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One reason, $1000 to $2000 a foot to bury existing lines. Would you care to pay that all at once or monthly on your bill? The interest rate is only 6%. Ratepayers will pay it one way or another.
A second reason is that when lines are undergrounded in an established area then every house has to be brought up to current electrical code. How much is that going to cost the homeowner?
Third reason is that while underground lines don't blow down they do short out. With aboveground it's easy to figure out where the problem is. Underground? Get the backhoes out.
It was around 1k to bring the connection the the house from the pole for about 100 feet and that 20 years ago. Have not lived in a wire tangle area since.
UPDATE: So I came home, and the entire tree had been cut down even though it appeared perfectly healthy. Neighbor claims he "thought he saw termites in it." Turns out total destruction was the goal after all. There goes the view from my porch - but also, I suppose, the problem! One of the wires IS hanging lower than it was before; less than a foot over my head when I walk beneath it.
Guess I'll call the power company again on Monday to see what, if anything, they're willing to do about that.
Not sure where this house is located, however, in any state that we’ve lived in, any electric lines from the pole (aerial or underground) to the house are the responsibility (and owned by) of the homeowner!
One of the wires IS hanging lower than it was before; less than a foot over my head when I walk beneath it.
Unlikely to be a power line.
The power lines are at the top of the pole.
Underneath them are the cable and phone lines.
You should also determine the date of the pole installation.
If it is "too old", then one of the regulated utilities will have to replace it.
You can always reach out to the Kentucky Public Service Commission.
People still have overhead wires coming into their house from a pole?! I've seen that in really old movies but didn't think something like that even existed today. Every house I've ever owned had underground utilities, including electric.
Most homes have the overhead wires; newer homes do not. My current house, built in 2002, is the first house I’ve lived in that has underground wiring,
It was around 1k to bring the connection the the house from the pole for about 100 feet and that 20 years ago. Have not lived in a wire tangle area since.
Your house line. Mains are the price I quoted if you're undergrounding existing ones. That's the loaded cost which includes repaving, replacing landscaping, pole removal and disposal, ancillary and additional costs.
Did you have to upgrade your house to then current code or was it a new build?
I suppose I could touch it with a metal pole to find out.
I know you're joking, but I really can't believe you haven't googled the difference between power and cable or phone lines. The power lines run at the very top of the pole. Is the line coming from them to your house? or is the line going to your house a line that runs below the ones at the very top? Post a pic or two and we can confirm.
People still have overhead wires coming into their house from a pole?! I've seen that in really old movies but didn't think something like that even existed today. Every house I've ever owned had underground utilities, including electric.
Most of inner Houston has overhead lines, the suburbs have a mix of methods.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dwatted Wabbit
I like underground. And I wonder why companies don't try to undertake burying cables. Watch the trucks coming in from five states away after a big storm, that happens time and time again. And it's still cheaper to keep the wires in the air?
Bury them once, all fixed.
You must have grown-ups at your power company. Not always the case.
Burying lines costs up to $5 million per mile, and requires tearing up streets and digging up people's yards. Toss in the fact that ratepayers don't want to pay for the move, and it's hard to bury lines easily.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rickcin
Not sure where this house is located, however, in any state that we’ve lived in, any electric lines from the pole (aerial or underground) to the house are the responsibility (and owned by) of the homeowner!
Not here in Houston. The utility owns everything outside the meter, and that applies to gas or electric. We looked at upgrading our panel to 200 amps, and the new line from the pole would ahve been free.
I once watched a terminally cheap neighbor have a tree removed by the low, low, low bidders... three guys who showed up in a Honda Civic with tools from a Kidz Own Tool Set and some used clothesline. It was painful/terrifying to watch. They didn't quite climb out on a branch and saw it off after themselves.
On You Tube Videos, search for "Tree trimming fails", a guy has a series of ten or twelve separate videos of people destroying houses, cars, and even themselves, taking down trees. Some are funny, others are terrifying.
Tree removal is a dangerous business even for professionals, especially in congested areas. There are clips in there of people with large pieces of equipment (cherry pickers, material handlers, etc.) where things go wrong in a big way. The most common mistake is someone standing on a tall ladder and removing a horizontal branch. The branch hinges down at the cut point, and takes out the base of the ladder, plus the guy standing on it, usually with a running chain saw in his hand. Like I said, terrifying. Often it's a neighbor filming, like the OP, and they end up not being able to keep the camera steady from laughter or screaming.
only one time I called in on a neighbor and it was a guy using a chain saw around utility lines....looked like his first time ever using a chainsaw...….I asked to give him assistance....he abruptly ...said....screw you....so I called the utility company …..said im recording this conversation …..and this neighbor is using a chainsaw around utility lines...and I cant tell if that can he is drinking from is soda or beer...… once I mentioned beer...or possibility then it was a new ballgame...
within 5 minutes state police were out …...the utility trucks came...and even a fire truck..
the fireman cut the branch he was trying to take down......later that fireman came over and thanked me for called.....said this guy could have seriously hurt himself....
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Post a pic or two and we can confirm.
