ᐅ Disconnection of utilities before demolition – costs/experience?
Created on: 2 Jul 2021 14:19
N
NewHouseAppear
Hello everyone,
We are currently planning to demolish and rebuild an old house, and first, we need to disconnect the utility lines (electricity via overhead pole, plus water and gas). We contacted our utility company, which owns the lines, to inquire about the cost of disconnection. Now we have received a quote and, honestly, we are quite surprised by the amount.
The disconnection is estimated at around €9,500 (about $9,500), broken down roughly as €700 (about $700) for electricity, €5,300 (about $5,300) for gas, and €3,500 (about $3,500) for water. The gas and water costs are split between excavation work and material costs, but the quote doesn’t include detailed information on what exactly will be done. The existing house is located directly at the street, so there is no 20m (65 feet) or similar length of pipe from the main line to the house that would first need to be removed. For the rebuild, we will at least reuse the water line exactly, and since we are installing an air-to-water heat pump, we won’t need gas anymore.
Honestly, we didn’t expect such a high amount. When I search online (at least I don’t find many results), the costs seem to be in the lower four-digit range, but not nearly five digits.
Does anyone have experience with this or any recommendations on how to handle it? It feels like we are completely at the mercy of the utility company’s “pricing power”...
Thank you very much and best regards,
We are currently planning to demolish and rebuild an old house, and first, we need to disconnect the utility lines (electricity via overhead pole, plus water and gas). We contacted our utility company, which owns the lines, to inquire about the cost of disconnection. Now we have received a quote and, honestly, we are quite surprised by the amount.
The disconnection is estimated at around €9,500 (about $9,500), broken down roughly as €700 (about $700) for electricity, €5,300 (about $5,300) for gas, and €3,500 (about $3,500) for water. The gas and water costs are split between excavation work and material costs, but the quote doesn’t include detailed information on what exactly will be done. The existing house is located directly at the street, so there is no 20m (65 feet) or similar length of pipe from the main line to the house that would first need to be removed. For the rebuild, we will at least reuse the water line exactly, and since we are installing an air-to-water heat pump, we won’t need gas anymore.
Honestly, we didn’t expect such a high amount. When I search online (at least I don’t find many results), the costs seem to be in the lower four-digit range, but not nearly five digits.
Does anyone have experience with this or any recommendations on how to handle it? It feels like we are completely at the mercy of the utility company’s “pricing power”...
Thank you very much and best regards,
N
NewHouseAppear4 Jul 2021 09:19Sorry for the late reply, and first of all, thanks for your responses! Our utility provider is indeed a municipal supplier that owns the networks and is responsible for electricity, gas, water, district heating, etc.
I suspected that in the meantime as well, but nothing in the offer indicates that the subsequent reconnection is included. Honestly, we had already contacted the utility provider by phone to understand how the process works, but they said they could only proceed once the form was completed. The form itself was simple—just the address and then ticking boxes for "disconnection" / "new connection" / "upgrade" / "modification" plus specifying what exactly (electricity, water, gas). We thought that after submitting the form, someone from the utility would come out to assess the situation on site to estimate the costs, but the offer looks more like something generated from a click-together modular system.
schubert79 schrieb:
Could it be that your costs already include the future house connection for your home? Not just the disconnection fees?
I suspected that in the meantime as well, but nothing in the offer indicates that the subsequent reconnection is included. Honestly, we had already contacted the utility provider by phone to understand how the process works, but they said they could only proceed once the form was completed. The form itself was simple—just the address and then ticking boxes for "disconnection" / "new connection" / "upgrade" / "modification" plus specifying what exactly (electricity, water, gas). We thought that after submitting the form, someone from the utility would come out to assess the situation on site to estimate the costs, but the offer looks more like something generated from a click-together modular system.
schubert7924 Jul 2021 13:53What exactly does the offer include now?
N
NewHouseAppear24 Jul 2021 16:02After contacting the utility provider, they informed us that the offer consists of standard flat rates regardless of the neighborhood or the "complexity" of the connections.
The offer includes the disconnection of electricity (which involves an overhead pole that needs to be installed) as well as the disconnection of gas and water (civil engineering work because the street must be opened at the main connection point, plus installation and meter removal).
The new connection will then be somewhat cheaper, at least because gas is no longer necessary... Unfortunately, we don’t have many options, but it still leaves a feeling of dependency.
The offer includes the disconnection of electricity (which involves an overhead pole that needs to be installed) as well as the disconnection of gas and water (civil engineering work because the street must be opened at the main connection point, plus installation and meter removal).
The new connection will then be somewhat cheaper, at least because gas is no longer necessary... Unfortunately, we don’t have many options, but it still leaves a feeling of dependency.
Hello, we are currently dealing with the same issue but managed to separate it now through another civil engineer.
Gas and water (the valve unfortunately can no longer be closed) since it is in a public area.
At least this saved us quite a bit; I was also shocked when the quotes were around 10,000 (without a new connection). However, the civil engineer needs certification for the city or the region. Best regards
Gas and water (the valve unfortunately can no longer be closed) since it is in a public area.
At least this saved us quite a bit; I was also shocked when the quotes were around 10,000 (without a new connection). However, the civil engineer needs certification for the city or the region. Best regards
Similar topics