power choices

[steam maker]

well had power company up to give a price on upgrade to power to the farm/sugarhouse today . wrong answer power company so im exploring another avenue. found a used 35 kw diesel generater , thinking of running that to run sugarhouse instead. alot cheaper than the price from power company. anybody else have to run generator to power there toys? pros and cons thanks

[maple flats]

Noisy, needs fuel and maintenance, plus a breakdown can ruin a whole lot of sap and cause extreme stress.
I ran 2 generators thru 2012, then that fall I paid the shot for grid power, so glad I did. When generating your own power pyou pay far more than what it would be from the grid and in a few short years the fuel and other costs add up to far more than what you would have paid the power company to put power in.
This statement however needs to be balanced against the utility install price, mine was only $12,000, and their prices depend on distance. Just be sure to factor in as much of the generator costs as you can before making the decision.

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

The 5400 tap operation we work for ran a diesel generator until they got power 5 years ago. They figured the generator was about triple the cost per year as having power. 3 residences chose to split the $66,000 cost to run power 3/4 mile up the road. And most expect the payback to be about 6-8 years with the initial $22,000 each investment. Prior to that some ran generators and some solar. It's a lot of dough up front but in the end the dollars and cents is a no-brainer. Probably a longer payback if it is just for sugar house but it will pay itself back I believe. What was the price?

[steam maker]

price from power company was ten grand , plus i would need to trench 575 ft and i would install the conduit. also have to pour a pad for a transformer. then from transformer the electrician takes over and runs new wires to meter box and new panel. i have a 100 amp now coming underground from house so i could run ro all day on that no problem, just trying to figure on running ro and oil gun at same time , plus lights and small compressor. so really generater wouldnt be my only power , just kind of a extra “boost” when needed

[steam maker]

generator is 3 grand from my buddy that installs generaters for a living,

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

I see, you definitely don't need as much power as a full blown operation but then again nice to have everything in one spot as you mentioned. So apples to apples, the power may be about $10,000 correct? Assuming the cost of the generator is about the same as the odds and ends electrical work? I'd save my pennies......$10,000 is a lot but what do you have in that RO, vacuum setup and evaporator? That's just the way I look at things I guess.

[steam maker]

good point , guess ill start saving and try and figure a cheap fix for this coming yr. maybe if i can limp by for a yr or two i can dig trench and install conduit when i get money saved and then work on power company money.

[n8hutch]

What are you paying for in that 10k number from power company just out of curiosity? I guess I just curious what the cost break downs are? Will you own the Transformer? I ran a new service to my house, granted it was only 200ft, but it was 200 amps, plus a new panel in the house , i even ran an extra 3" conduit in the trench for future and I was only at 3k. That was paying an electrician and public service.

That just seems way high.

[steam maker]

wire and transformer, there wages to install the wire and transformer. i have to pay for trenching!! i have to pay for conduit!! i have to pay electrician to get wire from transformer to sugarhouse !! along with trenching that trench and conduit from transformer to sugarhouse i would need to buy that wire also.

[steam maker]

its 350 ft from rd to pole on our driveway , then its 565 ft from pole to sugarhouse. i would own ground mounted transformer and wire . aparently my electrician told me that a few days ago they had a nice breakfast meeting with eversource and alot of the pricing and who owns what and who pays for what has changed.