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Housing - New Build: Electric Connection - HOW MUCH?????

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1 to 27 of 27

  1.  
    • CommentAuthorPugliese
    • CommentTimeAug 19th 2012
     
    Calling all self builders - Have just received an eyewatering quote of £5k from UK Power Networks to connect us up to the grid - The connection point is only 3m from our services trench!

    What are my alternatives, are there others out there who could do it cheaper or do the thieves at UK Power Networks have a monopoly? We are in Hastings on the south coast.
  2.  
    Bargain

    Quoted 20k for 3 phase connection or 70k for a 250kw connection
    • CommentAuthorwindy lamb
    • CommentTimeAug 19th 2012
     
    You can negotiate. We were originally quoted £14K for a single phase connection, 500m run, 4 poles, transformer and 100m trench(in 2003) but we haggled them down to around £6K. Subsequently found out we could have got the DNO's own subcontractor to do the same job for about £2.5K + £500 inspection and connection fee.
    They are taking the pee.
    Our negotiations were helped along by my wife getting all dewy eyed when the bloke came out to requote and showed him how hard it was to start the Lister generator.

    Renewablejohn - blimy how far was that going? - our single phase, as above, was upgraded to 3 phase for £8K which I thought was a bit cheeky. Seems like my DNO is good value then.
    • CommentAuthorborpin
    • CommentTimeAug 19th 2012
     
    Posted By: PuglieseCalling all self builders - Have just received an eyewatering quote of £5k from UK Power Networks to connect us up to the grid - The connection point is only 3m from our services trench!
    Paid £600 for a connection (SPEnergy). This is simply the hot glove work and 12M of cable plus terminating fuse.

    You may need to look at contestable and non-contestable works. Basically anyone (with the right ticket) can do the contestable works but the energy company has to do the non-contestable stuff. In my case I took 1K off the price as I could include the duct laying and road opening with other works.

    BTW Gas was the most reasonable at £450 for all works including any reinstatement in the road.
    • CommentAuthorPugliese
    • CommentTimeAug 20th 2012
     
    Thanks Guys

    Have just started the negotiation process but will also try and find out who the DNO uses in this area.

    Will report back - Yes our Gas is £500, far more reasonable
    • CommentAuthorRobinB
    • CommentTimeAug 20th 2012
     
    Posted By: borpinBTW Gas was the most reasonable at £450 for all works including any reinstatement in the road.


    It's a complete lottery it seems. We had quote for 5k for gas despite it being in the road outside. As it happens I'm more than happy with our decision to forget about it. Heat pump and PV doing very well. Thought I'd miss cooking on gas but induction hob is OK too.

    Maybe they just added a 0 to the quote by mistake.
    • CommentAuthorFred56
    • CommentTimeAug 20th 2012
     
    I paid £3700 earlier this year for a standard domestic supply. It came across two minor roads, a total of around 35m. I had been quoted in the previous year and they pushed up their price by around £1000 over the period. The problem is that they can charge what they like and take their own sweet time. They also wanted £700 for connecting a temporary supply so I used a generator instead.

    Water was £2800 and it came over only one road, moled and took only 2 hours. Gas was way cheaper at £340 despite being more work than the water.
  8.  
    Water was around 2 mtrs in the pavement- £1200
    Electric was around 15 mtrs away- £1400 quite some time ago.
    Foul connection cost me a new wall for my neighbour below my land. It's good to keep neighbours happy.
    Gusty.
    • CommentAuthorPugliese
    • CommentTimeAug 20th 2012
     
    Update - after initial negotiations now down to £3880, still too high. They are now coming out for a site visit.
    • CommentAuthorHairlocks
    • CommentTimeAug 20th 2012
     
    My builders dug the trench, so water was the connection fee of about £300 same for sewerage. Electric, overhead, about 10 meters was about £600. My gas quote was £4000 this has to come from a different location is about 50m away. Not done gas yet, going to be a evil wood burner for hot water (small rural village).
    • CommentAuthorEd Davies
    • CommentTimeAug 20th 2012
     
    While we're on the topic, what sort of prices have people been asked for for telephone connections?
  12.  
    Telephone- I dug trench and lay ducting etc- FOC.
    • CommentAuthorPugliese
    • CommentTimeAug 20th 2012 edited
     
    Has anyone had expereience or know of someone who has used the Energy Ombudsman to challenge the electriciity connection charges. Here is their guidance leaflet http://www.ombudsman-services.org/downloads/OS%20Energy%20booklet%202011.pdf

    Just concerned that it will just hold up the whole process but I guess I could pay under duress and once connected challenge the price.
    • CommentAuthorTriassic
    • CommentTimeAug 20th 2012
     
    My current renovation was once connected to the Grid and I have the original meter.

