Omnibuswoman Posted November 7, 2020 Author Share Posted November 7, 2020 That’s amazing @recoveringbuilder Well done! I’m very good at complaining, so maybe that should be option 1, along with a request for a technical meeting to discuss what our AHSP is going to be as per @ProDave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyT Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 Get an independent quote. you only have to pay the DNO to make the point of connection, other approved contractors will quote have a search for contestable works 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
recoveringbuilder Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 58 minutes ago, TonyT said: Get an independent quote. you only have to pay the DNO to make the point of connection, other approved contractors will quote have a search for contestable works We had an independent quote but it still wasn’t bringing it down to a sensible amount as it involved road closures etc 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omnibuswoman Posted November 17, 2020 Author Share Posted November 17, 2020 Great news - Having obtained the information I needed from a forum similar to this for electrical engineers (The Institute of Engineering and Technology), and having gone back to WPD with a gentle challenge using that information, we now have a new quote for just over £3k, rather than the £14,600 they quoted originally. I am thrilled to bits with this. We learned last week that the planning application next door for the 5 new houses has been turned down as the developer had not done their bat homework properly. Now that the window for doing the bat survey has closed until next year, and the neighbourhood development plan which designates that land as a rural gap will go to referendum in May 2021 (and is likely to be passed), the possibility of the development going ahead has just decreased significantly. Whilst this means we can't piggy-back on the access this would have created for us (which would have been useful), it does mean that we will continue to have lovely green views to the north of us for the time being. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted November 17, 2020 Share Posted November 17, 2020 Well done, bite their hand off and accept the new cheaper quote. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperJohnG Posted November 17, 2020 Share Posted November 17, 2020 Well done..fantastic. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Punter Posted November 17, 2020 Share Posted November 17, 2020 Excellent. Without reading the whole thread, did their new fee proposal involve a new solution? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe90 Posted November 17, 2020 Share Posted November 17, 2020 Glad to hear your good news, can you tell us what changed? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
recoveringbuilder Posted November 17, 2020 Share Posted November 17, 2020 Well done, would be interested in knowing what challenge you used. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omnibuswoman Posted November 17, 2020 Author Share Posted November 17, 2020 1 hour ago, Mr Punter said: Excellent. Without reading the whole thread, did their new fee proposal involve a new solution? Nope. The new proposed works are identical to the previous proposed works, but they are paying for it themselves and only charging me for the works involved in the connection, rather than the local upgrade. I made the argument that they were going to have to upgrade the local area in any event as with petrol and diesel cars being phased out, most properties would require a car charging point to be installed eventually, ditto gas boilers to heat pumps, and therefore they upgrade in supply ought to be a capital cost for WPD, not a personal charge to me. Although no mention was made of that argument in the revised quote, this is exactly that outcome. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omnibuswoman Posted November 17, 2020 Author Share Posted November 17, 2020 This is the email I wrote WPD: Dear [name of WPD staff member], I have been doing a bit of research, and it seems to me that what I am being asked to fund is a local infrastructure upgrade, as well as my own connection. Obviously, as the country moves towards more heat pumps and electric vehicles, the existing infrastructure of 95mm 3c cable, and two 50mm ABC cables just won’t be sufficient for Cemetery Road properties, and it is a matter for WPD’s capital infrastructure budget, rather than asking individual customers to fund that. I’m aware of the policy principles at play, as follows: 4.2. The minimum scheme is the solution designed solely to provide the capacity needed for the new connection at the lowest overall capital cost. A DNO may design an enhanced scheme,2 but the cost to the customer will not exceed that of the minimum scheme. The customer can also request work in excess of the minimum scheme where it thinks this would be more beneficial. For example, it may decide that a more expensive route to the existing network will receive planning permission more easily and is therefore worth paying for. The customer will need to pay the full cost of this additional work, including the cost of operating and maintaining these additional assets over their lifetime I have also had sight of a recent memorandum from WPD stating: SD5G/5 (Part 1) 29.10.2020 Design Standards: Low Voltage Relating to the Connection of Low Carbon Technology (Electric Vehicle