This single family home has this meter that I flagged. The owner is saying this is to code and stating its properly installed. I can not see how this is to code as they are separate meters and one must be double tapped. Usually I see a two can meter that will have lugs for each meter. This meter was added to the single family home simply for an additional electric water heater.
Meters are the property of the power company.
Don’t worry about it.
I agree with Roy, however, I would want to know why there were two meters?
Is this really a single family home?
Or, at one time was it two separate units that somebody put together?
I have seen it before.
It is possible the power company was or is offering a special rate on some type of usage and thus an extra meter to measure just the heating cost. You would have to inquire with the POCO.
In a world of infinite possibilities anything is possible !
Was there a timer on the water heater as well? I have seen where the POCO will offer a lower rate for the water heater and the timer only allows it to run in off peak hours.
They wouldn’t need a second meter for that.
If you cannot figure out why there are two meters, retag it in your report as “needs further evaluation” and be done with it. You have no idea if it’s double tapped improperly without seeing it first hand. Maybe there are lugs in place that are proper. No reason to fight about it with the parties involved. It does look like the two meters feed in to the house on two separate service main cables, visible under the RH meter. Wonder where those two service cables terminate. Besides apartments, in my area we see two meters for off peak and dual fuel systems. Talk to a local electrician or the service provider who may know about these service plans. They can bring you up to date to what is offered in your locale.
Ah, re-read your post: Water heater & main service. I’d just diffuse the situation with “needs further evaluation” and everyone should be happy.
Exactly! I had 2 meters on the log home I built because I had a ground water heat pump the POCO gave me a special when I used that instead of my backup propane commercial water heater for heat.
I tagged it as needs further investigation, suggest an electrician remove covers and view all connections.
In this state the electric company is responsible only to the connection before the weather head. The meters are owners responsibility. The cable was frayed so I tagged that to.
How would the power company know if you messed with the meter and bypassed it?
This whole area has smart meters. The POCO can monitor your usage, I believe via the power lines back to their computers.
Larry, please use the monocle to read the post above mine 
also, the OP’s pic does not depict a smart-meter. BTW, even a smart-meter is easy to doubletap & bypass for some free juice, if you know what I mean. This is partly why most POCOs want to control & seal the meter to prevent unathorized access. I never heard of meter being customer’s responsibility before. Makes no sense. In fact, the OP’s pic shows a POCO seal tag on the left meter. Not sure if what Randy is saying is accurate.
No I am absolutely correct on this. If anything goes wrong with a meter here in RI the owner must call an electrician to fix or replace it. The meter is purchased by the electrician at the supply house. The reason for the tag lock is so no one tampers with the meter. U know tape up a butter knife in the middle then pull the meter out and stick the butter knife in to make the connection for power.
Simon, I was referencing my area. 
I know, I’m trying to figure out what’s going on over in Rhode Island 
Oh, carry on. 
Were both meters spinning at time of this inspection?
If that house were in my area and built in the 1960’s or early 70’s my first assumption before getting inside for a look is that the house has a large electric water heater that is metered separately.
Both meters look to be the about the same age so I probably wouldn’t have concerned myself with how they were connected, having stood the test of time and not having direct access to the innards.
You saw other concerns, so you could have called out the frayed SEC for further evaluation of the system generically without having to make a WAG on the unseen connections and covered yourself and client.
JMHO.
Al in CT
I did a inspection recently that had 2 meters for a single family home so I called a master electrician and he advised me that there was an incentive for lower rates in the past and it was added because of the electric water heater.
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