Upgrading your electricity meter
As time goes by, your electricity consumption needs may change for a number of reasons. If more power is required than your meter can currently provide, you are going to experience regular power outages. To maintain your level of comfort, discover our complete solutions for upgrading your electricity meter.
Why increase the capacity of an electricity meter?
There are several reasons why you would need more power for your electrical wiring:
- You have bought new electrical appliances (washing machine, oven, television, etc.)
- You have moved into an older house with a meter that does not meet your current needs
- You are extending your home (and therefore also your electrical wiring)
- Your family is growing, which increases your electricity consumption
- Etc.
In these cases, if your electricity meter is not compatible, your circuit breaker will trip every time you use more than the available power. By upgrading your meter, you will make sure that the cumulative power of all your electrical appliances does not exceed that of your electricity meter, and maintain your level of comfort.
How to determine the capacity of your electricity meter
To find out if your electricity meter needs to be upgraded, you have to calculate its capacity with regard to your needs. To do this, you need to distinguish between two measurements:
- Apparent power, which is the maximum your wiring can withstand, expressed in kilovolt-amperes (kVA)
- Active power, which is that of your home appliances, expressed in kilowatts (kW)
To avoid power outages, the cumulative active power of all your electrical appliances must be less than or equal to the apparent power.
In Belgium, home electrical wiring is generally connected to a 40-ampere (40A) meter, which is equivalent to +/- 9.2 kVA. If your appliances consume more than 9 kW, you need to upgrade your electricity meter.
Compliance check
To be able to upgrade your electricity meter, you are obliged to provide a certificate of conformity for your wiring. It must be recent and issued by an approved inspection body.
Do you need to increase the capacity of your electricity meter? Do you want to have the necessary electrical wiring done before your energy provider comes to service your meter? Contact us at +32 (0)2 479.40.27 or enter your servicing request.