Building phases, when, where, how, and why?

[useless]

The meter's location historically likely depends a lot on local traditions and what was practical at the time. It is probably in the last two to three decades that it has become standard to have the meter outdoors so that it is easy to access without involving the property owner.

 

[Argastesnickaren]

Had two houses from '66, both with meter cabinets in the basement.

 

[AndersS]

Why should the meter cabinet be on the outside? I have the meter cabinet with main fuses indoors, but if you crawl under the house in the crawl space, there is an additional fuse box with three main fuses. Why?

Easier to read the meters without needing access to the house. Readings used to be done by the power company's personnel so you had to be home, then came forms to fill out yourself and now more recently remote reading.

 

[justusandersson]

Early stud frameworks had sparse paneling behind the plasterboards, 1x4 inches i.e., 25x100 mm. A heart wall could then be 16+25+100+25+16 = 182 mm thick.

 

[Dr Jumping Jack]

Easier to read the meters without needing access to the house. Reading was done by the power company's staff so you had to be home, then came forms to fill in yourself, and now more recently remote reading.

But with remote reading, you should be able to place the meter indoors again. Then you avoid having the meter and main fuse in one place (outdoors) and the fuse box in another (indoors).

 

[Demmpa]

The network owner may need to access the meter sometimes even though it is read remotely. The meters are replaced approximately every 10 years.

There are people who do not let “strangers” in even though it has been announced weeks in advance as well as a day before. I experienced this several times when I was hired by an antenna company to replace antenna sockets in apartments. There were people who did not open even though you could see they were home. People who informed that they couldn't on the specific day/days, yet you saw the person at home all day, not until we left the area could the person.

 

[Ramnemark]

Why should the meter cabinet be on the outside? I have the meter cabinet with main fuses indoors, but if you crawl under the house in the crawl space there's an additional fuse box with three main fuses. Why?

The meter is the property of the network owner, and they should have access to it. However, they were all placed inside in the past, which makes that part problematic. But today, you probably won't get a connection to your house if you don't have a cabinet on the outside. The fuses in your crawl space seem to be the main fuses, it's not uncommon in older houses for them to be fused before the meter board. Especially in two-family houses.

 

[AndersS]

But with remote reading, you should be able to place the meter indoors again. Then you avoid having the meter and main fuse in one place (outdoors) and the fuse box in another (indoors).

Two different purposes, one is supplier-dependent and their access, the other is your own central and what you need. EON will replace all electricity meters and be done by 2025, lucky that many are accessible from the outside.

 

[Ramnemark]

Two different purposes, one is supplier dependent and their access, the other is your own central and what you need.
EON will replace all electricity meters and be finished by 2025, lucky that many are accessible from the outside.

I was involved in replacing them in 2009, probably managed over 2500 that year

 

[useless]

In the past, the mechanical meter was read once a year and only replaced if/when it potentially broke down (basically never, as far as I remember). Today, meters are replaced every ten years, and network companies want to standardize more for cost reasons so that it's easier and cheaper for them to maintain and check the meter.

So, having the meter outside is simply because it’s easier and cheaper in the long run for the network company. Whether the customer thinks a cabinet outside is aesthetically pleasing or practical is not their problem...