Getting electricity to undeveloped land typically costs between $5,000 and $50,000, though remote properties can push well past $100,000. The biggest variable is distance. If your land sits 200 feet from the nearest power line, you might spend a few thousand dollars. If it’s half a mile or more, you’re looking at tens of thousands, and at that point off-grid solar starts to compete on price.
How Distance Drives the Cost
The single largest expense is running power lines from the existing grid to your property. Utility companies charge per foot for line extensions, and those rates vary by region, terrain, and whether the lines go overhead or underground. Filed rates from one New England utility (Eversource in New Hampshire) give a concrete example: overhead single-phase lines cost $43.12 per foot, while underground single-phase lines run $25.47 per foot as of 2025. Those numbers might seem counterintuitive, since underground work requires trenching, but overhead lines need poles, which are expensive to install and maintain.
Other parts of the country come in lower. One landowner in Florida was quoted $10 per foot for a 650-foot underground extension that included trenching, a transformer pad, and a 50 kVA transformer. At that rate, the total came to about $6,500. But another poster in the same thread reported a quote of $70,000 just for their lot, with a neighbor quoted $100,000. One property owner needed to bore under a railroad line and was quoted $90,000 for that crossing alone.
A rough rule of thumb: for every quarter mile (1,320 feet) of line extension, expect to pay somewhere between $13,000 and $57,000, depending on your region and line type. A full mile ran one landowner about $35,000 after negotiating a deal with the power company to approach from a different direction entirely.
What You’re Actually Paying For
The per-foot rate usually covers poles or trenching and the wire itself, but several other costs layer on top:
- Transformers: A pole-mounted transformer steps high-voltage distribution power down to the 120/240 volts your home uses. For a standard residential property, a 10 to 25 kVA transformer costs $500 to $2,500. Larger properties or workshops needing more capacity could require a 50 kVA unit at $2,500 to $4,000. Your utility may require the transformer to sit within 300 feet of your planned meter location, which can affect where you site your home.
- Application and engineering fees: Utilities charge administrative fees before any work begins. These range from $100 to $200 for a basic service application up to several thousand dollars if an interconnection study or detailed site plan review is required. Austin Energy, for example, charges $200 per review for building service planning and $1,800 for a new site filing fee.
- Trenching (for underground lines): If your utility’s per-foot rate doesn’t include trenching, or if you need to run conduit on your own property from the transformer to your home, expect to pay $8.75 to $10.75 per linear foot for labor and equipment combined. For a 300-foot run from the transformer to your house, that’s roughly $2,600 to $3,200 just for the trench.
- Meter base and panel: You’ll need a meter socket, main breaker panel, and grounding installed by a licensed electrician on your end. This is separate from the utility’s work and typically runs $1,000 to $3,000 depending on the service size.
Free Distance Allowances
Many utility companies offer a line extension allowance, sometimes called a credit, that covers a portion of the construction cost at no charge. The idea is straightforward: you’ll be a paying customer for years, so the utility recoups its investment through your monthly bills. California’s Public Utilities Commission, for instance, requires utilities to calculate allowances based on the expected revenue a new customer will generate over time. If your projected bills over a set period cover the cost of the extension, you may owe nothing.
In practice, this allowance often covers the first few hundred feet. Beyond that, you pay the difference. The exact policy varies by state and utility, so your first call should be to your local provider’s new service department. Ask specifically about line extension credits, what distance they cover for free, and what the per-foot overage charge is. Some utilities also offer payment plans for the excess amount rather than requiring the full sum upfront.
Temporary Power During Construction
If you’re building a home, you’ll likely need temporary electrical service before your permanent connection is ready. A temporary power pole with a meter base, outlets, and breaker panel costs $1,700 to $4,500 total in most areas. That breaks down to $1,000 to $2,500 for initial setup and installation, $95 to $200 per month in rental fees, and $100 to $500 for permits and inspections.
The utility company may charge an additional $500 to $2,500 to connect and energize the temporary service, especially if a transformer adjustment is needed. For a typical six-month residential build, budget $2,500 to $4,500 for temporary power from start to finish. Most providers include removal in the initial cost.
When Off-Grid Solar Makes More Sense
There’s a financial tipping point where extending the grid becomes harder to justify than generating your own power. A complete off-grid solar system with battery storage for a modest home runs $20,000 to $50,000 depending on your energy needs and climate. That system includes panels, a battery bank (typically lithium iron phosphate), an inverter, and installation.
If your grid extension quote comes in above $30,000 to $40,000, off-grid solar deserves serious consideration. You eliminate the monthly electric bill entirely, and modern battery systems can reliably power a full-sized home. The tradeoff is that off-grid systems require more upfront planning around energy usage, and you’ll need to replace batteries every 10 to 15 years. For remote properties, farms, or cabins where the nearest power line is half a mile or more away, off-grid is often the more economical choice.
A hybrid approach also works: some landowners install solar with a propane generator as backup, keeping total costs under $25,000 while avoiding a six-figure grid extension.
How to Get an Accurate Estimate
Your actual cost depends on factors no general guide can pin down, including your utility’s specific rate structure, the terrain between the nearest line and your property, whether you need single-phase or three-phase power, and local permitting requirements. Three-phase service, used for large workshops or agricultural operations, is always quoted on a custom basis and costs significantly more than standard single-phase residential service.
Start by calling your utility company and requesting a line extension estimate. They’ll typically send an engineer to assess the route, identify any obstacles (road crossings, waterways, rocky terrain), and provide a written quote. This site visit is often free, though some utilities charge an engineering fee that gets credited toward construction if you proceed. Get this quote before you close on a land purchase if possible. Plenty of buyers have been surprised to learn that a beautiful rural parcel comes with a $50,000 to $100,000 price tag just to turn the lights on.