Electrical Connection Help

[Kim]

Hi

 

Not sure if this should go here as cant find any areas to discuss utility companies.

 

I have been quoted £3550 for my electrical connection on my new build, does this seem ok?

 

Would you source an Independent Connection Provider (ICP) instead? or is it a waste of time?

 

Thanks so much for any useful responses

xx

DESIGN.pdf

[Mr Punter]

Waste of time. I think this route only suits larger developments.

[ultramods]

Did you get a breakdown of the cost? They may be charging a lot for say digging up the road and the pavement.

 

Do you know where your other services are located, gas, water, foul, BT? if they are all located in a similar position it might make more sense to try and get all the connections completed at the same time so you are only paying to dig up and resurface the road and pavement once.

 

My ground worker is going to be doing most of the work.

 

[ProDave]

It will be the street works that are costing the money.  Though I have to say getting a footpath closure order seems a little OTT.

 

You could try approaching an independent street works contractor to get a price to do all the highway excavation up to the location of the joint pit, and install a duct with a draw string to pull the cable through and see if that is any cheaper.

 

[Kim]

Thanks all

 

They are refusing to let my builders do any of it and will only accept an ICP that they approve, they sent me a list

 

Break down as follows:

 

Description of work to be carried out by you ("Your Works"):
These will be described in the Customer Responsibilities Document that will be issued to you by UK Power
Networks after the site visit. These works may include (but are not limited to):
- excavation and reinstatement on your property;
- excavation and re-instatement of the joint bay in accordance with our instructions and the booklet
"Avoiding danger from Underground services" 9HS (G) 47 published by the Health
and Safety Executive;
- supply and install of electrical duct;
- arranging for third party consents where required;
- internal electrical works to British Standard BS7671;
- appointing an electrical supplier;
- supply and installation of a sub main;
- supply and installation of a meter cabinet/cubicle;
- supply and installation of meter tails and earth wire.
Connection Timescales:
Provisional Completion Date: 30/04/2019
(*)This date can be altered to suit your construction programme.
Description of the Works to be carried out by UK Power Networks:
New Single Phase Service
**Subject to Wayleaves**
**Subject to customer completing all excavation on their land**
**Subject to customer installing a meter box and hockey**
The connection of a new underground 100 amp single phase service onto
the mains. Includes excavation and reinstatement of a hole in
an unmade surface, verge or grassed area to expose the existing cable in
order to connect the new service.
1471.00
Excavation and reinstatement of low voltage service cable in an unmade
surface, verge or grassed area. This includes the provision and installation of
the cable and ducting and is charged per metre.
1545.00
Excavation and reinstatement of low voltage service cable in standard
footway surface types such as concrete, macadam and slab paving. This
includes the provision and installation of cable and ducting, and is charged
per metre.
438.00
www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk Page 4 of 4
Installation of a single phase low voltage service cable and duct per metre. 20.00
Standard flush meter box to house the new single phase supply. 41.15
White hockey stick used at the end of the ducting to link into the meter
cabinet to enable termination of the cable.
10.76
For the purposes of the Terms and Conditions the following elements of the Works are "Diversionary
Works"
Total Excluding VAT £3525.91
VAT @ 0% £0.00
Total (including VAT) £3525.91
Please note that the Price and the Completion Date are subject to the Terms and Conditions attached to

[ProDave]

I am not sure they can insist they do all the work. Ask then to break down the quote into contestable and non contestable items.

 

If your builder holds a minor street works permit (might not be the exact name) then he can do most of the excavation, though he will have to apply for a road opening permit (the DNO hold a permanent road opening permit). But talk to him first to make sure it really would be cheaper for him to do the work.

 

As I say in my case it was all done by others, The DNO came, pulled a cable through the duct that was in  place, made the connection in the connection pit that was open, connected the supply head, and left. Cost just over £1000

[Hecateh]

And at the other extreme - The electrical supply close to my property was at capacity.  The supply had to be brought about 75m down a cul de sac which has a doctor's surgery at the top/  I therefore had to pay to bring the supply down from the main road, on a Sunday (as the council wouldn't allow a road closure during the week) down to the connection laid by my buildemy land.  I was expecting 1 to 2k, 3 at most as supply was just across the road.  Actual cost £13,000.

[Roz]

If it helps, our electricity quote is similar (£3.5k) despite them not doing any excavations, just laying cable in a pre excavated trench. 

Edited January 25, 2019 by Roz

[Tosh]

Ours was broken down into non/contestable works as well. Western Power however were cheaper that the contestable element of their works. They supplied the duct and meter box. We installed it then they came along and pulled the cable through. It was a 100A supply from around 50m plus a new transformer  - all in £2.5k. No streetworks though.

[DreamHouseDreamer]

I too have some questions.  Not sure whether to piggy back onto this topic or start my own, and if so, is this the right part of this forum for such queries.

