Going on the Grid-How much?

[3930dave]

Back in 2000 when I built my house, the local power company wanted $27,000 to run approx. 1/4 mile of line to my house.

When all was said and done, I paid just over $7000 for everything.

Not to take anything away from you bd (initiative, and thinking on your feet always score points with me), but if you can save 20 large just on your first rodeo, the utilities obviously don't want word spreading about how much easy money they are scooping up here.

Everybody's motivation and pain levels will vary..... personally, the further it gets past $2 or $3k for a hookup, my motivation to go off-grid increases proportionally..... YMMV.

Rgds, D.

 

[fitter1]

All good points guy's. I talked with a local logger this morning [we have helped out each other in the past] and he will check it out this week as the pole locations are already marked. I'll also talk to the field engineer for the power co. and get his thought on this. ****, I'm retired now and might as well spend it before I'm thrown into the burn pile. I still need to build a pole barn and garage or one large barn with 12ft over hangs.

 

[mike69440]

I negotiated when they ran power to my place, ended up paying for 2 of the 4 poles needed.
The other two pole I argued would better serve my two neighbors as well as myself than the toothpick crap they ran between the trees 30 years ago, so we all actually benefited even though 3 of the 4 poles are on my property.

I have solar, and use 3X what a normal household uses. If batteries bigger than whats in a Tesla would be available for less than the cost of a nuke sub, I d go off grid in a hurry instead of giving all that power back to the electric co-op and then paying triple when I use it at night. Can't win.

Also I buried the last 225 Ft from the transformer to my house. I still have to look at poles coming up my driveway.

 

[hawkeye08]

Around here, the price seems to depend on who you know more than the situation...

 

[timswi]

Not exactly he same but we had a 400' run to our camp..We had a local electrician install the lines and the terminations then the utility company did the final hookup to the primary panel/meter..1 200a panel near the road and a 125a at the site...If we would have needed poles, he could have done that, or we could have had the contractor do it..The poles weren't too expensive to buy..The whole thing was around $3k...We had to do the facility hookups and runs but that was cheap and fairly easy...Shop around would be my advise...If you have one of those lunatic utilities, then I guess it is what it is...Thankfully ours was very cooperative and we ended up with a residential type install.

 

[fitter1]

I talked with the field engineer and was told the cost would go up if anyone else did the clearing because they would have to be supervised. They are even charging me for past quotes. This is BS.

 

[coldsteelva]

...I have solar, and use 3X what a normal household uses. If batteries bigger than whats in a Tesla would be available for less than the cost of a nuke sub, I d go off grid in a hurry instead of giving all that power back to the electric co-op and then paying triple when I use it at night....

Have you seen this: Powerwall | The Tesla Home Battery

 

[Citydude]

I talked with the field engineer and was told the cost would go up if anyone else did the clearing because they would have to be supervised. They are even charging me for past quotes. This is BS.

I'm in the planning stage of having a power company run power 550 feet to my property. The field engineer suggested that I cleared the trees myself or hire it out. I'm doing it myself and he will come check it when I'm done. You are correct with what you are dealing with. Total BS.

 

[3930dave]

I talked with the field engineer and was told the cost would go up if anyone else did the clearing because they would have to be supervised. They are even charging me for past quotes. This is BS.

If they are that much of a PITA/Wallet now.....

Even w/o looking at used, diesel generators are not that expensive given the extortion you are seeing.

Random example, 15kw Perkins for about $12k CANADIAN.

Diesel Generators by Aurora Generators

I'd be researching diesel gens and doing the math. Quiet diesels can be one solution, which also enables you to look at alternate fuel sources if available locally.

Rgds, D.

 

[mike69440]

Have you seen this: Powerwall | The Tesla Home Battery

Sure did. I'd want at least 2 full days of juice stored, preferably 3, before I'd have to fire up a generator, and that means 6 of those puppies minimum. We have a farm, our electric bill is stupid. I told my wife run the air conditioner like heck this summer, just to spite the Co-Op and not let them buy electricity from us at pennies on the dollar.

Fair would be giving us the spot wholesale price on a KW, plus a sub-station credit, and not charge us to take the juice back. I accept that their should be a distribution fee on the juice we import.