Underground vs Overhead Service Connections
Cost, reliability and streetscape — how underground and overhead service connections compare, and what each means for the hardware list.
The trade-offs in short
Overhead services are cheaper to install and easy to inspect, but exposed to weather, vehicles and vegetation. Underground services cost more up front — trenching, conduit, pits — but disappear from the streetscape and shrug off storms.
What overhead needs
A compliant overhead service runs ABC cable from the network to a point of attachment: strain clamps at both ends, line tap connectors at the mains, a private pole where the building can't provide attachment height, and clearances per the service rules.
When the network decides for you
New estates are underground by design; established overhead streets usually stay overhead unless the owner pays to convert. A Level 2 ASP can price both options — often the deciding factor is driveway and landscaping reinstatement, not the electrical work.
Related Products
Private Power Poles
Galvanised private poles supplied as complete sets
Private Power Poles for Acreage
Overhead service poles for large residential blocks
Private Power Poles for Ausgrid Areas
Galvanised private poles built to suit Ausgrid's overhead rules
Private Power Poles for Endeavour Energy Areas
Galvanised private poles built to suit Endeavour Energy's rules
Private Poles
Galvanised private power poles
Point of Attachment
Overhead service attachment hardware
Accessories
Tools, conduit & consumables
Level 2 ASP Contractors
Disconnect/reconnect, metering and overhead service work
Level 2 ASP Electricians
Truck stock for service, metering and overhead work
Keep Reading
Private Power Pole Installation: What to Order
A checklist of the pole, hardware and consumables a compliant private power pole installation needs — from cap to concrete.
What Is a Level 2 Electrician? (And When You Need One)
Level 2 ASP electricians can work on the network side of your connection — service lines, private poles, metering and disconnect/reconnect work. Here's what they do and when they're required.
ABC Cable Explained: Aerial Bundled Cable for Overhead Services
Why aerial bundled cable replaced open-wire services, common sizes like 25mm², and the clamps and connectors that terminate it properly.