Electrical Contracting News (ECN) June 2016 | Page 32

CUT-OUT FUSES

CUT IT OUT
Jim O’Neil of the Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA) urges
the industry to come together to put a stop to the cut-out fuse debacle.

O

ne of the most
widespread
and frustrating
issues faced by
electricians and
engineers is the
process for the
removal of cut-out
fuses in households. As ECN readers will
know, electricians currently need to secure
the approval of the energy supplier (known
as the DNO), who will then arrange for
this removal (done either in-house or by a
meter operator).

Time consuming
This process in itself takes up valuable
time, preventing electricians from getting
started on the actual electrical work
they have been hired for. In addition,
it often leads to an additional charge
of around £75 from the DNO for the
removal, which is typically passed onto
the consumer.

The DNOs take a cautious view on the
removal of cut-out fuses, in part due to
their legal and safety obligations under
Section 24 of the Electricity, Safety,
Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002.
This position has though led to an entire
commercial industry of meter operators
developing, who, along with some DNOs,
stand to benefit financially from the
onerous process mentioned above.

Opportunity
Despite calls from the ECA and our
partners at the time, the last government
missed an opportunity to correct this issue
by mandating steps within the nationwide
smart meter roll out.
However, there is light at the end of the
tunnel. One DNO – SSE – recognises
that skilled electricians are more than
capable of removing cut-out fuses
themselves, and has introduced a system
to facilitate this. SSE stipulates that
member firms of trade bodies such as the

ECA and SELECT, and contractors from
certification bodies such as NICEIC, are
allowed to remove cut-out fuses.
This pragmatic approach used by SSE
is widely supported by contractors, and
it is a solution whose time has certainly
come. It’s now up to the industry to come
together and find a mutually agreeable
deal, based on the SSE model, which
saves both electricians’ time and
households’ money, while also putting to
bed any perceived safety concerns.
Yet if the industry itself cannot find
common ground on this issue, with a
deregulatory Conservative administration
in power for at least four more years, it
may be the government itself is willing to
take direct action by cutting red tape to
curtail this unnecessary burden on the
electrical sector.

Support
The ECA is working closely with partners
across the industry to push for change

on the removal of cut-out fuses and urges
contractors to contact mike.giles@eca.
co.uk if you would be willing to support
its efforts.

Jim O’Neil is director of technical
and joined the ECA from Balfour
Beatty Utility Solutions in 2014, where
he was the company’s principal
electrical engineer. Jim previously
worked at director level for several
major building services contractors and
ECA members. He has also served as
chairman of both the ECA’s Technical
Committee and ‘M&E Sustainability’,
the joint ECA/B&ES initiative that
underpinned the role of building
services in the growing sustainability
agenda. Jim oversees all of ECA’s
technical activity, providing members
with practical advice and guidance, as
well as influencing the regulations and
standards that govern the industry.

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12/05/2016 14:17