Relocating the electricity meter: who approves it, when it is needed and how the works are done

It usually starts with something mundane: the builder needs to demolish the wall the meter hangs on, the new fence line no longer matches the old one, or a letter from the operator says the metering point must be accessible from the street. Suddenly you are searching for “who can move my electricity meter” — and finding a lot of contradictory answers.

Here is the short version, then the detail: the meter is not yours, the relocation is approved by the distribution operator, and the works around it (cabinet, column, documentation) are done by an ANRE-certified company. We handle that part daily, so this guide reflects how it actually works in 2026, not how forums say it worked ten years ago.

Why meter relocations come up

In Bucharest, Ilfov and Giurgiu, the requests we see fall into a few recurring situations:

• Renovation or extension. You are insulating the facade, demolishing or rebuilding the wall the meter sits on, or enclosing a porch that currently contains the metering point. The meter has to come off that surface before the works can continue.
• A new fence or a changed boundary. The cabinet was mounted on the old fence; the new fence sits on a slightly different line, is built from a different material, or the gate has moved. The cabinet has to be repositioned to match.
• Operator access. Older properties often have the meter on the facade, inside the yard or even inside the house. The operator’s standard today is metering at the property boundary, readable from the public domain. When access becomes a problem, relocation to the boundary gets requested — sometimes by the operator itself.
• Modernisation. A degraded wooden board, a rusted box, burnt terminals or an undersized installation. These cases are rarely “just a move”: they are usually combined with a new connection cabinet (firida de bransament) and updated protections, and often with a power increase.
• New structures near the metering point. A garage, carport or terrace planned exactly where the cabinet stands.

If you recognise your situation in this list, the process below applies to all of them, with differences only in paperwork depth.

The first rule: the meter is not yours

The electricity meter, its seals and the metering equipment belong to the distribution operator — in our area, Retele Electrice Romania S.A. (the current name of the former E-Distributie / Enel). This is the single most important fact in the whole topic, because it explains everything else:

• You cannot unscrew, move or “temporarily relocate” the meter yourself, not even by half a metre, not even for a day.
• Breaking or disturbing a seal is treated as suspected tampering. Under the ANRE regulations in force, that can mean penalties and recalculated consumption — an expensive way to save a phone call.
• Any electrician who offers to move the meter “quietly, without papers” is offering to create a problem on your property, not solve one.

There is, however, a clear split of responsibility. The metering point and everything on the grid side of it belong to the operator. The supply column — the circuit running from the cabinet to your distribution board — and everything after it are your installation. That split defines who does what during a relocation: the operator handles the meter itself; a certified company rebuilds what surrounds it.

Who approves the relocation, and what the approval looks like

The relocation is approved by the operator, full stop. The route is a written request to Retele Electrice Romania S.A. describing what you want moved, where and why, supported by photos and, where needed, technical documentation.

Depending on what actually changes, the answer takes one of two shapes:

1. A simple works approval, when the metering point moves a short distance without changing the connection solution — for example, shifting the cabinet along the same fence.
2. An updated connection solution through an ATR, when the relocation effectively modifies the connection: a new cabinet position at the boundary, a changed route, switching from a facade-mounted meter to a boundary cabinet, or relocation combined with a power increase. In these cases the file follows the normal connection-modification flow, and the Technical Connection Approval (ATR) is the document that fixes the new solution.

Which shape applies is the operator’s call, not ours and not yours. What we can do is frame the request correctly from the start, so it does not bounce back for missing information — bounced files are where most lost weeks come from.

What an ANRE-certified company does (and what we cannot do)

SUN WATT SRL (ANRE licence no. 19761) covers everything around the meter:

• Site assessment. We look at the current metering point, the proposed position, the column route and the state of the existing equipment, and we tell you honestly whether your case is a simple move or a connection modification.
• Documentation. The request, the technical documentation and the follow-up with the operator. Our connection dossier with design starts from 900 lei, and ATR assistance from 350 lei.
• The physical works. Supplying and fitting the new cabinet, building or extending the supply column to your distribution board, masonry and sealing works, and verifying the earthing. A longer distance between the new cabinet and your board is not just “more cable” — the column cross-section must be recalculated for it.
• Coordination at the metering step. We schedule the operator’s intervention, so the de-energisation, the meter move and the re-sealing happen in the right order and the property is without power for hours, not days.
• Updated paperwork. When the user installation changes, the DIU (the user installation file) must reflect the new configuration — we prepare or update it from 1,200 lei.

What we cannot do, and will not do: touch the seals or move the meter itself. That step belongs to the operator’s team, and any company that claims otherwise should worry you.

The process, step by step

1. Assessment and quote. Photos, measurements, a clear answer on whether you need a simple approval or an ATR.
2. Request and documentation filed with the operator.
3. Operator approval — the technical solution and conditions for the new position.
4. Execution. New cabinet, column works, earthing, everything ready for the metering equipment.
5. The operator relocates and re-seals the meter, then the installation is re-energised.
6. Updated documents (DIU where applicable), so the paper trail matches reality.

From request to re-sealed meter, plan in weeks, not days. The works themselves typically take one to two days; the calendar is driven by the approval stage.

What it costs: a personalised quote plus the operator’s fees

We deliberately do not publish a “meter relocation price”, because there is no honest fixed number. Two relocations that sound identical on the phone can differ by a factor of three once you account for cabinet type, column length, overhead versus underground routing, masonry and finishes.

Your final cost has two components:

• Our works — quoted after the site assessment, in writing, with scope clearly defined. The documentation services have stable starting prices (dossier with design from 900 lei, ATR assistance from 350 lei, DIU from 1,200 lei); the physical works are priced per project.
• The operator’s fees — invoiced separately by Retele Electrice Romania S.A. for its own interventions and, where an ATR is involved, established through the operator’s paperwork. Nobody outside the operator can quote these figures reliably, and you should be sceptical of anyone who does.

Mistakes that cost time and money

• Moving first, asking later. Building the new fence or insulating the facade before clarifying the metering point usually means redoing work. Plan the relocation as the first step, not the last.
• Touching the seals. Worth repeating: the cheapest relocation is the one that does not start with a tampering investigation.
• Ignoring the column. A cabinet moved 15 metres further from the house needs a recalculated, often thicker column. Skipping this check fails the operator’s verification.
• Expecting next-day service. The operator’s approval has its own timeline. Start early, especially if the relocation gates a renovation schedule.

Planning works that touch the meter? Talk to us first

A ten-minute call before you sign the fence contract or start the facade can save you weeks. Send us photos of the current metering point and a sketch of what you are planning, and we will tell you what approval your case needs and what the realistic timeline looks like.

Call 0733 097 440 (WhatsApp works too) or write to us via the contact page. SUN WATT SRL — ANRE-certified design and execution, serving Bucharest, Ilfov and Giurgiu, with documentation services nationwide.