esb external meter - aerial or underground cable

slipstream

I'm about to apply for planning permission for a 1960s hipped roof detached bungalow renovation in Fingal.

Amongst other changes, we will be adding velux windows to the front, converting the garage to a habitable space and moving the ESB meter from inside to outside.

Talking to one neighbour who did similar work, he was told by ESB networks they could not re-use their aerial cable (attached to chimney) and instead had to provide underground ducting from the new meter location to the nearest service pole.

I cannot find any references on why the ESB might have asked for a change from aerial to underground cables. One idea we had was that the proximity of veluxes to the cable might be an issue.

We would rather not have to deal with the additional costs involved in undergrounding the cable and wondered if there was anything we could do at the design stage to make this unnecessary.

Do any of you guys know why the ESB would ask for an aerial cable to be undergrounded?

Thanks for your help,

Slip

tomdempsey200

usually ime the best thing to do was ring them and arrange a site visit ..and they may agree to allow the overhead clipped surface into meter cabinet

other times we would just go ahead and duct underground to pole


not sure if they've tightened up lately and it may depend on condition/safety of existing 'service'

slipstream

Thanks Tom, I will ask ESB for a site visit before work starts.

sawdoubters

esb charges 1500 for new connection

if its underground,your provide red pipe with a rope in it to the meter


https://www.esb.ie/esbnetworks/en/downloads/MVLV_Duct_Summary.pdf

deandean

I went through a similar process last year. There was a pole in the front garden which had broken at the base, it was hanging from the ESB wires! I wanted to get the wires underground anyway for aesthetic reasons.

I contacted the ESB, there are a pleasure to deal with. We agreed a location for a new pole which is a couple of metres away from the original pole.

I spent a couple of evenings digging a trench from the house to the new pole location (if you're going to do this, buy a 'trenching shovel', it's brilliant).

I bought the required length of red ducting + hockey sticks + warning strip from local builders providers and ran it in along the trench.

ESB contractors came and erected the new pole. ESBN came and made the connections and ran in a new concentric cable to the house. Total charge for the ESB was in the region of €300 IIRC.

Those old aerial cables can be a bit overworked if you have an instant electric shower in the house, it might be no harm to upgrade your supply to a modern concentric cable anyway.

Best of luck!

slipstream

Thanks for the tips Dean.

One further question with undergrounding is that the closest service pole is 15m from our gate (the far side of our next door neighbour).

Would this mean we have to dig up and re-instate 15m of of path to (Fingal) council standards? Any ideas what this would cost?

Slip

deandean

slipstream wrote: »

Thanks for the tips Dean.

One further question with undergrounding is that the closest service pole is 15m from our gate (the far side of our next door neighbour).

Would this mean we have to dig up and re-instate 15m of of path to (Fingal) council standards? Any ideas what this would cost?

Slip

In my case the pole is already in my front garden. I honestly don't know what the ESB would do in your case. Sure get them to call around and they'll talk over the options.

But routing the cable underground is a common enough request nowadays, esp with people adding external wall insulation to their house.

jython98

Any update slipstream, I am in the similar boat now, will need to dig out 5m footpath to my nearest ESB pole.

slipstream

Not yet jython; I plan on waiting until we have a builder on site before requesting a site visit to ensure there is no misunderstanding.