Meters (Certification) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations.)

These Regulations set out the procedure for enabling meters, other than meters deemed to be certified under the Measuring Instruments (EC Requirements) (Electrical Energy Meters) Regulations 1995, S.I. 1995/2607, used for the purpose of measuring the quantity of electricity supplied to customers to be certified and provide for the circumstances in which certification and deemed certification are terminated.

Regulations 1 and 2 provide for the citation, commencement and interpretation of the Regulations.

Regulations 3 and 4 (which introduce Schedule 1) set out the procedure for persons who manufacture or repair meters to be authorised by the Director General of Electricity Supply for Northern Ireland ( “the Director”) in relation to the certification procedure, the conditions imposed on an authorisation and the circumstances in which it can be revoked. Regulation 5 provides for persons nominated by public electricity suppliers, authorised manufacturers or authorised repairers to be authorised as examiners by the Director for certification purposes, the conditions imposed on an authorisation and the circumstances in which it can be revoked.

Regulation 6 (which introduces Schedule 2) sets out the procedure to be followed when applying for a meter to be certified. Regulation 7 (which introduces Schedule 3) sets out the procedure for certification of individual meters. Regulation 8 specifies the equivalent European provisions testing in accordance with which may be relied upon as an alternative to the tests and testing methods described in Schedules 1 and 3. Regulation 9 sets out the procedure for batch certification.

Regulation 10 provides for the circumstances in which a meter shall cease to be certified. Regulation 11 provides for fees in respect of the submission of meters to meter examiners for certification and in respect of authorised examiners' authorisations.

These Regulations were notified in draft to the European Commission in accordance with Council Directive 83/189/EEC (O.J. No. L109, 26.4.83, p. 8) (as amended by Council Directive 88/182/EEC (O.J. No. L81, 26.3.88, p. 75) and Council Directive 94/10/EC (O.J. No. L100, 19.4.94, p. 100)).

In Great Britain the corresponding Regulations are the Meters (Certification) Regulations 1998(1). The Director General of Electricity Supply has prepared a compliance cost assessment in relation to those Regulations and a copy of that assessment together with the Northern Ireland Supplement prepared by the Director General of Electricity Supply for Northern Ireland are held at OFREG, Brookmount Buildings, 42 Fountain Street, Belfast BT1 5EE, from where copies may be obtained on request.

Copies of the European Standards EN ISO 9001 (referred to in regulation 3), EN ISO 9002 (referred to in regulation 4), EN 45001 and EN 61036 (referred to in regulation 8) and Harmonisation Documents 553 S1 and 554 S1 (referred to in paragraph 5 of Schedule 2) may be obtained by post from the British Standards Institution at: 389 Chiswick High Road, London W4 4AL.

Attention is drawn to the provisions of the Measuring Instruments (EC Requirements) (Electrical Energy Meters) Regulations 1995, the effect of which is to ensure that, for the purposes of Schedule 7 to the Electricity (Northern Ireland) Order 1992, instruments bearing the mark of EC initial verification are treated in the same way as instruments certified under these Regulations.

(1)

S.I. 1998/1566