Electricians - Certificates needed to reconnect power?

[Kona*]

Right... I've just bought a house that was repossessed in May this year, the house was "de-energized" by EDF Energy in June. I called them up to get the juice put back on and they said I needed proof of ownership for the house so I faxed them proof and then they said I needed an "iCert" (Installation Certificate) from an NIC approved electrician... I've called around a few electricians and none of them will give me an installation certificate unless they installed the cables, what they can do is give me a Periodic Inspection Report which EDF say isn't sufficient. EDF are really the most unhelpful bunch of people I have ever talked to - I'm having a nightmare getting the gas put back on too.

Anyway, my question to the electricians on these forums, how do I go about getting an "iCert" if nobody will give me one - I'm at my wits end now as we won't be able to have the gas turned on before Christmas and we are relying on the electricity being turned on to heat the house! I can foresee a cold winter ahead.

Thanks,

Craig

 

[Kona*]

you are probably just ringing the wrong electricians, i just read a page from a GOV site to do with flooding that says just get any "registered electrician" to come and check the property out, he/she will then give you an iCert to give to the energy supplier.

maybe just keep trying a few different electricians until you find one that will do it.

Apparently EDF will only accept an iCert from an NIC EIC registered electrician and I've spoke to 20+ electricians (no joke, I really have called 20+), all of which won't give me one unless they installed the cables

 

[Kona*]

Can you blame them? Anything that goes wrong after they give you that iCert is on their backs!

How old is the house?

Nope, I can't blame them at all - it's not their fault that EDF are being unreasonable. I've checked around and a PIR (Periodic Inspection Report) checks everything that's needed to make sure the wiring is safe, the only way to get an iCert (so it seems) is to get the house rewired which I'm really not prepared to do. There must be a way around this, is there not a governing body who I can contact that I can actually reason with?

One of the electricians I spoke to said I should have just got someone to put a fuse in the mains supply and claimed it was there when I moved in - I can't believe that's all that stopping me getting power.

The house was built in 1920 but it has a reasonably new (in the past 15 years) consumer unit.

Edit: It has to be EDF who put the juice back on as they de-energized the property - I've spoke to British Gas who have confirmed this too.

Edit 2: What's annoying me most is that nothing to do with the internal wiring has changed since they last supplied electricity to the property - I don't understand why they can't just turn it back on if they were happy with the wiring 7 months ago.

 

[Kona*]

Just change your energy supplier?

I can't - that's the problem. EDF de-energized the house and only EDF can put the fuse back in - as I said above I spoke to British Gas who confirmed this.

Sounds like you're not the only one who has had this from EDF:

http://www.screwfix.com/talk/thread.jspa?threadID=49394

http://www.ultimatehandyman.co.uk/forum1/help-edf-are-being-unreal-t23713.html

Aye, after a quick google of "EDF iCert" I got those two links, no real resolution though

 

[Kona*]

lol yeah that's what I googled for. I've sent a message to an electrician mate of mine to see what he suggests.

Much appreciated

 

[Kona*]

Thanks for all of the replies - I feel like I am getting somewhere now. I've spoke to EDF and got through to someone marginally more helpful than the previous people, I explained my situation and what I had been told about the iCert so they got hold of a manager for me, the manager has confirmed (and made a note on my account) that a PIR will be sufficient but they stressed that they usually do have to have an iCert for re-energizing a property - I couldn't be bothered to argue about it so I left it at that.

I've also been in touch with an electrician who will come out tomorrow (!) and do a PIR for me, it's going to cost £120 though (not that I'm bothered about £120, I just want electricity!). Sorry ZG002, I didn't see your reply until I had arranged with the electrician to come out - I've got your company's contact details saved in my phone for any future work though (you may be in for a full re-wire in the future ).

I'll let you lot know what EDF say when I fax them the PIR (if the property passes of course ) - once again, thank you for all the help.

Craig

 

[Kona*]

£120 is a fair price for a PIR, is he registered here?
The annoying thing is that he'll have to pop a fuse in to energize the system if he's going to do the full tests then take it out again afterwards and you'll have to wait for EDF to come round and redo it and seal it again, daft eh?

Yup he is listed on there - I was quoted between £85 and £210 for a PIR, the guy who could do it for £85 had a three week waiting time which unfortunately is too long to wait, the next price up was £120 and as I say he can do it tomorrow It's madness that he has to put a fuse in there to do the test, EDF have really got my back up over this - I never thought getting power connected was such a hassle! Hopefully everything will be sorted tomorrow though.

 

[Kona*]

I bought a repossessed house recently where all the utilities we're disconnected. All I did was turn the main stopcock, the valve on the mains gas inlet and switch the electricity on at the main consumer unit and everything was working again. The previous owners we're with e.on, but we're now with edf. Without phisically cutting the cables I can't see how they can stop you using power?

As others have said there is a big fuse where the power comes in to the building - EDF have removed this fuse and put a big metal tag over it so it can't be tampered with (I know from now on the answer to this would be "What metal tag? It was like that when I bought the house.").