Charge Points and Heat Pumps) with a Capacity < 32A per phase This document details the approach for managing Electric Vehicle (EV) Charge Point and/or Heat Pump (HP) installation notifications and applications for individual or multiple equipment (installed beyond the same point of supply) rated up to 32A per phase onto Western Power Distribution’s (WPD’s) distribution network (low and high voltage). Main Changes The charging methodology for cutout replacement and service cable overlays has been changed. When a service cable is being overlaid due to a low capacity, the cable shall be overlaid with a three phase cable. Impact of Changes Western Power Distribution (WPD) will provide free of charge service upgrade costs for domestic installations (profile 1 or 2) where each item of low carbon technology has a rating < 32A. Taking account of the above, I would welcome hearing from you alternative solutions, such as running a cable directly to my property from the Tx at Drakewalls Mine, for instance. This would remove the necessity to run the cable all the way to the pole on Cemetery Road, dig up the road, install new junctions etc. Kind regards Morgan 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omnibuswoman Posted November 17, 2020 Author Share Posted November 17, 2020 (edited) I found out that WPD should be funding infrastructure upgrades itself, although there is some contention about that as ultimately the cost of upgrading the entire network to allow for future needs in a low carbon economy is well beyond the means of these companies, even though they make significant profits. Clearly this was a case of the company trying to get this past me without me realising that the cost should fall to them and not to me. I wonder how many other customers have been similarly fleeced. Attached are the previous and current plans and cost breakdowns. Edited November 17, 2020 by Omnibuswoman used non anonymised images 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omnibuswoman Posted November 17, 2020 Author Share Posted November 17, 2020 Original customer breakdown of costs.pdf Original plan of proposed new supply.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Punter Posted November 17, 2020 Share Posted November 17, 2020 No wonder you are smiling in the profile photo! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omnibuswoman Posted November 17, 2020 Author Share Posted November 17, 2020 1 minute ago, Mr Punter said: No wonder you are smiling in the profile photo! It's fair to say I'm feeling pretty chuffed about this, and Mr HWMBO is too! ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conor Posted November 17, 2020 Share Posted November 17, 2020 Really goes to show it's worth doing your homework!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oz07 Posted November 17, 2020 Share Posted November 17, 2020 Very good info and source for future information. Thanks for sharing 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russell griffiths Posted November 17, 2020 Share Posted November 17, 2020 Whoooo, that told them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe90 Posted November 17, 2020 Share Posted November 17, 2020 Well done you, that showed them eh? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omnibuswoman Posted June 23, 2021 Author Share Posted June 23, 2021 FURTHER UPDATE: (Apologies if I’ve already posted this somewhere - I can’t recall) I went back to WPD before accepting the £3k quote to query again why we needed to fund the cable upgrade (as I suspected that they needed to do this in any case). Having read their licence terms, I found that I could request data on the demands on the cable, which I duly requested. Having done so, it put them in a bit of a tailspin. This resulted in a phone call from someone more senior, wanting to know why I wanted this information. I explained my suspicions about funding a necessary local area upgrade. Next thing I know, I get a new quote: £938… (not the data I asked for though!), but they spontaneously decided to fund the upgrade themselves…!!! Now they’ve been in touch offering for me to pop my other utilities in their trench at no cost to me. ☺️ 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe90 Posted June 23, 2021 Share Posted June 23, 2021 56 minutes ago, Omnibuswoman said: Now they’ve been in touch offering for me to pop my other utilities in their trench at no cost to me. ☺️ Wow, good on you girl, I think you should be nominated as the forums “the negotiator” ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pocster Posted June 23, 2021 Share Posted June 23, 2021 1 hour ago, joe90 said: for me to pop my other utilities in their trench ? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronan 1 Posted June 23, 2021 Share Posted June 23, 2021 Great to see these companies held to task. Fair play to you ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jilly Posted June 23, 2021 Share Posted June 23, 2021 What about other utilities? I was charged £3k for water and £12k for electricity, but co-ordinated them using the same trench and road closure so I got a £6k refund from the electricity people, but they wouldn't deduct it in advance in case of complications, so I had to take the risk, they wouldn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omnibuswoman Posted June 23, 2021 Author Share Posted June 23, 2021 1 hour ago, pocster said: ? It’s most definitely not a euphemism!!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now