Free Electricity

The Cuban

Is there a way of getting free Electric, I know of 2 sheds down the road from me with loads of lights etc but I was told they are not metered. I didnt believe it at first but it turns out to be true., and I didn't want to ask the farmers how its done as I don't really know them.
Is there some scheme available from the ESB for Farmers to get free Electric?

I said

The sky is falling down

Grecco

If its on an outside farm I think you can get an unmetered connection from the ESB. Don`t quote me on that though :P

antoinolachtnai

Grecco wrote: »

If its on an outside farm I think you can get an unmetered connection from the ESB. Don`t quote me on that though :P

There is such a thing as an unmetered supply for loads below a certain level. I think it is 2 kW but I am not certain. The electricity is still charged for. It is not free electricity.

Grecco

2kw is a nice bit. I doubt its that high

locky76

Multiple Unmetered Connections

Sometimes business customers and farms require multiple unmetered connections less than 2kVA for items such as:
Traffic Lights
Bus Shelters
Telephone Kiosks
TV Boosters
Electric Fences

antoinolachtnai

Grecco wrote: »

2kw is a nice bit. I doubt its that high

Like I say it's not free. The number of kWh you are charged for is determined based on the load and whether it 24h or dusk-to-dawn or dusk-to-midnight. You pay at a rate which reflects the wholesale price of electricity during those hours.

Grecco

antoinolachtnai wrote: »

Like I say it's not free. The number of kWh you are charged for is determined based on the load and whether it 24h or dusk-to-dawn or dusk-to-midnight. You pay at a rate which reflects the wholesale price of electricity during those hours.

Yes but if you were to get a connection for an electric fencer then the cost would be small. Now if you hooked up a few lights etc after that whos to know when its unmetered

Atari Jaguar

OP you are under the impression an unmetered connection is a free one... that's not the case.

The Cuban

Wishfull thinking on my side I suppose, I`m mainly interested in getting the Electric on a farm shed away from my main buildings. Its about 1 mile away.
I don`t really want another Electric bill to be dealing with

the_pen_turner

The Cuban wrote: »

I don`t really want another Electric bill to be dealing with

Don't we all

foxy farmer

The ESB fuse fitted would be very small eg 5-10 amps. Would be pointless trying to run a small welder off this supply as you'd blow the fuse in no time. This fuse unit is sealed so tampering would be an offence. You'd have to explain how the fuse blew if there was only a small fixed load running off the supply.
I was talking to a farmer recently who has a fencer and pump running off a metered supply on an outfarm. He's being hit with a surcharge for low usage. You just can't win.

theaceofspies

foxy farmer wrote: »

The ESB fuse fitted would be very small eg 5-10 amps. Would be pointless trying to run a small welder off this supply as you'd blow the fuse in no time. This fuse unit is sealed so tampering would be an offence. You'd have to explain how the fuse blew if there was only a small fixed load running off the supply.
I was talking to a farmer recently who has a fencer and pump running off a metered supply on an outfarm. He's being hit with a surcharge for low usage. You just can't win.

Reason he is hit with this is to pay the €90k+ per annum average salary in the ESB.
Just go for solar to do the job - cheaper and better for the environment.

arctictree

Solar and a battery is your only man. No ESB bills. Telsas powerwall will be a game changer in the near future for domestic power.

amacca

Ah the old "low usage charge"

How it contrasted with listening to an ESB lad talking about energy conservation and the potential for rolling domestic power cuts during the bubble to facilitate the needs of future industry

antoinolachtnai

The low usage charge is an electric ireland thing, I think. He wouldn't have that if he switched supplier.

Timmaay

My pumphouse has a meter, but whatever connection it is we aren't meant to have a socket from it for some reason? Running the electric fence and a wireless 3g box off it now. I got abit of a bollocking from a chap reading the meter one day ha, who told us we'd have to remove it, that was several years ago, never got around to removing it and heard nothing since ha.

_Brian

I'd say the lads have the lights running off a fixed supply designed for an electric fence.. Fine till the ESB take the hump and they could shove a huge "estimated bill" onto ya and then its either disconnect or pay up...

Or I know back in the 80's a lad near by was hooking onto overhead lines to run a garage down the bottom of his garden... long lengths of reebar with insulated handles and wires attached.. He was caught and prosecuted but not till he was maybe 10 years at it..

Del2005

theaceofspies wrote: »

Reason he is hit with this is to pay the €90k+ per annum average salary in the ESB.
Just go for solar to do the job - cheaper and better for the environment.

We had some of the cheapest electricity in Europe with the highly paid ESB workers. In order to encourage competition our electricity was steadily increased, nothing to do with the pay in the ESB.

Bass Reeves

Grecco wrote: »

Yes but if you were to get a connection for an electric fencer then the cost would be small. Now if you hooked up a few lights etc after that whos to know when its unmetered

Limited Main fuse capacity if it keep blowing they will change you to a metered supply.

The Cuban wrote: »

Wishfull thinking on my side I suppose, I`m mainly interested in getting the Electric on a farm shed away from my main buildings. Its about 1 mile away.
I don`t really want another Electric bill to be dealing with

AFAIK you still pay a standing charge and an estimate of what it costs to run the items attached

arctictree wrote: »

Solar and a battery is your only man. No ESB bills. Telsas powerwall will be a game changer in the near future for domestic power.

Batteries andeplacment batteries will cost as well technology has never been cheap.

Timmaay wrote: »

My pumphouse has a meter, but whatever connection it is we aren't meant to have a socket from it for some reason? Running the electric fence and a wireless 3g box off it now. I got abit of a bollocking from a chap reading the meter one day ha, who told us we'd have to remove it, that was several years ago, never got around to removing it and heard nothing since ha.

You will get away with it until some lad follows it up. Lads checking meters now are not employed by ESB. It is when something happens unlikely in your case.

Del2005 wrote: »

We had some of the cheapest electricity in Europe with the highly paid ESB workers. In order to encourage competition our electricity was steadily increased, nothing to do with the pay in the ESB.

I agree about encouraging competition however there wages have increased above the ordinary from 20-10 years ago and no doubt the will get a right good pay rise soon/