 

I'm wanting some suggestions on how you coordinate UK PN work, elec supplier work (provision of new dumb/smart meter, essentially), OpenReach/BT, water supplier and related private contractors so that hired in machines are reduced, a single trench is dug for all required utilities, and that kind of scenario.  I'm confused about terminology like MPANs, temporary supplies when they're actually seemingly permanent, etc, too.  Is this utterly unrealistic?

 

Separately, does anybody have any wayleave experience?  Where should I ask about that?

 

Thanks for thoughts, happy to explain further when I know where to ask.

 

DHDreamer

 

[ProDave]

Re supples and meters.

 

As soon as the DNO gives you a connection date they should then issue you with an MPAN (Meter Point Administration Number)  When you have that you can book your supplier to come and fit a meter.

 

I found it was a whole lot simpler to sign up with your DNO as the supplier (SSE in our case) and then switch supplier afterwards if you want to.

 

It is unlikely your meter will be fitted on the day the supply is installed, we had a week wait.

[LA3222]

My meter was fitted in the same day the supply was installed.

 

NPG laid a service cable to my plot and left it exposed in an open trench.  They came back on the day I arranged with them to make a junction to it and install the service head.  When I arranged a new meter with Eon they were able to do the same day - so all done in one day.  NPG in the morning, Eon came in the afternoon.    

[Tosh]

@DreamHouseDreamer Your DNO will take care of wayleaves. After you apply for a new connection a planner will come out and look at the routes available from the pole to your temp/final termination point. If that route crosses over a 3rd party then they'll have to get permission from the landowner via a wayleave. It therefore makes sense to test the water with that party beforehand so that the planner has an idea of what route options they have when they come out to survey.

 

[DreamHouseDreamer]

Thank you everybody for your info and knowledge.

 

Since posting my query, gobsmackingly, OpenReach managed to get off their backsides and arrange the site survey visit for us to explain our requirements and them to tell us what they can do or not do, etc  - they say they do this within 25 days - it was day 24!).  Fortunately, despite being warned by the groundworker they can play hardball and refuse, the OR surveyor said as long as we have separation by using separate conduit/pipe, we may lay elec and phone cables in the same trench, and OR even agreed that we could get trench laid, suitable conduit/pipe laid with pull through capability and they can do physical connections at a different time.  We 'simply' need to arrange delivery of their compliant conduit/pipe before the ground workers do that task.  Now we wait for a quote for the job itself, another 4 figure sum.

 

UK PN have also been out to site (for the 4th time!!!) and at last have explained to us that owing to timescales and complexity, we need to use 2 different departments to achieve what we want in a timely manner, Small Works and Projects.   Small Works can schedule jobs sooner but are only allowed to carry out certain tasks.  They will reroute permanently the overhead cable supply to the existing house that needs moving to allow a crane to reach the site, and will move it to terminate at a newly positioned kiosk.  Projects will upgrade from single to 3 phase the entire cable at later date, to create a new supply for the new building.  Currently the single phase supply serves 2 houses so cannot serve the new house, plus it uses no longer allowed style cable.  That may take 3 to 4 months, but we have a few months in hand before the new building will need it's own power supply, it's the reroute we need done sooner.  The cost of that is pretty eye watering and way beyond our budget figure which was based on what we had thought was good research.   Ho hum!  We have avoided the need - initially demanded by UKPN - for us to have a temporary site supply and temp kiosk.  Now we understand the wayleave issue too, off to speak to the neighbour for friendly chat to forewarn them.

 

Still chasing on the water front.  Again, fortunately, that's not needed until new building is up.  Groundworks have a solution and have laid water pipe in a logical position.   Fingers crossed SE Water agrees.

[ProDave]

You should have asked your OR engineer. Normally they will free issue the grey Duct 56 ducting for their cable to be laid in.

 

Won't you need water during the build or is there an alternative source?

[DreamHouseDreamer]

We got the impression the 'Duct 56', which I assume is what I meant, will be supplied free of charge, but it's one of the things we need to confirm on receipt of the actual quote.

 

Water is available from our outside tap, close enough to the site location for nobody so far to have requested anything different.  Ditto, for now, site power. 

 

DHDreamer

 

[Jeremy Harris]

We had Duct 56 and all the necessary bits to go with it, like cast iron boxes, hockey sticks, and a reel of cable to pull through the duct, provided free of charge by OpenReach.  We just dropped the ducts into trenches where they were needed and pulled the cable through, leaving it looped up at either end, ready for connection.

[Gary Martin]

Up date on my supply.

western power put a new pole on my land, and ran a cable to it from the neighbours pole. 70 meters WP sorted out the wayleave.

they supplied ducting and a meter box.

I had to dig a trench, place the ducting, plus drawstring, and fix meter box for temporary supply. They then ran cable from the new pole, underground for 20 meters and connected to the new box. £ 7,000