New Natural Gas Connection and Electrical Undergrounding

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mcraenz

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#177656 10-Aug-2015 17:10

I'm planning to get natural gas connected for some up and coming renovations. I'm also planning to move the overhead electrical supply into a trench.

Here's the theory.

- 1. Arrange vector to install the pillar for the electrical.
- 2. Dig trench with help from my electrician
- 3. Install electrical in conduit (Electrician)
- 4. Get vector to install the gas connection via the trench but not turn it on yet. Just connected ready to go. (No daily charge yet)
- 5. Lay conduit for future UFB
- 6. Fill trench
- 7. Gasfitter/Plumber will come and install continuous hot water and gas will be already to go. Just need to tell vector/retailer to switch it on.
- 8. Start paying daily gas charge

Vector say that as soon as the meter goes in the daily charge will start and that I need to get all the work done first then get the connection (which will take 4-6 weeks to do). Problem is I'm not sure when I'll be able to get the gasfitter/plumber in. it maybe a few months away. I really just wanted to get the gas connection done and dusted so that it was already to go.

Has anyone been through anything similar?

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Aredwood

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#1365072 12-Aug-2015 22:10

Ask Vector if they can install the pipe from the road to the house first. And then install the meter later. As normally those 2 things are done by different contractors anyway. Also ask Contact energy. As they may do gas metering as well. And their gas prices were the cheapest last time I checked also.

andrewNZ

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#1365077 12-Aug-2015 22:22

I'm not up with how this is done now so things may have changed, but vector may not install a pillar box at all. If your lines are overhead they will probably run the cable up the pole and connect it there.

mcraenz

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#1365116 12-Aug-2015 22:45

Thanks guys. The picture might have changed a bit as of today when vector gave me a call. Yet to get the written quote but on the phone they said $4-5k to install a pillar! Got the gas quote through $607inc GST to thrust all the way to the house and install the meter. I can't quite underhand how the costs could be so far apart. But if it's over $1200 for the pillar I probably won't bother and just live with the overhead wires.

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andrewNZ

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#1365134 12-Aug-2015 23:39

Go ask a good electrician to give you a price to do the job. Like I said, I'm not sure you need a pillar, and if you do, it may not be your cost to bare. I should probably know, but its just not my field.

I remember my parents getting power to a property, the lines company told them they'd have to pay for the transformer. The electrician doing the job said hell no, they own it they pay for it.

Aredwood

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#1365146 13-Aug-2015 01:42

That requirement for a pillar is to make it easier for them to underground the street cables in the future. As they will typically install 1 pillar per 2 properties as part of the undergrounding. So they want you to pay to upgrade their network.

andrewNZ

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#1365151 13-Aug-2015 06:40

Then I'd definitely be talking to someone in the know. This sounds like one of those "their network, their cost" situations.

Of course I could be wrong, but if I am, id leave it overhead on principal.

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mcraenz

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#1365152 13-Aug-2015 06:59

andrewNZ: Go ask a good electrician to give you a price to do the job. Like I said, I'm not sure you need a pillar, and if you do, it may not be your cost to bare. I should probably know, but its just not my field.

I remember my parents getting power to a property, the lines company told them they'd have to pay for the transformer. The electrician doing the job said hell no, they own it they pay for it.

My very experienced electrician friend told me that vector would need to put in the pillar. He and I would then do the trench and run the cable back to the house. He did warn me that there could be arms and legs involved!

But surely it can't be more than a days work?

Anyway I'll see what they come back with.

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richms

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#1365738 13-Aug-2015 17:22

Prices for power upgrades are absurd.

I am actually looking at lashing something together to just cut power to the HWC and heating when the total current is getting too high rather than pay the close to 10k to get my power upgraded here. I knew it was expensive for people in the whops to get power done, but in an urban area? GTFO.

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mcraenz

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#1365798 13-Aug-2015 18:12

I suppose with the new gas connection they stand to make more money, whereas the power undergrounding doesn't make them any additional profit. Stating the obvious there aren't I.

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mcraenz

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#1368234 17-Aug-2015 21:41

I got the quote for the pillar today. $5100 :-O

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Aredwood

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#1368259 17-Aug-2015 23:39

Is the power pole that currently feeds your house right on the corner of the boundary? Or somewhere else? As maybe you could install your own privately owned pole on the corner of your property. Terminate the current overhead wires there. And run new underground wires to your house. Presumably the "point of supply" (demarcation point between the network and your privately owned equipment) Is the pole fuse on the current pole in the street. So you would only be working on what you already own.

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mcraenz

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#1368736 18-Aug-2015 17:17

That's not a bad idea. Mind you vector will probably want to change me 5k to move wires from the house to the new pole!

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