SSE electric connection

[HereBeDragons]

Hi,

Just wanted to see if this was in the right ball-park.

I have a 11kV pole on my land (no wayleave!).

Asked for a 3 phase supply, quoted £8500 to install a transformer, drop down the pole and run 5m. It's a 'basic' 50kVa transformer (the smallest they do I think).

Is that excessive? £8200 non-contestable, £300 contestable. Anybody had any luck demanding that they remove the pole and negotiate later?

 

[franklin]

Have you found out how much a transformer to their spec costs if you rang up Transformers R Us, as a starter? Is an 11kva pole suitable for a 50kva 3ph supply, or are they going to have to do some line work as well?

https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/3-phase-connection-cost.12212/

 

[HereBeDragons]

I did some googling for a transformer, but I assumed it wasn't possible to supply your own?

They want to replace the pole too, which accounts for about £1500 - £1300 for the pole itself! I should offer them a stout tree from the forest instead.

 

[franklin]

I believe you can only use someone else etc for the contestable bit. But either way, I'd always be interested in the price of a job as you dont want / SSE dont want you sharing pics of 9 blokes sat drinking tea while they spend three days joining a few wires together etc.

 

[Still Farming]

25kw smallest and 7-9k sounds right

 

[Still Farming]

Hi,

Just wanted to see if this was in the right ball-park.

I have a 11kV pole on my land (no wayleave!).

Asked for a 3 phase supply, quoted £8500 to install a transformer, drop down the pole and run 5m. It's a 'basic' 50kVa transformer (the smallest they do I think).

Is that excessive? £8200 non-contestable, £300 contestable. Anybody had any luck demanding that they remove the pole and negotiate later?

When does that quote expire ?
Sometimes re quotes cheaper ?

 

[upnortheast]

Knock their hand off That`s cheap
Our 90kva was £27k

 

[wasted years]

I think that is cheap, but not what we would call cheap, but they would.

 

[HereBeDragons]

Knock their hand off That`s cheap
Our 90kva was £27k

Interesting! Did that include any significant linework? How far from the pole to installation?

 

[upnortheast]

Interesting! Did that include any significant linework? How far from the pole to installation?

2 new poles offset from the line to sit the transfoirmer on. About 20 metres cable to meter cabin.( We dug in the duct )
NPowergrid transformer jobs seem to be min £20k

 

[Still Farming]

Western power distribution seem good on prices.
We know expensive but we got to have it ?
unless you got cheap fuel and gennny?

 

[Only]

new three phase 70 kva supply 470 metres £27,516 from sp networks
to upgrade the existing line was £85,530(1.2 km )

 

[TheTallGuy]

That's in the right ballpark - especially with needing a pole upgrade. By the time you've paid for the pole & transformer, hv jointing team, lv connection team, local earth & fusing arrangements plus the tackle required to install the kit - as well as potentially half a day of the 11kV section being isolated - there's not much scope for reducing the costs. The wayleave trick may work, but will probably entail months of negotiations for no guarantee of getting a significant reduction.

 

[Spear]

Prices and what they can and can’t do don’t half vary

We had to upgrade transformer here a few years ago. (No chance of 3 phase here). Enquired about split phase and was told they’d have to replace wiring to all the other properties at our expense if we went down that road. 18 months later neighbour needed transformer upgraded again and they went split phase only changing transformer nothing else.

 

[Pheasant Surprise]

Hi,

Just wanted to see if this was in the right ball-park.

I have a 11kV pole on my land (no wayleave!).

Asked for a 3 phase supply, quoted £8500 to install a transformer, drop down the pole and run 5m. It's a 'basic' 50kVa transformer (the smallest they do I think).

Is that excessive? £8200 non-contestable, £300 contestable. Anybody had any luck demanding that they remove the pole and negotiate later?

I’d agree with comments above and say it’s about right. Paid a bit less than you did a few years ago for similarish connection/upgrade. Cost of transformer is pro-rated / apportioned as to how much your connection will draw as a proportion of the Tx capacity. If you’re the only user, then you pay the whole new/upgrade cost of the tranny.