THE ELECTRICITY SAFETY, QUALITY AND CONTINUITY REGULATIONS (NORTHERN IRELAND) 2012

Equipment on a consumer’s premises

25.—(1) A distributor or meter operator shall ensure that each item of their equipment which is on a consumer’s premises but which is not under the control of the consumer (whether forming part of the consumer’s installation or not) is—

(a) suitable for its purpose;

(b) installed and, so far as is reasonably practicable, maintained so as to prevent danger; and

(c) protected by a suitable fusible cut-out or circuit breaker which is situated as close as is reasonably practicable to the supply terminals.

(2) Every circuit breaker or cut-out fuse forming part of the fusible cut-out mentioned in paragraph (1)(c) shall be enclosed in a locked or sealed container as appropriate.

(3) Where they form part of their equipment which is on a consumer’s premises but which is not under the control of the consumer, a distributor or meter operator (as appropriate) shall mark permanently, so as clearly to identify the polarity of each of them, the separate conductors of low voltage electric lines which are connected to supply terminals and such markings shall be made at a point which is as close as is practicable to the supply terminals in question.

(4) Unless they can reasonably conclude that it is inappropriate for reasons of safety, a distributor shall, when providing a new connection at low voltage, make available their supply neutral conductor or, if appropriate, the protective conductor of their network for connection to the protective conductor of the consumer’s installation.

(5) In this regulation the expression “new connection” means the first electric line, or the replacement of an existing electric line, to one or more consumer’s installations.