Limits of domestic electricity distribution

[GeraldTheBonzai]

Hi,

Does anyone know the specs of how electricity is distributed to domestic residences.

Assume you have a terrace of houses on a road. Each house has a meter, and there is a service cable that connects from the house to the "mains". It's that "mains" cable I am interested in.

How many houses does a single cable support. If there are say 20 houses in the terrace, is there one cable or several? What's the max capacity of that cable. If each house has a main 60A fuse, what's the max current draw that cable can support, and if it's exceeded, what blows ( am assuming something further up the distribution grid).

This is prompted by an argument about heat pumps and EV charging. I was arguing that the infrastructure can't support more than a few houses with enough current vs demand.

[Yorkshire Andy]

Generally there's a local substation /s stepping down from 110,000 or other high voltage that gets stepped down ultimately to 415vac 3 phase ..

That three phase plus nuteral it's then split single phase and nuteral to each house giving you 220-250vac going from old colour scheme. One house gets yellow phase one gets red one gets blue and repeat.... Most older house are fused at the meter at 80 a newer homes 100a


I agree with you in terms of the grid and supply outstripping demand this wasn't far from work a few years back

A gas supply issue caused problem this was just one little village

https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/181117 ... y-osgodby/

[jennyjj01]

Hi,

Does anyone know the specs of how electricity is distributed to domestic residences.

This is prompted by an argument about heat pumps and EV charging. I was arguing that the infrastructure can't support more than a few houses with enough current vs demand.

I can't add anything technical, but National Grid seems to agree that there's insufficient infrastructure.

https://www.morningstar.com/news/dow-jo ... ses-update

£60 bn split UK & US to be invested over the next 5 years including Gas and Electricity..... If they can raise it.

Someone's going to have to pay for it. With current gov policy, this could be a hot potato.
NG's current Market capitalisation: £44.72 bn