Meter Base on Power Pole

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jpomeranz

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I came across this problem while installing an electric closet conveyor in an older house. It seems that house and the one next to it (same owner with both houses used by same family) share an electric meter. The original house was built in 1953 and the second in the early 1960s. The electric meter resides on a power pole owned by the electric company. The pole is at the street. It's obvious the power runs through the meter and then splits from the bottom of the meter to go to each house. I suggested to the homeowner that he put a second meter box on the pole and have the electric company place a second meter there, using the current lines to the houses but therefore separating the two houes. The owner says the electric company will not do it, telling him it's part of the electrical code to NOT do that, though the exisiting meter is grandfathered and can stay. I've never heard of this and I've been around the industry a long time. Maybe I'm just not up to speed. Can anyone recite chapter and verse if this code does exist? Thanks.
 
There is no code that will not allow 2 meter bases on the property however the power company may have some rules that are separate from the NEC. I would bet there is something else going on there.
 
jpomeranz said:
Can anyone recite chapter and verse if this code does exist? Thanks.
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No chapter, NO verse, just a guess. Are both of the houses on the same lot? If they are the fact that they are grandfathered-in may be the only thing saving them.

If it's all the same family why would the want two meters in the first place?

The best thing for you to do is call your local building department and see where you stand, on everything, to include zoning. They may not allow two addresses at this one location.
 
My guess is the power company no longer allows meter bases on the pole and if any changes are made to the existing one the meter(s) will have to be relocated off the pole.
 
what it probably is, that the poco wont allow them to install the 2nd meter on the pole. Around here, all the pocos have stopped allowing equipment to be mounted on their poles. Everything has to be in a pedestal or attached to a building.

Edit: cuz iwire beat me to it
 
The homeowner says the power company will not allow a second meter on the power company's power pole at the street. The power company is saying it is part of the NEC. The original meter was put on the power pole and can stay there, but the power then runs from there to the two houses, spliting itself as it come out of the meter. My guess is that the power company just doesn't want meters on its poles and is making some of its own rules but saying it's "law."
 

If it's all the same family why would the want two meters in the first place?



My customer wants to separate the two houses because one has a pool and is used a lot in the summer and the homeowner wants to get a better handle on the electrical costs there. He says he might sell it also and wants to separate the power in an economical way.
 
jpomeranz said:
My guess is that the power company just doesn't want meters on its poles and is making some of its own rules but saying it's "law."
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Yeah for some reason the power company can do that. :grin:
 
Dennis Alwon said:
Yeah for some reason the power company can do that. :grin:
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I told him that and suggested he talk with the utilities commission, complaining about large companies making rules and saying it's law. It seems to be a little unfair for this many to spend a lot of money to put an electric meter on one house but be grandfathered in to leave the original meter on the power pole. Oh well...
 
Xcel

Xcel

I have ran into areas where a commerical building was divided by a partion wall and the power company would allow two meters to feed the building, BUT mind you, during the construction the leasee of the one side decided to lease both sides and install a door way between the two sections, areas, and the Power company said no dice, one tenant, one meter. End of story.:confused:
 
I told him the power company was probably making its own rules and not worrying about the money he will have to spend to relocate on meter to a house while the other is grandfathered onto the pole forever. I also suggested he call the state utilities commission to complain the to see if there is any recourse...
 
Gentlemen, the power company can make and enforce rules governing their property.

They may not be laws but that does not really mater, you either follow their rules or they can cut service. Much more effective then fines. :grin:
 
jpomeranz said:
He says he might sell it also and wants to separate the power in an economical way.
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See if they will let you set a power pedestal with dual meters. No matter what you do the power company doesn't have to hook it up unless it is inspected and approved by the AHJ. Again call the building deparment and see what they can do for you.
 
Dennis Alwon said:
Yeah for some reason the power company can do that. :grin:
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The some reason is that the serving electric utility owns the pole and doesn't want any customer equipment on their property. Consider the problems they face when the pole needs to be replaced. Do they replace the pole and leave the stub pole there? If the pole is rotten and it falls, who is liable? If I own something, don't I get to say who can attach to that thing? :-?

I am guessing that they will not permit any upgrades in order to get the customer to relocate their equipment to another location . . . period. ;)
 
jpomeranz said:
I told him the power company was probably making its own rules and not worrying about the money he will have to spend to relocate on meter to a house while the other is grandfathered onto the pole forever. I also suggested he call the state utilities commission to complain the to see if there is any recourse...
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I have to side with the power company on this. The owner is probably renting the other abode and now wants to sever the common bill. As built, both homes were probably on the same lot and now they've been separated as well. Since then the poco probably hasn't allowed any new meter installations on poles.

Subdividing is never without it's costs.
 
I'd imagine that if/when one or both houses are sold, the POCO will be forced to permit separation of the services and allow separate metering. How could they not?

What I envision is either a J-box in place of the meter, and a meter installed on each house, or a new pair of laterals, transformer-to-meters, again one on each house.
 
charlie said:
The some reason is that the serving electric utility owns the pole and doesn't want any customer equipment on their property. Consider the problems they face when the pole needs to be replaced. Do they replace the pole and leave the stub pole there? If the pole is rotten and it falls, who is liable? If I own something, don't I get to say who can attach to that thing? :-?

I am guessing that they will not permit any upgrades in order to get the customer to relocate their equipment to another location . . . period. ;)
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Charlie I was being facetious......:smile:. Of course the power company can make their own rules-- it's their pole.
 
LarryFine said:
I'd imagine that if/when one or both houses are sold, the POCO will be forced to permit separation of the services and allow separate metering. How could they not?

What I envision is either a J-box in place of the meter, and a meter installed on each house, or a new pair of laterals, transformer-to-meters, again one on each house.
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In either event the HO is going to have to suffer the costs of the severance. There is an underlying issue with the OP and his customer. That the POCO is somehow obligated to meet a customer's demands for the cheapest possible solution for the customer, and that a POCO shouldn't be permitted to have standards today that are any greater than the standards of the past.

In case the HO or the OP hasn't noticed, this is 2008. POCOs do not allow customer equipment or metering on their poles. This is not some dastardly scheme by the POCOS to burdeon customers with unnecessary expense. There are practical reasons behind their rules.

My customer wants to separate the two houses because one has a pool and is used a lot in the summer and the homeowner wants to get a better handle on the electrical costs there. He says he might sell it also and wants to separate the power in an economical way.
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I told him the power company was probably making its own rules and not worrying about the money he will have to spend to relocate on meter to a house while the other is grandfathered onto the pole forever. I also suggested he call the state utilities commission to complain the to see if there is any recourse...
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The "recourse" here is simple. To alter or upgrade something that was grandfathered, one must meet TODAY'S standards.

Example, once upon a time every house in NYC had it's electric meter indoors. Whether fed from underground or overhead. Might have worked in a day and age when moms stayed in the house 24/7, or the landlord in multi-family and typical 6-family homes was always on premis and lived there and kept the boiler warm. But this isn't 1910 anymore. Electricity doesn't cost 1/2 cent per Kwh.
 
LawnGuyLandSparky said:
In either event the HO is going to have to suffer the costs of the severance.
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I wasn't questioning whether the changes should be made free. My take from the OP is that the POCO would not allow changing the present set-up at all, not merely at no cost.
 
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