Running Electricity Over Long Distance

[chrism]

Hi all,

I just wanted to start by saying how great I think the PUNAWEB forum is. It really has been helpful! So I guess it's my turn to try to start a thread. Hope it's a worthy topic.

Here goes:
I'm in the initial stages of building on a few acres in the HA subdivision. My issue at this stage is the footprint of the house and more importantly the distance of the house from the road.

Basically, I want to put my 700sq ft house in the back of our lot which means running electric almost 900 feet from the road. Believe me, I don't want to do this. However, my wife and I are new here, and we don't want to get off on the wrong foot with a neighbor over an issue.

Can anyone give me some Ideas about the kind of costs i'm "in for" when it comes to running electric line so far from the road?

I need to know stuff like:
$$$ per pole?
Cost to install each pole?
Number of poles I'll needed?

etc..

We're also open to alternatives and other 'out of the box' thinking. Ultimately, we don't want to be dependent on helco at all. But we can't afford the initial cost to "cut the cord" all together.

Heck, I've even thought of (A) Building a shed close to the house and have helco put the meter on the shed and then (B) run 900 foot of heavy line through some schedule 80 PVC until I reach the house panel. (I would be doing this temporarily, of course)

Thanks for listening and please, don't hold back.

Sincerely,
Chris

Just me and my wife tying to 'live quiet' and tread lightly. We're 37&38 years old.

[jdirgo]

It you have HELCO put in the poles its very expensive (something like $5000 a pole and you have to have one every 200-250 feet). You can do it yourself, and HELCO has the instructions of how to meet their requirements. Its not easy though (or cheap) but probably less expensive than having HELCO do it.

John Dirgo, R, BIC, EcoBroker, ABR, e-PRO
Aloha Coast Realty, LLC
808-987-9243 cell
http://www.alohacoastrealty.com

[rbonplaza]

We were faced with the same problem in Orchidland: the house is 900 ft from the road. For the same reasons, we determined it was cost effective to go solar. Although we haven't permanently moved in, the 8.5kw system seems like it will meet our needs and we won't have to be dealing with hefty HELCO bills.

[chrism]

Wow,
Thanks for responding so quickly!!

Rob, I'll get in ouch with HELCO and request the instructions.

RB: Thanks for the Idea, Could wind be another alternative?


Just me and my wife tying to 'live quiet' and tread lightly. We're 37&38 years old.

[rbonplaza]

I spent five months on site during the house construction (Aug-Jan with one month off) and I'm sure our place at 700' elevation does not receive enough wind for a turbine.

[John S. Rabi]

It was 150 feet per pole in Leilani Estates when I was building homes there.

Aloha,
John S. Rabi, GM,ARB,BFT,CM,CBR,FHS,PB,RB
808.989.1314
http://www.JohnRabi.com
Typically Tropical Properties
"The Next Level of Service!"

[mac nut]

When I hooked up my electric last year in HPP I was 150 feet from the road and helco put in one pole for me for 1200 dollars and that included everything. I was expecting it to cost more, so I did not complain. Also you can run electric underground, but that is not cheap I hear.

Mac nut

[Daniel]

You can put your own poles. Just remember it has to be to their standards. If its gonna be thousands of dollars, go solar. A solar system may cost more than running the line, but why put all that money into a line when for a little more you can be free?

Daniel R Diamond

[chrism]

Wonder why HELCO is so expensive? Is it the island terrain?

Well, solar makes sense here (And I should really be thinking in terms of children and generations). So then the next thing I need to do is figure out how much electricity my wife and I will need at first, and then figure how much to live more 'comfortably' for the next phase. It doesn't make sense to pay HELCO all that money just for the right to keep paying them forever.

Is there a topic on Punatalk that discusses:
- solar manufacturers?
- Used vs. New?
- Solar Equipment upkeep?
- "Building it yourself"? (I'm a little more than a handyman)
- Can I estimate the cost of building a solar system per Kw/h?
- Are there solar companies "on Island", and would it be more cost effective to work with them or would they consider me 'Small potatoes'?

Lol, good bye 1000w George Foreman Griller!!! )
Chris


Just me and my wife tying to 'live quiet' and tread lightly. We're 37&38 years old.

[PaulW]

chrism, use the Search function (top right) to search for key words and then look at the title of each thread in the result.