The Electricity (Approval of Pattern or Construction and Installation and Certification) (Amendment) Regulations 2002

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the Meters (Approval of Pattern or Construction and Manner of Installation) Regulations 1998 and the Meters (Certification) Regulations 1998 with the following effect.

The Meters (Approval of Pattern or Construction and Manner of Installation) Regulations 1998 (“the Approval Regulations”) are amended principally so as to provide that a meter examiner (appointed under paragraph 4 of Schedule 7 to the Electricity Act 1989) shall not, unless asked to do so by a person submitting a meter for approval, carry out examinations or tests on a meter submitted for approval of its pattern or construction or manner of installation if the report of a nominated laboratory on the meter enables the examiner to conclude that the specified requirement will be met. The requirement is that a meter of that pattern or construction or a meter installed in that manner will be capable of accurately recording the quantity of electricity for which the meter is intended to operate. The amendments also enable the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority (“the Authority”) to use the services of a nominated laboratory in carrying out its functions under the Approval Regulations.

The Meters (Certification) Regulations 1998 (“the Certification Regulations”) are amended principally so as: to enable the Authority to rely on a report prepared by a nominated laboratory to satisfy itself as to the fitness of a manufacturer or repairer of meters to be authorised; to amend the conditions that apply to an examiner authorised under the regulations; to facilitate the use by an authorised manufacturer or repairer of a nominated laboratory in the arrangements they make for audit of their apparatus, processes, systems and records; to enable a nominated laboratory to deploy authorised examiners employed by it; and to enable the Authority to use the services of a nominated laboratory in carrying out its functions under the Certification Regulations.

The way in which fees are charged for approval, authorisation and certification also changes for submissions or requests for authorisation made on or after the date on which these Regulations come into force to allow the Authority to recover the costs of using external resources in the carrying out of its functions.

A Regulatory Impact Assessment for this Instrument has been prepared and copies can be obtained from Ofgem, 9 Millbank, London, SWIP 3GE. A copy of the Regulatory Impact Assessment has been placed in the library of both Houses of Parliament.