3 Phase Power - An Explanation

Those who follow twitter or live/work locally may know that last Friday, we went through quite a day trying to get three phase power installed into the shop.

For those who are unaware, a regular domestic or commercial premises will have single phase (or 100 amps) of power supplied by EDF (now London power networks or something). However, once you start to use two baking ovens (26 amps), a 3 group espresso machine (40 amps), an 6 ring electric boiling top (39 amps), air conditioning, lights, sandwich grill, dishwashers, refridgeration and even music, all of these component parts soon add up to more than 100 amps of power, which unfortunately will soon enough cause your power to short.

So you pay EDF approx £3,500 to istall 3 phase power, or 300 amps of electricity. They then book in a day to dig up the outside of your shop. Two days later, they come back to cut the power off (anytime between 7 am and midday). EON electricity, being our actual supplier, then need to come and install the meter, but they contract this work back out to EDF, and they are meant to come anytime between 12 pm and 5 pm.

So, on Friday they cut the power at 11 am, that was okay, but the meter man came in at 11:30(half and hour later!!!!!!), looked at the work still needed to be done by our own electrician and stated, ‘not ready, we cannot stay, can’t help you, call the emergency line to get it connected’, and very promptly left, most probably to go down the pub and laugh away the afternoon and evening with all of his power mates…..

The emergency EDF people were then booked to come anytime between 3pm Friday and 3 pm Saturday, they can’t specify or tell you the time, they will just turn up. So I had to prepare to stay overnight in the shop. This is with a jetlagged wife and very unhappy and jetlagged 11 month old daughter at home, in the dark, and cold, all on my lonesome. So I had blankets, 3 jackets and the possum and merino wool beanie and scarf my Mum bought me for Christmas and 50 or so tea light candles.

But then, just as I was settling down and things were starting to look worse than ever, the emergency man turns up at 6 pm! He is calm, cool and collected. The electrician who had been working since 6:30 am finishes the job, and at 8 pm Friday night we have 3 phase power.

So, if anyone out there needs an electrician, let me know, mine are fantastic. If anyone out there is having 3 phase power installed and a tech guy called Eddie turns up to do the work, be afraid, but if you then need to have the emergency man come out and his name is Chris, tell him I say hello as he is a really nice guy, and if you are thinking of having 3 phase power installed or of opening your own cafe, be careful….be very, very careful. Or email me for advice.

Peter Dore-Smith
Director
Kaffeine Ltd
66 Great Titchfield st.
15 Eastcastle st.