Electricity meter application for house construction: What happens next?

Hello everyone,

we have signed a contract with a construction company, and the house construction is supposed to start next week. The application for the construction electricity has already been submitted, and the power pole has been installed on our property. We also had an appointment with the utility company, and electricity should now be available on our property.

A few days ago, I spoke with our electrician, and he explained to me that he now has to apply for an electricity meter. Since the online portal was not working properly, he sent the application by email instead. When I called the utility company, I was informed that it will take longer, about 2 weeks, if the application is submitted by email. However, the electrician assured me that we don't have to worry since he has already sent the email. I don't quite understand how this is supposed to work. Shouldn't the electrician actually have an electrical distribution box? Isn't the electricity meter included in it? How exactly does the procedure work? I have already researched but did not find a similar case. Can we still start with the construction?

With us, work was not started beforehand. It was also explicitly pointed out that the electrical distribution box is to be organized by the client. Your electrician is helping you - that's already good. Very likely, the column was installed "naked" without a meter?!

The pillar is just the access. We will also install a temporary power box on it where the requested meter will then be mounted. Later, at the house connection, the same applies in the box inside the house. The electrician does all of this, you only need to sign the applications.

The pillar is only the access point. We will put up a temporary power box on it where the requested meter will be installed. Later, for the house connection, the same will be done in the box inside the house. The electrician does everything, you just have to sign the applications.

Thank you very much for your quick response. I believe he already has the power distribution box. But is it allowed to use electricity without a meter?

No, of course not. That will have to wait for the electricity meter. I don’t really know much about the processes and every supplier probably works differently, but I assume the electrician always has a few calibrated meters on hand and only needs to register the number. That means he will install it and everything is okay retroactively.

The electrician does not have calibrated meters in stock. They always have to be ordered from the supplier for the specific project. With Westnetz, the electrician has the option to have the meter sent to them and can then install it themselves. That goes quite quickly. Other suppliers send out their own meter installers. That usually takes a bit longer. After installation, it is best to record the meter reading to avoid any problems later with the billing. This happens more often with construction site meters than one might think.