Converted garage to a bedroom.

[DiHann]

How do I overcome the problem of having a bedroom in a converted garage where the electric & gas meters are? I am dreading moving now instead of looking forward to it.
How do I go about may be having them moved?
Or do I need to move them as they are situated behind wardrobe type doors?

[YelloDraw]

Not sure I understand the question?

You are buying a house, that has a bedroom in a converted garage, but the gas and elec meters are still in there? And you don't want the meters in the bedroom?

If that right?

I think you can get them moved but its expensive. I would probably just hide them inside nice built in cupboards.

[DiHann]

Thank you for your reply.
I'm just worried about the health risk of sleeping in a room with the meters.
They are hidden behind a built in cupboard but I'm not sure if that gives any form of protection.

[YelloDraw]

Oh. I don't think there is a health risk? What do you think might be risky? Gas escaping? Not likely as that wouldn't be OK in any area of the house!

[ChunkyHare]

As a minimum in any property please buy a carbon monoxide detector, like a smoke alarm so that it actually alerts you to any leak.

Lots of older properties have the gas and electric meters inside the houses, the only reason they were put on the outside was accessibility for meter reading and changing a meter (I used to work for npower)

If you are concerned about the meters being in a bedroom, you contact the regional electricity company and get them to quote you on moving them. It will be a few thousand depending on how far they are to be moved.

Hopefully building regs have been issued with the garage conversion so the issue of the meters has already been looked at.

[ChunkyHare]

Sorry I meant contact electricity company to get them to move the electricity meter. Once you have recovered from the shock of the cost of that, you may want to consider contacting the gas company for the gas meter.

[DiHann]

Thank you so much for your information, I really appreciate that.

I have looked into meters in the bedroom on line and it frightens me as it appears there is a real health risk with the electric meter. The people I am buying the house from have already moved away from the area so I cannot ask them. I can only go through the estate agent but that's not always great.

I have family in their late teens who often watch their tv or use the gaming devices in their rooms at night until quite late. So the thought that very little electricity is used through the night doesn't apply to my family.

Do you know if there is a high risk or what I have been reading is exaggerated?

Thank you.

[Lelivre]

Is it a smart meter. There is absolutely no way I will be having one of those installed. If the kids are on electronic wifi devices late into the night then perhaps that's another area to look at that can be controlled. My wifi is off at night and all devices shut down in bedrooms. I have flux or night shift on every single device. Easily done and no cost. There are kill switches that can be installed for the bedroom/house I don't know much about them and how that affects the meter you may get more help on another website that is looking into the emerging research on this subject; you may receive unwelcome comments. It's certainly on my radar but I am yet to properly wrap my head around the risks but I am concerned too.

[DiHann]

Basically it's the electronic magnetic field that is the concern. Sleeping in a room (7+hours) in this environment can cause various cancers.

I didn't know about this before, it was the reaction of another that lead to my concern and prompted me to look further into it.