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Old 02-04-2012, 03:04 AM
Mxyzptik Mxyzptik is offline
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Westlock
Posts: 590
Default Missing the point

Several folks here have provided some good information but others are missing the point. The OP explained it would take several poles down a PUBLIC ROAD before reaching the property.

What this means is that the utility must first build a PRIMARY distribution line down the road to the property energized at 14,400 volts to reach the property. Once you get close enough to where your load will be then they will need a transformer pole and step down transformer to reduce the voltage to a usable 120/240 SECONDARY voltage. From there you, the property owner is responsbile for your secondary cabling either overhead ( triplex ) or underground ( concentric neutral ) . Don't go too small or too far or you will experience line voltage drop over that distance the the little electrons will just drip out the end
( think of it exactly like a water line where voltage = pressure )

The orginal PRIMARY line costs a lot and even at that you don't really own it the utility does. They will then operate and maintain it for the life of the service. It also needs to be built of sufficient capacity so that if someone bought property down the road from you and connected on to the primary line you may get a refund of some of your original investment.

The cost of the Primary service is also interdependant on the size of the load. The utility will often invest in the service if you are connecting a large load with a decent load factor ( load factor is the % of time throughout the year and throughout each day you use the service) . In the olden days the utility investment was upwards of $500 per KVA or KW of load ( volts x amps over 1000.)

The principle here is this:

If you want to run a large 3 phase service or single phase , even over quite some distance but you have a large load ( several large motors or pumps ) that you will use regularly. Then the service won't cost you squat because the utility will recover their investment quickly.

But if you want to run PRIMARY power down the road complete with step down transformer and hook up a cabin to the end which you visit infrequently and don't use much product you will be expected to bear the burden of the entire cost. The rest of the users of the system don't wish to subsidize your use after all. This situation exists in large but very seasonal loads like agricultural irrigation in the south or grain drying services throughout the province. Because these services get used infrequently the customer often agrees to a monthly minimum contract ( in effect spreading the cost out over a number of years )

All the talk about going off the grid is interesting as well. There are absolutely poeple who are able to go off the grid but the only ones who end up pleased with the set up have made some very dramatic life style choices ( ain't no big screen tv's or teenagers in those houses. In a thread a while back someone suggested that even doing a load of laundry requires planning and that is absolutely true. When guys talk about investing big money in a system to go off the grid it's true, especially if they want a system that works. It's doable but not for everyone. If you are young and lived at one place without moving you would pay for it over the long haul. )

The electrical system in this province is not MAGIC and the stuff doesn't come from the sky. It needs to be GENERATED ( that takes fuel..... coal , gas , water, wind) , then transmitted ( these are the towers nobody thinks we need ) then distributed to every home and business over a large area. The system is in reality a large complex machine that takes thousands of people to build, maintain and operate it everyday.
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