One thing to consider before you build your dream home.
Building a new home can be an exciting moment in your life. Especially if it is one that you are designing yourself or at least having a say in it. But before you build that dream home there is a major issue that you must consider. And that is the power supply to your new home.
Do you have enough power to supply your special features?
A lot of new homes have special things like air-conditioning and heating, induction cook tops or even a Spa which may need extra power to heat the water. These are all things that make your life that little bit more comfortable. They also need power to work. A lot of new homes are built on new land or older land that had its original house knocked down to make way for the new building. This often means that the electricity supply may not have the capacity needed for a modern home. New estates may only have limited power supply and older areas may also have inadequate supply.
Your house has a power supply problem.
Imagine you are well underway through the build when your builder calls you and says we need a larger power supply to suit the requirements of your new dwelling. Remember the builder is a coordinator of the trades they are not necessarily electricians themselves. Sure, they have electricians look at the electricity plans at the quoting stage, but they may not look at the existing land to see what power is being supplied. They also call the electricians in when they want to start building, this is generally after your finance is organised and contracts are signed.
The costs of upgrading the power supply yourself.
Now you have found out that you are caught in a situation where the power supply is insufficient. What will happen is that you the owner will have to apply to Powercor to get the upgrade done. It must be noted that Powercor have put in the existing power supply and will feel that it is enough to supply most homes. What you are asking from them is to have it increased to suit your requirements. Therefore, you the owner will have to pay for the upgrade yourself. This could cost you a lot of money to do. It will also mean applying which obviously comes with a lot of paperwork and time.
How to avoid this from happening.
1. Before you start have a wish list of the things you want.
List down all the things you want in your home. By having a wish list you can ascertain beforehand what power is needed to service these requirements. You can then go to Powercor and ask the question. Can we do this? You can ask your builder if they can help you. If your builder doesn’t provide this type of service then ask an electrician to do it for you. It is much better to ask the questions before you build so you do not have the costs of upgrading during the building stage.
2. Ask a qualified electrician
A quality electrician will be able to help you with the planning of your build. They can let you know if the land power supply is sufficient for your appliances. They can also help you make the necessary applications with Powercor so that there are no mistakes later.
Enjoy your experience
Building your dream home can be a wonderful life changing experience. But not having the right planning can turn it into a nightmare. If you are thinking about building a new home it’s worthwhile to ask the questions before you start. A quality electrician will help you get that dream started.
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