Code for meter and main disconnect height

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I'm doing a 200 amp service and I wanna make sure I meet the right height requirements by the NEC for the meter and main disconnect

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Little Bill

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Location
Tennessee NEC:2017
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Semi-Retired Electrician
I'm doing a 200 amp service and I wanna make sure I meet the right height requirements by the NEC for the meter and main disconnect

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The meter height would be a POCO (power company) call. Here they want 5.5' from grade to center of meter. They will let you slide on 6'. So check your POCO requirement sheet for that.

The main disconnect height is found in 240.24(A)
 

Carultch

Senior Member
Location
Massachusetts
I'm doing a 200 amp service and I wanna make sure I meet the right height requirements by the NEC for the meter and main disconnect

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Utility-owned service meters have a utility-specified height. In general, it is around "eye level", and of course, that is subject to interpretation. In Boston, NSTAR specifies a range of 3 ft to 6 ft, for the center position of the meter globe, and allows it to be as low as 2 ft if it is part of an assembled meter bank of multiple meters.

Customer-owned meters have no NEC height restrictions.

Disconnects that have to be readily accessible (for instance the service disconnect), can be no higher than 6'-7" above the working platform to the center of the operating handle in its highest position.

The other requirement that utilities specify, is the electrical sequence of these two pieces of equipment. Some applications require hot sequence, some require cold sequence. Hot sequence means that the meter comes before the service disconnect. Cold sequence means the opposite. The advantage of hot sequence is that an energized meter is an additional deterrent to meter tampering. The advantage of cold sequence metering, is that it can be deenergized when legitimate maintenance is required, without needing a utility-controlled outage.

I'll give you Nstar's requirements as an example for this as well, remembering that others may be different.
Services 240V and less, with a self-contained globe meter: hot sequence
All metering with instrumentation (generally services > 400A) instead of a self-contained globe: cold sequence.
All 480V services: cold sequence.
 
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