Operating a construction site without electricity and water is almost impossible. Since there are no house connections yet, construction water and construction electricity help throughout the construction phase. These must be applied for. Who is responsible for the applications, what you need to apply and how you should proceed are important questions that will be answered below.
Power and water supply for the construction site
When house construction begins, water and electricity are essential. Since the property cannot yet be connected to the street power grid, so-called construction electricity offers the solution. As a rule, the building owner has to deal with the application, as construction companies are usually reluctant to deal with formalities with the utility providers.
Construction electricity and construction water are generally preceded by an application. According to legal regulations, no electricity or water may be purchased without this. This is independent of whether a meter is connected to bill consumption. This means for you: the first step to receiving construction water and electricity is always the application.
Supply from neighbors
Especially if a vacant lot is being built between or next to a direct neighbor, the simplest solution is to connect to the existing electricity and water supply with their consent. Lengthy administrative procedures are eliminated, as are waiting times. Simply pull the cable and/or pipe from the neighboring property to the construction site and you're done. Billing is done with the neighbor. But by doing so, you and especially your neighbor are committing a criminal offense.
No neighbor supply without application
Public water and electricity from the network may not be resold. A connection is only possible if this is preceded by an approved application. In this case, only the property access for the respective supply can be used by the neighbor. This means that a “construction meter” must be set up for the construction site before the neighbor’s meters. The route there is the same length and also involves submitting an application, just like having your own connection to the public network. This offers you maximum advantages in terms of time if the nearest connection option is further away and/or the connection is more complicated to implement.
Where to apply for construction water and electricity?
Construction electricity
You can apply for construction electricity either from a local energy supplier, a local network operator or from the municipal utilities. If you submit the application to a local network operator, they do not have to act as an electricity supplier at the same time. This only enables power access/connection. If this is the case, you can commission an electricity provider of your choice to supply the electricity. Here it makes sense to compare the prices of different electricity providers in order to find a cheap one, because construction equipment can sometimes be a big power guzzler and leave you with expensive bills. Sometimes a few cents difference makes a big difference.
Construction water
The construction water must be applied for from the responsible water supplier. It should be noted here that the connection may only be made by an installer licensed in Germany. This is based on the fact that construction water is obtained from the public drinking water network and the connection must be flawless in order to avoid possible contamination.
As a rule, the installation company that carries out the connection takes over the application. Processing time may take six or more weeks depending on workload. This makes it all the more important that you apply for construction water quickly - ideally immediately after receiving the building permit.
Documents for the application
Construction electricity
Which documents you need to enclose with the application for construction water varies from utility company to utility company. Here it is advisable to ask your chosen network operator, electricity provider or municipal utility company for the documents they require. The following documents/documents are generally required:
- Informative site plan for coordination between network technicians and network operators for the network connection
- Location information for the future construction power distributor
- Floor plan on which the power house connection is planned
Construction water
Since the installation company normally handles the application for construction water, they usually know the scope of the necessary documents that are required in the area of responsibility for the building site. Since you have to provide this, here is an overview of possible papers/evidence and information:
- Extract from the land register of the property to prove that the applicant is the owner
- Plan of the floor plan at a scale of 1:1000 of the lowest floor (basement or ground floor)
- The location where the water meter is to be installed must be marked in the floor plan
- In some cases, the land registry office requires a plan in 1:1000 with building dimensions
- In many cases, the approval of the installer/installer carrying out the work must be enclosed with the application
Determination of location and route
In some cases, an on-site inspection appointment will be scheduled before the application is approved. This particularly occurs when multiple locations for the building meters/connection are considered. During an on-site inspection, the best solution based on the later house connection is sought.
Change or change
If the location/route is fixed, this is part of the application approval. This means that a subsequent change of location should not be carried out on your own initiative. If, for example, a more optimal location for the construction electricity arises during the construction period, you should always ask where you submitted the application before you wish to relocate it. If you fail to do this, there could be consequences and fines.
After application approval
If all documents have been submitted in full and processing is completed, the active part of providing construction water and electricity is used.
Following an approved application, the supplier's in-house installers/electricians will place the connections on the property or connect them to the public network starting from the property boundary. An appointment will be arranged with the builder/applicant.
Connection
Before the water or electricity connection is connected, in most cases the first bill is required to be paid. This includes various positions and depends on whether various equipment, such as meters, is provided. Only after the invoice has been paid will an appointment for connection be made.
Construction power connection
A so-called construction electricity cabinet is usually set up for construction site electricity. All sockets in there must be preceded by a meter, which is connected directly to the power connection on the public power grid.
Construction water connection
There are various options available for connecting building water. Which one comes into question depends primarily on the local conditions. The water supplier alone makes the decision under the following options:
- Nearest hydrant over a standpipe
- To an existing water pipe, for example on the neighboring property
- Construction of a new water system on the property boundary
Costs
It is not possible to give a general answer as to what costs you should expect in total for construction electricity and construction water. This depends on several factors, which can vary greatly in price:
- Prices for basic fees and consumption depending on the provider
- Price for installer and electrician (for connection)
- Any additional work to lay pipes and cables to the construction site (e.g. soil excavation)
- Buy or rent accessories
Rent or Buy
Construction power box
You as the building owner are usually responsible for purchasing a construction site power box. Construction companies often work with rental companies and can procure a construction power box on a rental basis. On the Internet you can find numerous addresses for renting construction power boxes in all sizes and variations, with or without integrated meters. The prices vary accordingly. The longer the rental period is chosen, the lower the rental price per day will be. A simple model with a meter is available on average between two euros and ten euros per day, depending on the rental period.
If you expect a longer construction phase during which you will need construction electricity, buying a construction electricity box can often be worthwhile from a financial perspective. Used with a meter, they are often available for around 100 euros.
Tip:
Comparing is worth it, because even with the most expensive short-term rental of up to around 14 days, you would have the purchase price back from the tenth day and can then sell the building power box again.
Counter
A meter for construction water can usually be rented from the water supplier. For the water connection type with a standpipe, this is available with an integrated meter. A deposit is usually required here, which is often 400 euros or more. A basic fee and a daily rental price are charged in addition to consumption. Construction electricity meters are available new from 30 euros - used ones are correspondingly cheaper.
Allocation key for consumption billing
You can and should make a billing agreement for water and electricity costs with subcontractors who claim significant consumption through shell construction and/or finishing work. Installing intermediate meters is a solution, but when different companies work in parallel, it often leads to difficulties in electricity distribution/use.
It is better to calculate using an allocation key. Percentages of value are used to calculate costs for individual companies. Depending on the overall construction output and the power devices to be used by the individual companies, the amount of the allocation key must be selected.
Illegality
It should be noted that in many places only pure consumption can be charged. Including the costs of connection or provision in the allocation key is often illegal. Here you should pay attention to the exact wording in the billing agreement so that it remains legally valid.
Tip:
The Federal Statistical Office regularly determines the average allocation key for builders. Ideally, you can find out about the usual conditions from other builders in the region so that you don't end up with high consumption costs from construction companies.
