Cost to connect to the grid?

   / Cost to connect to the grid? #41  
You are right. Probably a good idea to reserve a mortgage for this. It's ridiculous time so I'm prepare mentally to see the quotes. I still want to understand from where the huge cost is coming from.

If I'm going only underground the material list includes: wire for primary and secondary, conduit, warning tape, transformer and meter. Do I miss something? Does anybody knows how much cost 1 foot of primary wire which is required for 4KV line or lower voltage? Secondary for 200A service requires 2/0 copper which is at $10/foot, I see the PVC conduit 2.5" is around $6/foot. The pad transformer is around 2K and the meter under 1K. So the big unknow is the primary wire cost. Electrician labor to connect is another unknow but not se it more then 3K plus ESA inspection is around $500.
26 years ago at the end of the 1990's recession I ran a string a single phase line across the road, installed a pole, transformer, and 400A overhead service to my steel barn. I paid $2,500

Over the years I've been having issues with ice dams falling off the roof onto the power mast going into the barn. For safety I thought it would be best to go underground from the pole to the barn about 25 feet. I have a BH and can do all the digging, just need the electrical contractor to do the pole and building terminations. One day job. Pre-covid I priced out the power line $3/ft. One day job for the contractor, tops. I called a dozen contractors. One showed up a month later and quoted $5K. This is before the covid price gouging euphoria we are currently in.

Good luck finding an electrical contractor right now in southern Ontario. Maybe if things are slower in Grey-Bruce you might have more luck finding a contractor not looking to buy a new 4x4 quad cab fully loaded diesel for cash on your job.

Above ground will be your cheapest option by far. You will pay a premium for underground as you will need heavier cable, conduit, BH fees.
 
   / Cost to connect to the grid? #42  
TESLA power wall batteries, last I checked, must be grid tied, so no off grid use. We looked into them.
We're off grid and this time of year, generator runs about every 3 days to charge the batteries.
Patrick
Powerwalls can be off grid, as can their big brother, Megapacks.

Tesla has a short list of approved generators for off grid use.

Any off grid solution is going to require more maintenance and effort than being on the grid, and may, or may not, be more reliable. Whether it costs more per kWh for the length of time you plan to be live there is a different question.I am with @mikester that the house will be easier to sell and more valuable if it is grid connected. Around here, the grid connected homes were selling at a significant premium to the off grid properties when we were looking.

Good luck!

All the best,

Peter
 
   / Cost to connect to the grid?
  • Thread Starter
#43  
I am curious about the easement. Who will own the easement and the primary? And who will service it in the future.

IF the electric company will OWN and MAINTAIN it....But only require you do give them access to install wire.....(set poles or do conduit underground) that is understandable.

I knwo everywhere is different....but I dont know ANYONE with residential electric that owns ANY primary let alone any residential electricians even qualified to work on it.
My neighbor owns/maintain the existing primary on their property right now, so my intention is with this easement to split the maintenance of existing primary and own the maintenance of my primary which I'm adding it. Hope the lawyer will know how this is done. I never be involved with something like that.
 
   / Cost to connect to the grid? #44  
PonyTug, thanks for the correction and info. We have SMA Sunny Island inverters and Kubota GL 11k generator, so we're on that short list.
Patrick
 
   / Cost to connect to the grid? #45  
PonyTug, thanks for the correction and info. We have SMA Sunny Island inverters and Kubota GL 11k generator, so we're on that short list.
Patrick
That's great! Our generator isn't on the list, so for us, it is either/or.

There is a suburban home around here that the owner installed a bunch of solar, and a Tesla megapack, for less than the proposed cost to go a relatively short distance (200'?).


from Frustrated With Utilities, Some Californians Are Leaving the Grid (Published 2022)

All the best,

Peter
 
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   / Cost to connect to the grid? #46  
Tesla Power Walls require a full time internet connection to work. I find if you live in a location where off-grid sounds like a good option your internet connection is sketchy. There are spots on Hwy 6 between Mount Forest and Owen Sound where my Rogers cell phone has zero service. Canada pays the highest internet and cellular prices in the world but has sub-third world service outside the GTA.
 
