the person supplying the gas as to the accuracy with which a meter stamped under section 30 of the Act registered the quantity of gas supplied to that person and either party to the dispute requires a meter examiner appointed under that section to re-examine the meter, and the names and addresses of both parties to the dispute are communicated in writing to the meter examiner, it shall be the duty of the meter examiner on payment of the fee prescribed by any provision of Regulation 5 below to re-examine the meter.

(2) If a meter examiner, on re-examining the meter, is satisfied that the meter does not conform with the standards prescribed by Regulation 3 above, it shall be the duty of the meter examiner to cancel the stamp with which the meter is already stamped by defacing it.

(3) If a meter examiner on re-examining a meter is satisfied that the meter does not conform either with the standard prescribed by paragraph (1)(b)(i) or a standard prescribed by paragraph (1)(c) of Regulation 3 above, it shall be the duty of the meter examiner to give to each of the parties to the dispute a certificate signed by the meter examiner stating the degree exceeding the degree permissible for that standard to which the meter when re-examined registered erroneously.

(4) If a meter examiner on re-examining a meter is satisfied that the meter conforms either with the standard prescribed by paragraph (1)(b)(i) or the standards prescribed by paragraph (1)(c) of Regulation 3 above, it shall be the duty of the meter examiner to give to each of the parties to the dispute a certificate signed by the meter examiner stating that the meter when re-examined registered accurately

(5) If a meter examiner on re-examining a meter is satisfied that the meter is so defective that he cannot examine it for conformity with the standard prescribed by paragraph (1)(b)(i) or the standards prescribed by paragraph (1)(c) of Regulation 3 above, it shall be the duty of the meter examiner to give to each of the parties to the dispute a certificate signed by the meter examiner stating that the meter when re-examined could not be so examined and to cancel the stamp with which the meter is already stamped by defacing it.

Fees

5.—(1) Subject to the provisions of paragraphs (2) to (6) below, the fee to be paid to the Secretary of State for examining or re-examining by a meter examiner, with or without stamping, a meter described in column 1 of Schedule 1 to these Regulations used or intended to be used for ascertaining the quantity of gas supplied to any person shall be the corresponding fee specified in column 2 to that Schedule.

(2) Where the meter has not been delivered to the office of a meter examiner for the purpose of examination or re-examination, there shall be paid to the Secretary of State, in addition to any fee payable under paragraph (1) above, a fee equivalent to the amount of—

(a) all reasonable expenses, including incidental expenses, incurred by the meter examiner, and any other meter examiner assisting him in the examination, in travelling to and from the premises at which the meter is situated, in preparing for the examination of the meter or in dismantling any equipment used therefor; and

(b) a sum calculated at the rate of £9.32 for every hour, or part of an hour exceeding thirty minutes, spent by the examiner and any such other meter examiner respectively in such travelling, preparing or dismantling.

(3) Where the meter is required to be re-examined by a party to such a dispute as is mentioned in Regulation 4(1) above, there shall be paid to the Secretary of State, in addition to any fee payable under paragraph (1) or (2) above, a fee of £1.

(4) Where the meter incorporates electro-mechanical compensating devices which cause its register to indicate the quantity of gas passing through it as if the gas were at a particular temperature or pressure or both, there shall be paid to the Secretary of State, in addition to any fee payable under paragraphs (1) to (3) above,—

(a) where the meter is a prototype submitted for approval of its pattern and construction or is a modified prototype so submitted which, prior to modification, had already been examined by a meter examiner, a fee of £300; and

(b) where the meter is not such a prototype or modified prototype, a fee of £30.

(5) Where the meter is marked in a manner referred to in Regulation 3(2), there shall be paid to the Secretary of State, in addition to any fee payable under paragraphs (1) to (4) above—

(a) where the meter is a prototype submitted for approval of its pattern and construction not being a modified prototype so submitted which, prior to modification, had already been examined by a meter examiner, a fee of £2,000; and

(b) where the meter is such a modified prototype or is not a prototype so submitted, a fee of £200.

(6)  Subject to the provisions of paragraph 8(4) of Schedule 4 to the Act, any fee payable under paragraph (1), (2), (3), (4) or (5) above shall be paid to the Secretary of State on demand by the person who requires the meter to be examined or re-examined.

(7) Where any person requires the re-examination of any meter not owned by him through which gas is supplied to him and that meter, when examined on the premises at which it is situated for the purpose of ascertaining the quantity of the gas, is found to register erroneously to a degree exceeding the degree permissible under Regulation 3(1)(b)(i) or (c) above, the owner of the meter shall pay to that person the amount of all fees paid by him under this Regulation.

Revocations

6.  The Regulations specified in columns 1 and 2 of Schedule 2 to these Regulations are hereby revoked to the extent specified in column 3 of the Schedule.

Hamish Grey

Minister of State

Department of Energy

5th May 1983.