Supply

[mfarrow]

£4k, for renewing a transformer on a pole, disrupting many customers, installing a new connection on another pole in another location, installing a new cable, arranging for a meter connection, and installing service head.

I'd say you've got yourself a bargain! Good job you're not already on the limit for a pole-mounted transformer, that would be a £70k substation.

You won't run a connection from your own property for any less. The quotation should break down what it is you're paying for. £1000 for a new connection is something I've never come across, it's £500 just to disconnect a supply in most cases.

 

[JohnW2]

£4k, for renewing a transformer on a pole, disrupting many customers, installing a new connection on another pole in another location, installing a new cable, arranging for a meter connection, and installing service head. I'd say you've got yourself a bargain!

So would I, if the trannsformer upgrade really is specifically required in order for the OP to get a small new supply. However, as I've said, I do wonder about that 'if', and whether he might be 'unnecessarily' subsidising a 'virtually required' improvement for the whole village!

Kind Regards, John

 

[JohnW2]

I'm a little surprised that the figures are even that high. Ofgem figures indicate that the average domestic electricity consumption is about 3,300 kWh per year. Even if one made the pessimistic assumption that electricity was only consumed for 12 hours per day (and the same 12 hours for all households), that would still only amount to an average demand (over those 12 hours) of about 0.75 kW per household!

Yes but we're talking about maximum demand not average.

Yes, I realised that, but I left my readers to do some of the mental arithmetic ... just giving the one example of 'cramming all the demand into 12 hours per day'. If the demand were crammed into about 4 hours per day (the same 4 hours for all households), the average over those 4 hours would be about 2kW, and I would have guessed (seemingly wrongly!) that this was more extreme than the actual 'maximum demand' situation.

My house falls into the description I gave, if I add up the number of houses on the estate and go and read the Maximum Demand Indicators at the local substation and divide by the number of houses per phase I get 1.9kW!

That does, indeed, appear to support your figure!

Kind Regards, John

 

[mfarrow]

I do ... whether he might be 'unnecessarily' subsidising a 'virtually required' improvement for the whole village!

On experience, any further new supplies will too be required to pay a subsidy, and it's often harder to swallow paying for past works than paying a small amount for something which is part of your own installation.

If the OP is in no rush, he could always lobby the DNO for an upgrade for nothing if he complains enough about the voltage level, but only then will that work if the DNO agree to monitor, and results demonstrate that the supply is insufficient to support the existing load and/or voltage regulation is an issue.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

If the demand were crammed into about 4 hours per day (the same 4 hours for all households), the average over those 4 hours would be about 2kW, and I would have guessed (seemingly wrongly!) that this was more extreme than the actual 'maximum demand' situation.

I'd not be surprised to learn that there were millions of dwellings in the UK where no electricity at all was used for 16-20 hours per day on Mondays to Fridays.

 

[JohnW2]

I'd not be surprised to learn that there were millions of dwellings in the UK where no electricity at all was used for 16-20 hours per day on Mondays to Fridays.

Nor would I, but that's very different from all of the dwellings in a given area using no electricity for the same 16-20 hours every day.

Kind Regards, John

 

[Lectrician]

As a side line to our company, my boss also has some property. He built 12 industrial units and had to pay for substation install. All in, I believe is was something like £150k to install sub and install 12 x 80amp TPN services. (WPD do not do 100amp as their 'standard' service here).

IF anyone wanted a new service close by connected to the same sub, and this was within 5 years, by boss would recieve a percentage rebate on the sub installation costs.

*Just* after 5 years? A large neighbouring piece of land had a thundering great warehouse built, and the supply was to come from the sub. He lost out on the rebate, and so made substantial charges for them to take the short route from the sub to the new build (across his land), rather than them having to go out into the highway, up the road and back in.