Service alteration timescales

[vivienz]

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.

[Jeremy Harris]

Our DNO is SSE.  I had a site visit to look at relocating a pole, running some existing supply cables underground (they were right over where we needed to get diggers in and out) and relocate (free of charge) a big three phase cable running diagonally across the plot that had no easement or wayleave (the DNO didn't even know it was there...).

 

This site visit was in February.  The DNO and I agreed a price for the work, with our ground works chap doing the contestable element and the DNO doing the non-contestable element.  I was required to pay the DNO in full in April, with a date set for the pole to moved, underground cables pulled through the ducts we were putting in to their spec, at the end of June.

 

The DNO eventually got around to moving the cables and installing the new pole in August, having delayed us for weeks.  Even then they didn't remove the old pole; that sat there for another year until I slipped a few pounds to a passing Openreach team who were using their Polecat to replace another pole up the road, and got them to pull SSEs old pole out of the ground and "donate" it to me.

[vivienz]

Indeed, Jeremy, I remember your comments well and hence my attempts to get this one to run on time.  Thankfully, it's not essential as I do have a supply to the house, but I really don't want to have to pay for extra groundworks equipment just to fill in the trench.  Whether it actually happens on the agreed date depends on SSE Dave being able to get the other SSE guys on site, so we shall see.