Power Connection - 35mm Cable

[Conor]

We're demolishing an existing bungalow and replacing with our new build house (if you saw it, you'd know why!)

 

There's an existing 35mm cable to the bungalow that comes overhead from an under-eaves service on our neighbour's house. I'd originally wanted a new connection coming from an NIE owned pole from across the road... but this is coming in at £3500. So I've a quote of £1500 to remove the existing over head service, and lay a new underground service to a temp kiosk at the site boundary. Happy days. Either way, we need the existing supply disconnected and removed before we can start demolition.

 

Just checking, what kind of capacity/ loading would this kind of connection provide? I'd like to have option of installing a car charging port in the future. I've emailed NIE but no response yet.

 

[Jeremy Harris]

Sounds like a standard single phase 100 A fused connection.  An EV charge point will draw a maximum of 32 A, so, unless you have some massive loads planned for the house you should be fine.  We're all-electric, with ASHP, etc, and the maximum load I've ever recorded was around 12 -13 kW, and that was with everything running on a cold night and my car on charge. 

[Conor]

2 minutes ago, JSHarris said:

Sounds like a standard single phase 100 A fused connection.  An EV charge point will draw a maximum of 32 A, so, unless you have some massive loads planned for the house you should be fine.  We're all-electric, with ASHP, etc, and the maximum load I've ever recorded was around 12 -13 kW, and that was with everything running on a cold night and my car on charge. 

 

Cheers. I think we'll be at least 3-5 years from buying an EV, there's no point worrying about it now really.

 

The only other high demand appliance we will have will be an induction hob... so 100A should be more than enough.

 

[Jeremy Harris]

5 minutes ago, Conor said:

 

Cheers. I think we'll be at least 3-5 years from buying an EV, there's no point worrying about it now really.

 

The only other high demand appliance we will have will be an induction hob... so 100A should be more than enough.

 

 

Many of the loads in the house will have diversity applied, as they aren't running for long periods of time.  An induction hob, for example, will be calculated as being 10 A plus 30% of the maximum rated current, so a hob rated at 6 kW (nominally 26 A) would work out as a load of 10 A + (0.3 * 26 A) = 17.8 A.  Diversity is also applied for most circuits in the house, with the exception of electric showers, car charge points, electric water heaters etc, which are rated at 100% with no diversity.

 

 

[ProDave]

Don't forget the option of making your "temporary" meter box a permanent construction and just leaving it there, and running your own cable from there to the new house when built.

[Conor]

4 minutes ago, ProDave said:

Don't forget the option of making your "temporary" meter box a permanent construction and just leaving it there, and running your own cable from there to the new house when built.

 

Yeah, I've got conflicting info on that. Architect and spark both say that you can use the kiosk as a permanent location but NIE say no as it has to be built in to a structure, like house or garage. I'm going to call them back about it. It's easy for me to remove one of the existing 6ft fence panels and replace it with a cavity brick wall with the meter boxes for both gas and electric and build the boxes to the required spec (600mm from ground level, etc). Architect wont allow it in the ICF wall as it's a cold bridge and would drive him mad

[Jeremy Harris]

2 minutes ago, Conor said:

Architect wont allow it in the ICF wall as it's a cold bridge and would drive him mad

 

It would drive me mad, too!  It's why I put our meter box in a fence right at the start of the build, and fed the house via an 80 A fused isolater and a length of 25mm² 3 core SWA.  You can buy stand-alone ground mounting meter kiosks if you don't want to build a wall for it, with the required approvals: https://www.meterboxesdirect.co.uk/commercial-meter-boxes-kiosks.html

[ProDave]

My external meter boxes are set between substantial fence posts.

 

 

You could do something like that and just say no more.  I doubt they will impose a time limit on a "temporary" supply, and there will be a further cost from them to move it again into the house.

[Conor]

2 hours ago, ProDave said:

My external meter boxes are set between substantial fence posts.

 

 

You could do something like that and just say no more.  I doubt they will impose a time limit on a "temporary" supply, and there will be a further cost from them to move it again into the house.

Unfortunately they won't accept the "connection card" until the final meter position is installed and connection certified. Will be classed as a builders connection until then.

[ProDave]

What is this "connection card"?

 

I just asked for a new supply and SSE did not care where it was. No mention of it being permanent, temporary or builders.

[Simplysimon]

i did the same as @ProDave although blockwork wall. elec connection no problem, though still awaiting a meter, gas connection no problem, meter connected. strangely both gas and leccy meter applied for at the same time through the same company and the gas has been in for two months. b"$£&£"$. don't mention water f^&*!^% b"$£&£"$

[dpmiller]

NIE Networks look after the infrastructure and between the quote and the install there's a form that your spark fills in- details of loads, renewables etc, and a signoff that the install is per the 17th.

they also look after the meter install, regardless of the energy vendor.

[vfrdave]

On 14/05/2019 at 20:18, Conor said:

Unfortunately they won't accept the "connection card" until the final meter position is installed and connection certified. Will be classed as a builders connection until then.

Even if the kiosk is in its final position they still will classify it as a temp or builders connection until the house is 2nd fixed. Mine is in final position but with a temp commando socket etc for builders connection.

 

They also get caught up on location of these as they like them towards or on front of house for access to meter readers. Mine is round the back but they moaned alot to me.

[dpmiller]

Our cable was run in on Wednesday so it's "live to cutout". Meter to be fitted on Tuesday. 35mm concentric really looks tiddly...