Temporary Power for a Construction Site: What the Utility Charges

Most utilities charge a flat, non-refundable fee of roughly $100 to $630 to connect and later remove a builder’s temporary power service, plus the electricity used and sometimes a deposit. Florida Power & Light charges $626.89 to install and remove an overhead temporary service and meter, Tampa Electric $480, Austin Energy $362 and Ocala Electric Utility $100. Oncor, which serves much of North Texas, charges $98.60 to $1,473.05 depending on whether it has to hang wires or set a transformer. None of that covers the temporary pole or pedestal itself, which the builder supplies and which must pass a local electrical inspection before the utility will energize it.

This article covers the construction-phase charges only. For the cost of bringing a permanent line to the lot, see cost to run power to a property and how many feet of line the utility builds free. For what the buyer sees at closing, see utility fees on a new-construction closing.

What eight utilities charge for temporary construction service

Residential construction service, single phase. Amounts as printed in each utility’s tariff or fee schedule; wording paraphrased. Documents checked September 24–25, 2026.

JEA’s figures come from an archived copy of the tariff edition effective October 1, 2025, because jea.com did not load when we checked; JEA changed rates on October 1, 2026, so confirm the current amount.

Overhead pole or underground pedestal

A temporary service is either an overhead drop from a utility pole to a pole the builder sets, or a cable run from a buried transformer or handhole to a pedestal. FPL’s tariff prices the two separately, while Tampa Electric’s single $480 charge covers either. FPL’s underground connection is $125.18 cheaper ($626.89 − $501.71); for it, FPL connects the builder’s cable to facilities already in the ground rather than installing and later removing an overhead service.

Tampa Electric and Oncor show how much of the work falls on the builder. Oncor’s service guidelines have the customer provide the pole, the meter socket, the service entrance conductors, a weatherproof breaker panel and a ground rod; Oncor supplies only the drop and the meter. An overhead temporary pole must be at least 4 by 4 inches by 16 feet unspliced (or a treated pole at least 5 inches across at the top) and tall enough to keep the drop 12 feet above grade. On the underground side, the builder sets a 4-by-4 post at least 3 feet deep, keeps it 6 feet from any alley, sidewalk or drive, and trenches to within 2 feet of the transformer pad or pedestal. Oncor makes the final connection (Oncor Electric Service Guidelines, section 600).

In underground subdivisions, Tampa Electric offers a shortcut it calls TUG (temporary underground): the house’s permanent meter enclosure, meter and downpipe serve as construction power once the local inspector releases them, so no separate pole is set. The service stays in construction use until the certificate of occupancy, and the builder must then transfer it to the homeowner’s name. TECO’s construction poles are capped at 70 amps at 240 volts for power tools; a trailer with lights and air conditioning needs a larger metered pole (TECO Standard Electrical Service Requirements).

What the pole itself costs

No tariff we read prices the builder’s pole, panel, GFCI outlets and ground rod; the builder’s electrician buys or rents them. We have no primary-source figure for that equipment, so get a line-item quote. Two utility charges often appear with the pole:

• A line extension if no utility pole or transformer is close enough. CPS Energy in San Antonio says designing and building one takes about 40 days (CPS Energy new-home overhead service steps). That cost follows the permanent extension rules in the free-footage article.
• A transformer if the nearest one can’t carry the load. Oncor’s $1,473.05 rate covers setting and removing one up to 50 kVA on an existing pole. See who pays for a new home’s transformer.

Permits and inspections come first

Temporary wiring is governed by Article 590 of the National Electrical Code (Temporary Installations), which applies wherever a state or city has adopted the code. Texas, for example, adopted the 2023 NEC effective September 1, 2023 (16 Tex. Admin. Code §73.100). In practice the utility won’t energize a temporary service until the local building department has permitted and inspected it:

• Tampa Electric requires the installation to meet the NEC and the local authority having jurisdiction, and it energizes TUG services only after the temporary inspection.
• JEA requires a building or construction permit before temporary service.
• CPS Energy tells builders to get a temporary meter loop permit from the City of San Antonio or their own city, attach a meter-loop drawing that matches CPS’s temporary service standard, and then request service. CPS usually emails instructions and an invoice the next business day.
• Georgetown collects its $318 connect fee before it issues the building permit.

Budget the city’s electrical permit and inspection fee separately; it is set by the building department, not the utility, and varies by city.

Time limits and deposits

Temporary service is meant to end when the house is finished, and some utilities put a clock on it. Lakeland Electric treats a temporary service request as valid for 120 days and refunds the $100 deposit if the request is canceled within that window. Oncor’s tariff defines temporary service as under 12 consecutive months but makes an exception for construction power, which counts as temporary even if the build runs longer. Tampa Electric’s TUG service ends at the certificate of occupancy.

Some cities also charge for temporary water during construction. Port St. Lucie Utility Systems collects a $490 refundable deposit plus a $262 installation fee for a temporary water meter ($752 due at application), $13.11 a month for readings and $60 each time the 180-day permit is extended (PSLUSD fee schedule, rev. Apr. 16, 2026).

Worked examples

Tampa Electric, six-month build on a pole. The $480 temporary service charge plus 182 days of the $0.66 basic service charge ($120.12) comes to $600.12 before any electricity is used. Each 1,000 kWh then adds $86.68 at the 8.668¢ base energy rate, before fuel, conservation, storm and other clause charges that the tariff bills on top.

FPL, overhead versus underground. A lot in an underground subdivision pays $501.71; the same builder on an overhead street pays $626.89.

Lakeland, cash at application. $125 connect/disconnect plus the $100 deposit means $225 at the counter, of which $100 is refundable.

Oncor, three scenarios. If the builder’s meter socket is already in place, reading and connecting it is $98.60. If Oncor must hang the drop and set a meter, $332.15. If it also has to set a transformer on an existing pole, $1,473.05, or 4.4 times the middle case.

Who pays, and when it becomes the owner’s account

The builder or electrical contractor applies for and pays for temporary service; it is a construction cost that the buyer only sees if it is passed through in the contract price. The switch to permanent service is where the homeowner’s account begins: the builder requests the permanent meter set after final inspection, the temporary service is removed (CPS Energy has builders call to remove it and sends a final temporary bill), and the owner opens an account and may owe a deposit. See utility deposits for a new home for those amounts and how to get them waived.

For every other hookup cost on a new house, see new construction utility costs or run the utility connection cost calculator. Local fee pages: Lakeland, Ocala, Jacksonville, Tampa, Port St. Lucie, Austin and Georgetown, plus the Florida and Texas hubs.

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