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Just a quick heads up for anyone who may need to change the location/route/type of electricity supply over the next couple of months and how long this may take. My supply currently comes in via an overhead line attached to a pole very close to the new build. And it's very ugly. Therefore, I plan to get a new pole on the boundary of our property then run the line in via a trench that the groundworker will dig. I already have my quote but thought I better call Dave, my friendly local DNO installer, to see how busy they are. Good job I rang! The earliest he has available from today for this type of job is 17th October and he's getting booked up quickly. This date works out okay for me as there's lots of groundworks to be done between now and then, but it could catch you out if you are in a hurry, so always best to check as early as is feasible.

ENWL (our Network Operator) is coming next week to make the connection, and I thought it would be useful to go into some detail about establishing the supply connection in terms of what a self builder needs to do before fitting a Consumer Panel. I also have a couple of questions. I have already done all the paperwork necessary, and paid the fee. There have been two pre-inspections on site: but things have been a bit fraught recently, so I'm running behind schedule. I need to dig the trench this week. My principal concern is to do it once and do it right. I need to dig the trench over our land to meet up with the incoming trench from across the road. How deep should it be? ENWL used to provide a guide for making connections, but, as is often the case, large organisations don't maintain their hyperlinks, and so the hyperlink is dead. However, I found the correct one here. (accessed November 2017) Quite why such a document should be found on this type of online resource ( but not the DNO's site) baffles me. The document may well be out of date. The DNO guidance says (on footpaths or verges) that low voltage cable should be 450mm from the surface. But that crossing a road, it should be 600mm below the surface, So, I need to dig a trench 450mm deep plus 150mm (the low voltage cable diameter), but the cable across the road is 600mm below the surface (plus the diameter of their ducting) So there's a mismatch. I only need 3 meters of ducting across my land. (it's less than that from the road to our piggery - where the meter box will be)