   / Cost to connect to the grid? #47  
You are right. Probably a good idea to reserve a mortgage for this. It's ridiculous time so I'm prepare mentally to see the quotes. I still want to understand from where the huge cost is coming from.

If I'm going only underground the material list includes: wire for primary and secondary, conduit, warning tape, transformer and meter. Do I miss something? Does anybody knows how much cost 1 foot of primary wire which is required for 4KV line or lower voltage? Secondary for 200A service requires 2/0 copper which is at $10/foot, I see the PVC conduit 2.5" is around $6/foot. The pad transformer is around 2K and the meter under 1K. So the big unknow is the primary wire cost. Electrician labor to connect is another unknow but not se it more then 3K plus ESA inspection is around $500.
#2 15Kva Primary wire was 8.00 US dollars per foot on my last invoice.
1/0 15KVa was $9.50 / ft.
2/0 15Kva was Quoted @ $11.73 / ft.

Most electrical contractors are not licensed to install anything over 600volt here in the states.
 
   / Cost to connect to the grid? #48  
Did the contractors quote a price for underground service too ?

I recommend going underground if possible and not
have to worry about 900 ft of overhead line repair
due to storm damage.
that's what I did at my place, over 2000' of underground.. trenched out 8'deep to the side of the shop, then over to the house..
 
   / Cost to connect to the grid?
  • Thread Starter
#49  
#2 15Kva Primary wire was 8.00 US dollars per foot on my last invoice.
1/0 15KVa was $9.50 / ft.
2/0 15Kva was Quoted @ $11.73 / ft.

Most electrical contractors are not licensed to install anything over 600volt here in the states.
Thanks MAX-24-Dean for info.

I'm still not sure the voltage on primary line. My neighbor said is just 600V and the wire is 2ga but he's not sure. At $10/foot is almost 10K just in the wire.
 
   / Cost to connect to the grid? #50  
We are off-grid with our property here in Ontario-Canada for few years already and it has been a really challenge every winter. Solar is not a viable solution for Ontario and I hate when people trying to sale something which they really didn't try it just looking at the profit for them. Because now is the time for us to replace the batteries in our system, we decided to investigate the cost of connecting to the grid. Unfortunately, the last grid pole on the road is at 1000ft from our gate and our house is at another 1000ft from the gate, so 2000ft in total.
Checking with our electrical distributor (Hydro One) they suggested an alternative to connect is to the neighbor's pole which is at 900ft distance from our house over the property line but that will required an easement. Our neighbor kindly accepted, so we need to work with a lawyer for that. Because the power lines will be located just on private properties the local electrical distributor (Hydro One) will not do the work or quote so our only chance is to work with the contractors.
Does anybody knows how much will cost to run the power lines on poles or underground over 900ft? We found only 2 contractors in the area but already 4 weeks passed and they keep saying that they are busy to quote. I have a fell they are checking us to see how "hungry" we are to bite in this.

If you know a contractor in Grey county Owen Sound area please let me know.

Thanks in advance.
In order to answer the Costs $$$ question we would need to know how large the service you want in Amps. This is needed to consider voltage drop over the 900 feet. Does Hydro One have a minimum size service (Panel) requirement?
The cheapest way to install this where I am is with overhead ACSR quadplex aluminum wire on poles.
Contact the Hydro One and see if they will give you pole size hieght needed to install for wire sag and distance between poles needed. The amount of conductor sag increases with higher temperature.
Recommened minimum hieght of conductors to ground level info from them also.
Is there is a railway, road or Agricultural use that would need higher clearance for overhead conductors?
You will need to consider larger size conductors for Voltage drop at 900 feet.
 
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