The meter cupboard (or meter room) is the lockable space in a dwelling or building where the electricity, gas, water and data connections enter and where the meters and the consumer unit are installed. In the Netherlands the requirements are set out in NEN 2768, the standard for meter rooms, with supplementary guidance published by the network operators (Liander, Stedin, Enexis).
Requirements
In broad terms, the Dutch standard means:
- Dimensions — for a standard domestic connection the minimum internal size is of the order of 240 cm high, 77 cm wide and 35 cm deep
- Door — lockable, with a clear opening of roughly 70 cm wide by 205 cm high
- Ventilation — vents top and bottom in the door (each with a minimum capacity of the order of 200 cm²), so that escaping gas can disperse
- Access — the space must be freely accessible; the network operator has to reach it for meter changes and faults
- Entries — ducts for cables and pipes enter at defined positions and must be sealed gas- and watertight
Exact dimensions and positions differ per network operator and per type of connection, so always check the current guidance from your own operator before building or altering. In other countries the equivalent requirements come from the local distribution network operator’s connection conditions.
What is inside
- Consumer unit with main switch, residual current devices and circuit breakers
- Electricity meter (smart meter) and the service head with the main fuse
- Gas meter with the main stopcock, where there is a gas supply
- Water meter with the main stopcock
- Data: the cable or fibre termination point, often with the router
Common mistakes
- Filling the cupboard with cleaning gear or coats — this blocks ventilation and access
- Taping or painting over the ventilation openings in the door
- Working on the installation upstream of the meter yourself: that side belongs to the network operator. Downstream of the meter, work on the fixed installation should be left to a qualified electrician unless you are competent and the local rules allow it
- Relocating the cupboard during a renovation without consultation — moving the service connection is the network operator’s job and typically costs several hundred to over a thousand euros per service
Related terms
- Consumer unit
- Residual current device
- Connection capacity
- Conduit
- Building services
- Service connection
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