Cost of electrical service

If the meter socket isn't in use, why can't I just activate it, dig a trench and run over to a subpanel in the garage? I know the price of copper is crazy, but wire isn't $15 dollars a foot is it?

I'd sure want to save some bucks & come off the one service you have - if that's enough amps for you. You are adding a lot of monthly expense with a second meter. Ask a lot of questions, they might get you with a commercial flat rate, or minimum on that second meter, or other hidden fees. Seems to be a real problem folks run into all the time.

Can you come off of your current meter, it should be rated to 200 amps, and get a good main service to the shop from there? Will be big wires, but you can save the second meter & all that hassle & expense. I'm not sure what you can pull to both the house & shop from 200 amps.

I have 200 amp service, 100 amp to the house, 60 amps to 10 different buildings on my farm, all from the one service. Obviously I can't be running everything, but know what you need before you overpay here.

--->Paul

It's now $35/mo, just to have the meter there. The only good thing is that they are going to credit me for 3 years worth of elec billing (not meter charge) toward that $650. I'll get it all back as I changed the wiring so the house is supplied from there. LOL

The way they figure their fees is whatever they want to do, installations included. The state has to approve changes, but so long as the basic bill doesn't appreciatively change, the corporation commission goes along. So I'm getting screwed for $420/year, minimum bill, instead of the $144/year I was told.

The other choice? Disconnect. I'm looking into hydro and woodgas.

Typically, most electrical lines are in road rights-of-way. Some do run across the middle of fields, but it's not clear here where it runs. If it is in the ROW, I wouldn't think you'd have any issue having REA tap into that one.

Maybe you could get an electrician and the REA engineer together to discuss options?

I know things go up, but when I built my house / shed about 10 years ago, it cost me $102 for REA to put in the service, and they had to run 1/4 mile of overhead! And...I got $100 back after one year of payments. The $2 was the fee to join the cooperative.

If it is on your property, there should be no problem with you running 3/0 or 4/0 underground to it. If the meter loop on the pole is an old 60 amp or 100 amp, you might want the Coop to change it out to 200 amp loop. That will probably cost you $100 to $200. The transformer might need to be changed out also, but there shouldn't be a cost to you.

Last summer, copper wire was very dear. Somebody told me that 1000 MCM wire cost $10 a foot. That seems expensive.

I hate to rub it in but 35 years ago, Mass Electric ran 200 ft of wire, hung a single can 3 phase transformer, and attached their wires to my meter base for nothing. They sent out four trucks and one supervisor's pickup to do the job.

I have my electrical service set up with a mobile home panel for the meter base. The panel came with a 200 amp main breaker for the house, but also has spots for another large breaker (which could be a 200 amp) and for several other smaller breakers. I ran 2" plastic conduit from the service entrance box on the side of my house and buried it when I backfilled the foundation. It is ready for the barn I hope to build in the next couple of years, except for wire. I plan to use aluminum wire inside the conduit, just like all the other underground wiring I have done on the place. Aluminum is a whole lot cheaper than copper, and if the connections are done properly, it seems to work just fine.

Since the present electrical service is on the wrong side of your house, would it be possible to either put underground wiring in a trench dug around the house, or through conduit through the attic or between floor joists to get it to the other side of the house? You would need a main breaker for the feed to your garage, but I believe I have seen add-on boxes for sale just for that purpose.

I prefer having my electrical wiring underground rather than overhead. It is a lot of work and expense to dig the ditches initially in my very rocky soil, but once it is done, they are out of sight and out of danger unless someone gets crazy with a backhoe. Since it is so much effort to dig the ditches, and there is danger from the rocky backfill, I always use the plastic conduit. The conduit isn't that expensive, and if there ever was a problem with the wire inside, it might be possible to pull out the old wire and replace it without doing any redigging.

You also might want to consider just how much power you really need to your garage. I have a 100 amp breaker servicing my attached garage, and have never approached its limit. Of course, I seldom use more than one power tool at once.

Good luck, hth.