How much will a new electricity connection to my home cost?

This depends on how much work it is going to take to connect your home. Because every home is different, the costs will be worked out to meet your home's requirements. The costs will vary widely depending on circumstances; for example a new bungalow in an existing street might cost a few hundreds of pounds, while a farmhouse half a mile from the nearest power line might cost tens of thousands of pounds. 

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Energy

The quote - what to expect

When you ask for a quote for a new supply, your distributor will ask you to provide details about your home, when the connection is needed and, if you know, how much power you will need.  From this, the company will give you a quote which will charge you for the amount of work it will take, the materials they will have to use and the testing of the supply to make sure it is safe.  The quote should also have a telephone number and address of the company so you can contact them if you have a question.

Each distributor has a basic scale of charges for connections work which it has to make public.  If you have received a quote and want to check it, contact the distributor and ask for a copy of their 'basic charging statement'.

Sometimes the quotes sent by a distributor are not very detailed and may not give a full breakdown of exactly what you are paying for.  If you would like more information, ask the company to explain. But bear in mind you may not be able to get details the company believe are commercially sensitive.

If you remain unhappy that the prices you have been quoted or have been charged are not reasonable for the work involved, or that the amount of work specified is not appropriate for your electrical demand, you can make a complaint.

Extra work to strengthen the Network - '25% Rule'

Some new connections would mean the network has to deliver more power than it was originally built  to cope with.  In other words, the equipment that was already in place such as the cables and the transformer would not be able to bear the load of the new connection as well as the supplies that were already being taken from it.  To "reinforce" the system could mean anything from installing a few more metres of cable to installing a new substation.  The rule is:

            If the new connection needs more than a 25% increase in the capacity of the existing network, then the customer has to pay for this extra work to be carried out by the distributor.  

            If the customer's requirement is less than 25% of existing capacity, then the distributor must pay for the "reinforcement" work. 

Disputes about connections

If energywatch takes up a complaint about a connection, we will investigate it as set out in our 'make a complaint' section. However, energywatch cannot give specific opinions on costs or engineering issues.

Role of Ofgem: Ofgem has a remit to resolve disputes over some connections issues. The way it works is that where connections complaints cannot be resolved by energywatch, energywatch can refer cases they believe are appropriate to Ofgem . They can give an initial informal opinion on whether the quote is reasonable for the work you are asking the distributor to do.

In a few cases, where there is still significant disagreement between a customer and a distributor, the case can be referred by energywatch to Ofgem for a formal 'Determination'. This will be a decision about the price for the non-contestable parts of the work which is final and binding on both you and the company. It can take some time for this process to be completed.