An underground electricity network upgrade has helped future-proof hundreds of homes in Lancaster following a successful trial.
SP Electricity North West has completed a project that has provided 263 looped properties with its own electricity supply, supporting customers in adopting low carbon technologies and bringing the network up to modern day standards, ready for future requirements.
A ‘looped’ electricity supply is where two (or more) properties share a single electricity service cable from the main network.
These are typically found in older semi-detached or terraced houses.
The electricity cable enters the first house, usually underground from the mains in the footpath or road outside. A second cable, the looped service, then runs from the meter in the first house to the meter in the second house.
Looped properties were extremely common when many older terraced and semi-detached properties were built in previous decades when household electricity usage was much lower than today.
Electricity North West said that while this is a perfectly acceptable arrangement for typical domestic electrical demand, a further increase in demand due to the connection of low carbon technologies like electric vehicle chargers and heat pumps may result in the need to replace the looped service with a direct supply.
"As the demand for electricity increases, we need to split these supplies so every property has its own unique supply. Modern houses are built on an unlooped supply," says the Electricity North West website.
"We're taking proactive action to unloop properties as part of work to achieve the UK Government’s ambitious Net Zero targets. It will support the transition to cleaner, greener sustainable energy. This ensures properties are better equipped for future energy demands for example, electric car chargers, solar panels or heat pumps."
Cieta Davies, SP Electricity North West Services operations manager, said: "This project is an important milestone in our ongoing investment to build a network that's ready for the future.
“Traditionally, properties have been unlooped on a reactive basis. We are now trialling a proactive approach, unlooping hundreds of homes at a time to reduce costs, accelerate delivery, and realise network benefits more quickly.
“Already, these proactive schemes are proving a major success, with local communities engaged and in support of the network improvements on their street or cul-de-sac. It is likely the programme will be expanded in the future enabling households to take control of the electrification of their heating and running an EV."
The Lancaster trial forms part of a wider investment programme to strengthen the region's electricity network and support the growing adoption of low-carbon technologies.
Thousands of properties across the region have already been unlooped with further schemes scheduled in the next 12 months.
Customers can find out whether they’re on a looped service cable or not by visiting HERE.
Throughout the trial, SP Electricity North West worked in partnership with its civils delivery partner to trial the use of vacuum excavation technology which allowed teams to carry out work quicker, safer and more efficiently.
Vac-Ex technology, uses air and vacuum systems to safely expose underground services while minimising digging.
The new technology reduces ground disturbance, allows for cleaner working sites and is typically quicker than manual digging techniques, meaning disruption for customers and local businesses is reduced.
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