NGED launches 8m customer cut-out safety inspection programme
Posted by: electime 24th October 2024
| National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED) is launching a 20-year safety programme to inspect the service termination assets of its millions of customers. |
| The service termination point, also known as a cut-out, is the indoor location where the main incoming electricity service cable and fuse is situated, in most cases close to the electricity meter.
NGED is aiming to complete 400,000 inspections of cut-outs in homes and small businesses across the South West, South Wales and the Midlands every year in a rolling programme over the next 20 years. The business has 8 million metered connections. Inspectors will visually inspect NGED and energy suppliers’ equipment and record basic details. No disassembly work will be carried out and customers’ power supplies will not be interrupted while inspections occur. Distribution network operators have an Ofgem licence obligation to carry out asset inspections to ensure cut-outs at low voltage metered properties are operating safely. NGED is beginning trial inspections this month with trained contractors visiting 2,000 properties in the Twerton area of Bath and the Bournville and Worle areas of Weston-super-Mare in Somerset. Richard Brady, NGED’s Policy Engineer heading the inspection programme, said: “The UK is recognised internationally as having one of the most resilient and safe energy systems, and this inspection programme underlines our commitment to the highest safety standards. “Inspectors will visually examine cut-outs to check they are working as they should, taking photos and notes for our records. In the unlikely event of a defective cut-out being found, NGED engineers will be sent to carry out repairs at no cost to the customer. “Visits will also be an opportunity to confirm what types of low-carbon technologies (LCTs) are connected to our network – for example, electric vehicle chargers and solar panels. The data gathered from the inspections will help planning for future growth on the network, and enable LCTs to be connected quicker as we will have records of the cut-out asset on site and its condition.” Contractors working for NGED will be undertaking the inspections and will be able to present ID and authorisation to enter properties. Customers will have the option of taking their own photographs of their cut-out and meter and sending them to NGED, who will decide if a follow-up visit is needed.
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