We would like to get basic electric service on our building lot. We would need to run about 150' underground from the edge of the property where service is available to get it where the house will set some day. Is this a big undertaking? costly? I know we are going to need to do this at some point, just wondering if it is worth doing a couple of years before you plan to build. [img]/forums/images/icons/confused.gif[/img]
I'd wait until I needed the electric. Why pay a bill every month for something you're not using.
Are you absolutely certain where you'll be building your home on the site? If you aren't I'd be very careful just running electric underground to an 'approximate area' of my site.
Around here it's common for the utility company to put in what they call a 'temporary drop' with a meter base and breaker box on a pole they set. What's wrong with going overhead for your temporary service? It might be a lot cheaper and easier at this point.
Good luck with whatever you decide. I hope this helps. [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
Thanks for the responses. We do have an idea where we want the house but not an exact location. The idea of a temporary overhead set up would fit our need at this point.
I talked with our REC and about 6.00/ft underground, $1,000 for a pad mount transformer. So just the 150ft probably around $2,000 plus monthly min. I wish mine was just a 150'. I have about 1300' that I thought I wanted underground. I will probably just do underground from the pole transformer to the house.
Gary
I must be very lucky to have the electric company in our area. What I found when we were building our home was that it was cheaper for me to go underground. The cost of setting the poles and workers from the utility company was the killer.
We are eight hundred feet from the primary line and the electric company ran a primary back to their transformer near our home. Cost for the wire and the transformer was $2200 plus the digging of the trench.
Typically, people get a temporary service until the house is built. Around here, we have to supply our own temporary pole, which must have a permit and be built to code. Ask around though, you might be able to rent one. We did, for a cost of $50.00. Sure beats having to buy a pole and set it up. [img]/forums/images/icons/wink.gif[/img]
Steve
I got 325 amp service, 2 new poles and overhead wire, x-former and underground cable for the last 100-150 ft to a temp meter box (all installed). I supplied the short pole for the meter and I supplied the breaker box with main breaker shut off. I don't recall the exact $ but it was less than $200. So far during construction we never used enough power to pay more than the monthly minimum even with an apartment frige running in the basement for cold drinks.
They left me a huge roll of direct bury cable (wired in) so when the breaker box is moved to the house we have enough underground wire to reach.
P.S. When contemplating buying a breaker box for over 200 amps stand by for sticker shock. A 400 amp box (couldn't find a 350 or 325) costs around $1500. I bought 2 each 200 amp boxes to install in parallel for about $100 each. You do the math. The one box I bougt for temp power is for outdoor use but will be mounted indoors just fine. One suggestion I got was to mount the boxes on an outside wall on the outside of the house with a access door so firemen can shut off the power in an emergency. It isn't required and isn't happening. I don't want to go out in the rain to flip a breaker and with a "hot stick" they can pull the switch at the x-former in front of the house in case of an emergency.
Pat
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
When we were going to build the shed, the local electrical co-op ran the buried line and put in the transformer at no cost, other that the 15.50 minimum montly fee for the electricity. Then we did not build for another two years, but still had to pay the monthly fee.
The house I bought had the service above ground and I wanted it buired. So I had to buy the meter box with a built in main breaker ($400). The electric company sold me the direct burial cable for about $5 a foot. I used about 120 feet. The only other cost was the trencher rental. I hooked up the direct burial cable to the breaker box sitting on the electric companies pole. I also hooked it up to my breaker box inside of my house.
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