    Last week I phoned and asked to be reconected and they (SP) said I would have to pay. I pointed out that I'd not asked to be disconnected in the first place (they cut the cable a few years ago as a result of a fault on their cable) and it was a simple reconnection (about 20 m of new overhead cable).

    They're still thinking about it.
    • CommentAuthorRobinB
    • CommentTimeAug 20th 2012 edited
     
    Posted By: Ed DaviesWhile we're on the topic, what sort of prices have people been asked for for telephone connections?


    By signing up for talktalk I got a BT line for "free" - actually it involved signing up for 18 month supply at a reasonable rate. At the time BT charge would have been £175. It took them two telegraph poles to reach us and the work was done by BT Openreach.


    BTW Interesting approach to planning for telegraph poles - they put them in and then attach a note to say if you object to this object planted in the pavement you can contact them.
    • CommentAuthordickster
    • CommentTimeAug 20th 2012
     
    45K for 300m underground to nearest pole (5 years ago). Too expensive.
    • CommentAuthornikhoward
    • CommentTimeAug 20th 2012
     
    For us, my DNO, WPD (Western Power) wanted 1250 for 100amp single phase for new below ground supply, that is with doing all trencing and laying ducts on my land, my drive is other side of road from the DP (5m?), but they would also get rid of a pole down other end of my garden FOC if I put in the duct. I am a spark and the planner from WPD lives in the village although hid office is 15 miles away, this might have helped me.

    BT was £700 odd, but that was to a new pole on my boundary, so i could loose one in my garden (i would have then run it underground).

    You can maybe get a man and his own mini digger for less than £200/day and they could do all trenching in a day?

    Hope it helps, let us know
    • CommentAuthorwindy lamb
    • CommentTimeAug 20th 2012
     
    BT phone line for new build in 2002 was quoted £175 but I made sure I got this in writing (having been stung for a higher than quoted job previously). Work involved mole ploughing 650m of cable across 3rd party land and through water main! Later got a bill for £2500, which I sent back with copy of original quote. Eventually paid the £175.
    • CommentAuthorHairlocks
    • CommentTimeAug 20th 2012
     
    I have been told that first £3000 ish of new phone connection cost (overhead) is covered by openreach and the end user just pays the normal standerd connection fee. It is going to be 2 overhead poles for me, or I can dig the 50m trench to bury it in. Then is is either £175 or cheaper with one of the mainy offers.
  20.  
    Windy lamb,
    BT are terrible for that (or so i hear).
    • CommentAuthorMegacycles
    • CommentTimeAug 20th 2012
     
    A bit off topic, but I've just been quoted £4600 to 'upgrade' my existing 100A connection to allow me to add an extra 18A peak of PV export, S&SE.
    • CommentAuthorwindy lamb
    • CommentTimeAug 21st 2012
     
    Megacycles - that seems about average for a modest transformer upgrade - if that's what they've quoted for.
    • CommentAuthorMegacycles
    • CommentTimeAug 21st 2012
     
    I don't know yet, I'll get more information later in the week.

    We are close to the sub-station which houses a substantial transformer (pre nationalisation!) so I doubt it covers a replacement.
    • CommentAuthorborpin
    • CommentTimeAug 21st 2012
     
    Posted By: Fred56Water was £2800 and it came over only one road, moled and took only 2 hours. Gas was way cheaper at £340 despite being more work than the water.
    Ha, they tried to do that to my Mum. She demanded a refund and when they objected she threatened them with the Ombudsman. She got the refund...
    • CommentAuthorborpin
    • CommentTimeAug 21st 2012
     
    Posted By: Ed DaviesWhile we're on the topic, what sort of prices have people been asked for for telephone connections?
    Last time I did it it was a fixed cost under the Universal Connection principle (i.e BT *have* to supply you). About £100 quid (though they ended up paying me as they missed their SLA so I was without a phone, but that is another story).
    • CommentAuthorPugliese
    • CommentTimeAug 25th 2012
     
    As I started this thread on the cost of my electric connection, I thought I should report the lessons learnt.

    Firstly negotiate and you cannot do that effectively over the phone/e-mail, so the second tip is get them to come down and survey. They came within the week and we ended up having a 'common sense' conversation about the costs. The surveyor even suggested that because the power line running down the lane required complete shut off, I could challenge that there was the wrong sort of cabling and thefore they would not charge for this element. However he did warn that this could delay connection significantly.

    Anyway in approx figures the initial quote was nearly £5k and the new one will be in the region of £2k. I will challenge the type of cable but as I need the connection reasonably quickly I won't pursue it as I am now far happier with the overall cost albeit still expensive.
    • CommentAuthorwindy lamb
    • CommentTimeAug 25th 2012
     
    Speaking to a neighbour the other day, he wanted electric to his barn, from a pole just 10m away. He was quoted £2500 after a bit of haggling. So £2K is perhaps as low as they'll go?

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