06 Oct 2019 7:13 PM:
Mike, Mariedav is spot on. It is not a good idea to replace the main bus in your consumer unit without having your wiring checked and as the circuit will be live you could get one whale of a jolt trying to do it if you slip. You are correct that those who opt for a higher power rating will have to pay for the higher contracted amount of electricity.
The standing charge is for potential generation. Generation is both finite and instantaneous. If sufficient generating capacity is not available you can end up with brown outs, low frequency and finally blackouts.
There will be a breaker on the upstream end of the meter as well. It will correspond to the contracted amount of electricity. If you put a bigger breaker into the consumer unit which allows you to draw more than the breaker on the upstream end of the meter the meter breaker will blow. They are usually time delayed so you will not be able to reset at your consumer unit right away. If Endesa has to come out and reset it they will insist viewing your consumer unit. If they spot that you have altered the main fuse rhey will hit you with a retrospective additional charge for increased contracted standby to the last time they or a qualified electrician certified the contracted maximum off take. Short answer do not increase the breaker value in your consumer unit.
Any charge related to an increase of the contracted capacity is the responsibility of the consumer. The electricity company is generally responsible for the wiring post breaker but only as far as the original specification calls for. If you increase the requirements you foot the bill. The same is true in the UK
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Hi from an Owner in Tenerife
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