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optimistic
Member
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# Posted: 31 Mar 2024 09:24pm
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Hey all,
Curious what's the process to bring power to my off grid in NY and if anyone has done it and can shed light on process and price?
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DaveBell
Moderator
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# Posted: 1 Apr 2024 08:15am
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Call your power company.
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 1 Apr 2024 08:35am
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I think I found the process online (in WI), 1st step was seeing what our locality required (permitting, etc), then what power company 'serves' us. Called the power co. to maybe get a rough estimate so I could start ball parking numbers, they said I HAD to get the permit ($) then pay them $50 to come do a look over and make an est. (refundable if we went with them).
Too many hoops and expense to help me just decide if I even wanted to consider going grid!
So I drove around our area looking for recently done places similar to ours, stopped and told my tale of woe and asked politely how much it cost them to run power in.
That said, your area may be completely diff.
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Steve_S
Member
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# Posted: 1 Apr 2024 09:03am
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You should certainly get a quote from your local power provider & others IF they are there... If you have power nearby (road at driveway) it may not be too bad, but if they have to bring it any distance it will add up fast, if a transformer is needed (ie no neighbour with big enough transformer) then you get a shock price.
I received 2 Quotes, road with power is 1km away as is the closest transformer which would have required an upgrade. Quote 1 was $40K the increases and billing changes got applied and it became $70k ! YEAH NO CHIT !
For <25K I went Solar Powered & Offgrid and this was 2015-2017...
Given the evolution & costs of equipment which has dropped "Drastically", it's not hard to setup a respectable solar system for a very reasonable price. Additionally, depending on your State, even off-grid solar gear may qualify for IRA Bux ! Everywhere is different, up here, power co, charges for every tree cut, hole dug, nail / bolt used and they insist on doing everything themselves with their own contractors. Of course that means inflated "profiteered" prices for everything...
Do note that there is a wide variety of Solar Gear from super cheap to super expensive. Reasonably priced equipment can easily last 15-20 years especially now with the Lithium Iron Phosphate Batteries (LFP / LiFePo4).
These days, you can get a very respectable & efficient AIO (All-In-One) which includes solar controller, inverter & charger all in one modular unit, which makes installation & setup much easier.
Just some numbers to ponder.
Generally, for small to medium-sized systems, it is suggested to NOT exceed pulling 250A from a battery system. So using that as the max draw potential.
12V@250A = 3000W | 120V/25A | 240V/12.5A
24V@250A = 6000W | 120V/50A | 240V/25A
48V@250A = 12000W | 120V/100A | 240V/50A
* Raw uncorrected for losses & inefficiencies.
Also, now there is a prevalence of Portable Power Stations like Bluetti etc and many have evolved to a point where they can run a cabin / cottage quite well. There are several options and variations available now and their prices have reached "reasonable" as well.
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 1 Apr 2024 10:33am - Edited by: gcrank1
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Guess I left off my post that it is now 4 years later and Im still not on grid, we are totally off grid for everything and glad of it; for 'cabin livin', Not full time, very modest elec needs. If fact, we have done cabineering this way since the early 1980's and it is easier and more energy efficient to do it today than 40 years ago!
Have you done an 'energy audit' to determine your elec 'wants' (usually a shocker), then reduce that to 'needs' (it is far cheaper to conserve energy than generate it) and cost it all out.
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Brettny
Member
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# Posted: 1 Apr 2024 11:06am
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Call your power company. Becids that your current building that your hooking power to will need to be brought up to today's code electrical wise.
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jsahara24
Member
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# Posted: 3 Apr 2024 05:58pm
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I did this at my cabin in NY. I hired a local electrician that knew all the players. He coordinated it and they installed an outdoor pole with a panel and outlet and turned it on. I think I paid him around 800$, this was back in ~2010.
Something to consider...
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toyota_mdt_tech
Member
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# Posted: 3 Apr 2024 09:42pm - Edited by: toyota_mdt_tech
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Quoting: optimistic Hey all, Curious what's the process to bring power to my off grid in NY and if anyone has done it and can shed light on process and price?
Just did it, pretty easy. Contact power company, you will make arrangements to meet with an engineer. This is where you pick a spot for your transformer. From there to meter base, you dig the trench from transformer to meter base. So I put mine about 12 feet away. Picked a spot for transformer, route to pass through my forest, didnt want to disturb driveway. Too much invested.
Cost me $150 to utility company, non refundable. Nice people, this is the time to ask questions, they will give you all great advice.
Then I have to install my meterbase, they have certain requirements, ie post size, 6X6 treated min size, meter has to be 36 to 48 inches off ground measured from meter center. This specs were also on their website.
I pulled my own electrical permit for the meter base, 107 dollar, non refundable. When all done, called in for inspection, signed off no issues. This was all done via online. Only time for person to person was meeting with PUD engineers. Never saw or spoke to anyone on the electrical inspection. Once signed off, get a nice green sticker and PUD will hook up when its signed off.
We had to gain several easements because it went down the edge of the road (buried 3 feet deep inside 3" conduit) and I had to obtain 3 easements. No one complained because it was down the side of the road, so an area where you cant build anyway. Besides, those folks where getting power across front yard, so they were more than happy to get it done.
Go to the power company's website, everything you need should be online for new service.
Then I asked them if they work with contractors who plow in the wire, they had 2 of them. I asked which they would chose based on working with them in the past, I went with their recommended guy.
I had to pay power company in advance, this was for everything, pad mounts, junction boxes, wires, conduit. Mine was $29,611, then another 4K for contractor. I gave him an extra 1K if he had it done before end of Nov, he finished it that day.
I will see everything for the 1st time since install in a few weeks. Tie in cabin to panel (wire in conduit already trenched in, so hours work max) then we are running a full 50/30/20A RV hookup box in one of the campsites, camp host site will get a 30A RV box also installed.
My run was 2,200 feet.
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Brettny
Member
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# Posted: 4 Apr 2024 06:39am
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Quoting: jsahara24 I did this at my cabin in NY. I hired a local electrician that knew all the players. He coordinated it and they installed an outdoor pole with a panel and outlet and turned it on. I think I paid him around 800$, this was back in ~2010
That's beer money.
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ChuckDynasty
Member
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# Posted: 10 Apr 2024 05:48pm
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I had Land in new Lisbon. The power company offered to bring it in 300 feet above ground or 100 feet underground if I dug a trench for free.
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