Anyway - today is the day, the electrician is due to turn up at 15:00 to do the inspection. I hope he has plenty of torches as it's going to be pretty dark by that time!

I've sent you an email HybridX, cheers for the info

Craig

 

[Kona*]

The girlfriend has just called me - the electricians have been and they said, I quote "There is no reason for the property to fail, all the cabling is in good condition and it's passed all the test - the only recommendation we have is for an earth rod to be installed as the only earth [we could find] on the property is on the mains water pipe". They have took the results back to the boss who is going to double check them and fill in the report and certificate for me tomorrow - hopefully this will satisfy EDF.

What takes the absolute **** though is that EDF sent us a confirmation of service for gas (which is apparently being sorted next Wednesday by the National Grid) and electricity - which they will be billing us for on the 5th of every month. I swear if they charge me on the 5th of this month I'm going to go insane.

 

[Kona*]

That is a automatic code 1/2 (can't remember which) and should be an unsatisfactory certificate. You can not use the mains water pipe from a supplier as a earth!. Also there should be a earth on the gas supply.

I'm guessing it is a TT system. If that comes back as satisfactory without the earth rod being installed id be amazed

Do you know if the property is fitted with a RCD?

That doesn't sound good

EDF did say that a pass on a PIR would be OK - It has indeed passed (I phoned the boss after work, he's faxing the report + certificate in the morning) so I hope it's just a case of a pass being a pass, what do you mean by an automatic code? Also, what you you mean by a "TT system"? The power comes in from overhead cables and through the loft rather than out of the ground if that's what your on about.

As for having an RCD fitted - I'm pretty sure it does have one fitted, the consumer unit is pretty new with a big master switch on the left (I'm assuming this is the RCD?) and smaller switches for different circuits on the right.

Cheers

Edit: No need to explain the automatic code any more - I've done a bit of Googling and found what the Recommendation Codes mean!

 

[Kona*]

I'm in such a bad mood right now it's unreal - here is how today panned out:

Pick up PIR from electrician (satisfactory) and fax it to EDF who confirmed that MeterPlus/nPower would be out to my house between 15:00 and 22:00 to reconnect the power - that's a fairly large time scale but it's cool, I'll have power. Anyway, I phone EDF at 16:30 to check that MP are definatly coming out, the lady on the phone calls them and confirms it's a live job on their system so I sit in the darkness with no power, gas or water until 19:00 when I ring EDF again to ask what the craic is as I don't trust them at all. The lady says a MP engineer came to my premises but could not get an answer and left a card - I was sitting in the doorway adjacent to the front door deliberately so they could see me (I'd lit the room with a few candles) and there was NO card through my door so she apologises and re-books the call out for between 19:00 and 22:00.

Roll on 19:55 and I ring EDF again as their customer services close at 20:00 to double check the call out, the lady once again confirms everything is OK so I go back to waiting in the cold, bored stiff. 21:15 rolls around and I call their emergency helpline as MP still haven't come out - only to be trolled by the customer "service" representative who does absolutely nothing to help me and tells me the times given by MP are provisional and they can't guarantee anyone will be out so the job will roll over until tomorrow, if an engineer is available. This means I have to get up and drive the 27 miles from my current flat to the new house before 8am tomorrow.

Please someone tell me there is a company I can call that will kick EDF/MP in to shape? If I have to wait in the cold without any utilities another day I'm going to go insane - in fact, if I have to wait another day I'm personally putting a fuse in the board, they can sue me all they like - they can't mess people about like this.

Edit: Also, the CS troll told me they are charging me for the missed call out earlier in the evening - £60. That is laughable, what about my time (especially the two hours I had to take unpaid from work) waiting around for their people to turn up?

 

[Kona*]

As much as I feel for the situation you are in....



Impatient much?

Err it looks like he was right to try and phone them and confirm they were going to arrive, which they didn't. I'd be pretty impatient with a company that had treated me in the way he has been treated and the eventual outcome shows his concern was valid.

Wicksta hit the nail on the head - I don't trust them even a tiny bit, they are getting a phone call at 8am this morning too.

Anyhow, no internets out at the new house - I'll update this thread when I get back

 

[Kona*]

Hurrah! Guess who this is:

That be the Meter Plus guy who was meant to be at mine before 10pm last night! I called EDF at 8am and got through to a young lad who lives three streets away from my new house (how lucky was that?) he was extremely helpful and called Meter Plus directly rather than going through EDF's appointments department and got them to get someone out before 11am

MP couldn't give a valid reason why nobody came to my house yesterday and why they said someone had visited earlier in the day but I wasn't in so he has filed a complaint for me - he knows the layout of the houses and understands just where I was sitting and realises that you simply can't fail to see someone sitting that close to the door & window.

Anyway, I've had a busy day decorating - managed to get a few door frames off and most of the living room painted! There is plenty more to do though. Thanks for everyone's help, it's been (mostly) very helpful and one or two posts have directly helped me get the power back on - top stuff

Roll on Wednesday for the gas meter to be installed (get ready for "Gas engineers - Why won't EDF give me gas?" )

Craig