http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/uksi/1998/1566

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1998/1566/regulation/2

The Meters (Certification) Regulations 1998

Quality assurance

Standards and specifications

Electricity supply

ELECTRICITY

Statute Law Database

2024-04-02

Expert Participation

2020-12-31

These Regulations set out the procedure for enabling meters, other than meters deemed to be certified under the measuring Instruments (EC Requirements) (Electrical Energy Meters) Regulations 1995 (S.I. 1995/2607), used for the purpose of measuring the quantity of electricity supplied to customers to be certified and provide for the circumstances in which certification and deemed certification are terminated. They consolidate with amendments the Meters (Certification) Order 1987 (S.I. 1987/730) and the Meters (Certification) Regulations 1990 (S.I. 1990/792). In addition to minor and drafting amendments, they make the following amendments of substance—the requirement that an authorised examiner may not examine any meter which he has examined tested or regulated has been extended to meters which he has manufactured or repaired (regulation 5(3));amendments to the procedure for certification require the meter to have been sealed before it is certified, but omit the requirement for it to be accompanied by a report (regulation 7(1)) and the requirement for a meter submitted for certification to be accompanied by a report now applies only to a meter submitted for batch certification (regulation 9(3));tests and testing methods which accord with the equivalent European provisions specified in regulation 8 may be relied upon as alternative to those described in Schedules 1 and 3 (regulations 3(2)(c), 4(2)(d), 7(1)(a) and Schedule 2);the provision that a meter ceases to be certified if any alteration is made to it no longer has an exception for any alteration to the demand indicator mechanism in a maximum demand meter (regulation 10(3));detailed changes are made to the period for which a meter remains certified in that periods of between 10 and 25 years are specified for meters listed in Schedule 4 (previously periods of 15 or 20 years were generally specified), and 10 years is specified for other meters (previously 10 or 20 years, depending on type) (regulation 10); a meter shall not be certified unless it can be expected to operate within the permitted margins of error for this period or has been tested in accordance with one of the equivalent European provisions (regulation 7(1)(a)); andthe fee charged where certification is by a meter examiner is increased from 29p to 34p, and where certification is by an authorised examiner it is increased from 17p to 18p (regulation 11(1)).

InterpretationI12

1

In these Regulations—

“the Act” means the Electricity Act 1989;
“approved” means approved by or under regulations made under paragraph 2 of Schedule 7 to the Act;
“authorised examiner” means a person who is authorised in accordance with regulation 5;
“authorised manufacturer” means a person who is authorised in accordance with regulation 3;
“authorised repairer” means a person who is authorised in accordance with regulation 4;
F1“the Authority” means the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority;
“certification period” means, in the case of a meter of a type specified in columns 1 to 6 of Schedule 4, the period stated in relation thereto in column 7 of that Schedule and, in the case of any other meter, the period of 10 years, the period beginning in each case on the date on which the meter is certified for the purpose of the Act;
“directions” means any directions issued by the Director under paragraph 6(1) of Schedule 7 to the Act;
“EEA Agreement” means the Agreement on the European Economic Area signed at Oporto on 2nd May 19924 as adjusted by the Protocol signed at Brussels on 17th March 19935;
“EEA State” means a state which, at the date of the entry into force of these Regulations, is a Contracting Party to the EEA Agreement F3, but does not include the United Kingdom;
“equivalent European provisions” has the meaning given by regulation 8;
“meter examiner” means a person appointed under paragraph 4 of Schedule 7 to the Act;
F2“nominated laboratory” means a laboratory nominated by the Authority for the purpose of testing meters; and
“permitted margins of error” means the margins of error referred to in regulation 7.

2

Unless the context otherwise requires, any reference in these Regulations to a numbered regulation or Schedule is a reference to the regulation in or the Schedule to these Regulations bearing that number; any reference in a regulation or a Schedule to a numbered paragraph is a reference to the paragraph of that regulation or Schedule bearing that number; and any reference in a Schedule to a numbered table is a reference to the table bearing that number at the end of that Schedule.