I have a property that I plan to keep for 5-7 more years and then the buyers are going to destroy the buildings and rebuild new homes. The tenant in the big house gets the electric bill but there is a tiny house next door that uses some of the electricity. They are friends, but that may not always be the case. I was thinking that I would have a "submeter" if there is such a thing installed on the small house. Then the two tenants could divide the electric bill. Can I buy one of these things and do I need an electrician to install it? There isn't a lot of electricity going into the small house as there are only two 15 amp fuses.
2007-08-20 13:21:27 · 18 answers · asked by Anonymous in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Where do I buy this, at home depot or at an electrical store? About how much do they cost? If I had the electric company add a meter and limit the current meter to the one house, would that be a possible solution. Wouldn't that cost a lot?
2007-08-20 13:24:03 · update #1
You will need to remove the wiring from the main house to the smaller home. Then you have to install a breaker panel, meter base, and the wiring from the meter base to the new panel.
A meter base will cost you about $100. A small Home Line electrical panel with a few breakers is also about $100. Add 4 hours plus electricians labor and that will give you your cost.
The electric company is responsible for the wiring and labor to run from their transformer to your meter. You are responsible for the meter base and the wiring into the house.
The house wiring will have to be inspected, but your electrician can help you set that up. You will have to contact the power company to coordinate the hookup to your new meter. Most electricians will help with this.
2007-08-20 14:22:50 · answer #1 · answered by Bare B 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
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I have two tenants on one electric meter. They each need to pay their own electric. How should I fix this?
I have a property that I plan to keep for 5-7 more years and then the buyers are going to destroy the buildings and rebuild new homes. The tenant in the big house gets the electric bill but there is a tiny house next door that uses some of the electricity. They are friends, but that may not always...
2015-08-06 06:51:00 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Look, I think you are looking for an inexpensive answer to what could be an expensive problem. BUT, I also think you can solve your problem in a fairly easy and inexpensive way. Think about small mobile home/ r.v. parks. Many times the power company provides power to one meter and sends out one bill to the owner of the park. The owner then sells the power to their tenants using individual meters placed at each and every connection point. I'm sure you can purchase a meter and breaker box at any electrical warehouse, and install it very simply, should you feel comfortable doing so. If you don't, then go out to where they are building those new homes your were talking about, look for a truck that says so and so electrical on the side of it, and ask whoever is driving that truck if he does side work. This way you stand a good chance of getting what you need done, done cheaply and without going through the hassle of contacting the power company or pulling permits from your city building dept. Also, you might think twice before contacting your electrical company or any civil engineer, because you could open a HUGE can of very expensive worms for yourself!
2007-08-20 18:11:12 · answer #3 · answered by djb3577 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Electric Meters For Landlords
2016-10-13 11:32:09 · answer #4 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
And do your parents heat with gas and/or have gas water heating while you do it all with electricity? That makes a difference. I have no idea why you would unplug major appliances. Do you mean the stove, fridge, and dishwasher? That's what is usually meant by major appliances and I can't imagine pulling the stove out a few times a day to unplug it, besides which, unplugging or turning off the breaker to those things when they are not in use will save you virtually nothing. You are using about the same as I use in winter, and I am living alone, heating a 2 bedroom 22 year old mobile in a climate which doesn't get much below zero F even at this time of year. I am also conservative with power. My TV gets turned on an average of two hours a day, the computer is off as much as it's on, I take showers that last no more than 5 minutes, and I don't heat to more than about 65F, ever. I have CFL bulbs in most of the lamps. If you are in an older building with poor insulation and single pane windows your heat could be costing you quite a bit. The things that really use a lot of power are things that heat and cool. Fridge, air conditioner in summer, water heater, room heating, cooking. Look to those things to save money. You can try calling your power company and see if they can tell you what last year's bill was for your address. That will give you a clue whether your usage is normal or not.
2016-03-18 01:09:34 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Piggybacking meters is a no-no.
The clean way would be to have the electric utility provide another meter, and move the wiring to the small house to the new meter.They might argue that you can't have more than one meter on a property, but they do it all the time for apartment buildings.
All this would cost some bucks. Since there is no problem now, maybe you could just wait it out until, or if, a problem arises. Then you might come to an agreement with the tenants on a somewhat fair split, and pony up a bit yourself, to take care of any inaccuracy in the split.
2007-08-20 15:07:01 · answer #6 · answered by Ed 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Not one of the replies you have had so far properly answers your question and neither will this one. Why? Because no one knows what area you live in and different municipalities have different rules regarding whether this can be done and how it must be done IF...they agree to it.
Generally speaking, most electrical providers don't want more than one electrical meter on a residential property that is zoned as a single family residence. Obviously, properties that have commercial zoning as multiple unit rental buildings are allowed to have separate metering. The point I am trying to make is this. You need to call the local hydro authority and ask them whether you can have more than one meter on the property you own.
If they say yes, then they will likely require you to take out a permit for a new electrical service and they will send somone to the property to look it over and tell you where they want the new meter to be placed. They will provide you with paperwork that outlines the costs THEY will require you to pay in order to get that home connected to their hydro service. Aside from those costs, you will need to hire an electrician to install all of the various items required for a new service to this house and you will be responsible to pay him to do this work.
If the service is overhead, then the electrician will have to install a new electrical mast on this house in the prescribed manner. He will also need to install a new meter base that is approved by the local authority. If the service is underground, the electrician may be required to install ductwork underground from the meterbase location to a pre-determined spot outside the property line.
From the new meterbase, he will need to run conduit and wires to a new residential breaker panel that is properly grounded. Prior to the local utility doing their work, the work carried out by the electrician will likely have to be inspected first. Once the new service has been passed, then the local utility will come in and connect their wires to the meter base and install the new meter.
Once that is done, the electrician will have to come back and connect all the house circuits to the new panel and disconnect the line coming from the big house. Once you get clearance from the local utility to have two meters on the property, then you should obtain three quotes from licenced electricians to do this work.
None of this is the sort of work that can be accomplished by some inexperienced DIY'er. ONLY the electrical authority is allowed to supply and install the meters. No one can buy them.
2007-08-20 15:43:41 · answer #7 · answered by James P 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
You would have to get your local electric company to install it. Technically, if you own the property or not, messing with the electric meter is illegal. Also, your electric company needs to be involved so they know to set up a new account for the second house. Finally, no offense but you don't really sound like you are that familiar with electrician tasks, and for the safety of you and others it would be best to leave it to a professional.
2007-08-20 13:31:13 · answer #8 · answered by thecup420 4 · 2⤊ 2⤋
I believe you need the electric company to come out and add the meter. This way they can make sure that the new meter is tied in their system to the address. As long as both properties are capable of having separate addresses then this should be possible. It might be a tad expensive but definetly call the electric company though.
2007-08-20 13:31:45 · answer #9 · answered by rweasel6 2 · 1⤊ 3⤋
to make it legal and maybe keep peace between the two tenants, I would get seperate meters for each house. Each tenant should have their own seperate bill. That way each will be paying for only what THEY use.
2007-08-20 13:40:03 · answer #10 · answered by miss j 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