The electricity authority (EAC) acknowledged cases of damage to appliances, following installation of smart meters on Wednesday, saying they are caused by faulty electrical installations, for which the EAC cannot be held responsible.

The statements came in the midst of a long-awaited mass rollout of smart meters which is ongoing by the authority.

EAC technicians follow detailed procedures and a set protocol, during replacement of smart meters, spokesman Costas Christou told the CyBC.

He acknowledged that fifteen cases of electrical overload which caused damages in households had been recorded in the course of installing 35,000 smart meters to date.

The overload is not caused by the smart meter itself but happens when the electricity is reset by the automatic circuit breaker, Christou explained.

The issue is one of faulty electrical installations and householders ought to check the electrical installtions on their premises in advance to ascertain whether there is a risk, he said.

Tri-phasic installations are liable to experience this type of problem while mono-phasic systems are safer, he said. The majority of updated installations are of the former type.

Earlier in the month the head of the electrician’s association, George Kyriakou had warned that “many accidents” would occur in the course of the replacements with 500,000 smart meters expected to be installed.

He advised that installations be done in the presence of the property owner, who should confirm that the correct current had been restored in order to be able to claim compensation from the EAC for any damages caused.

Kyriakou cited an incident in Nicosia where a smart meter installation had caused over €5,000 worth of damage due to burnt-out appliances.

He criticised the current €6.50 charge per meter installation afforded to EAC technicians as insufficient, saying it encourages hasty installations. Timely notification ought to be sent out by the EAC to homeowners or residents, to ensure safety, he added.

Installations in weekend or summer homes are especially problematic, Kyriakou said, because appliances may only restart after the EAC technician has left, making compensation harder to claim.