Electricity Connection Cost per Meter: How Pricing Really Works in 2026
“How much per meter to bring electricity to my property?” is one of the most frequent questions we receive at SUN WATT, and it deserves a straight answer rather than a vague one. So here it is: in Romania, an electrical connection (bransament — the physical link between the distribution grid and your metering point) is not priced per linear meter. It is priced per job. The connection type, the installation method and the distance are combined into a single quote — and once the distance grows beyond what a standard connection covers, part of the price is no longer set by your contractor at all, but by the grid operator, Retele Electrice Romania S.A. (formerly E-Distributie / Enel), through the ATR (Aviz Tehnic de Racordare / Technical Connection Approval).
Below I explain how pricing actually works in 2026, with three realistic scenarios — about 10 m, about 30 m and 100+ m — so you know what drives the cost before you ask for a quote.
Why nobody serious quotes a price per meter
A per-meter rate works for fences or paving, where each additional meter costs roughly the same as the previous one. An electrical connection behaves differently, for three reasons.
Fixed costs dominate short jobs. Whether the pole is 5 m or 25 m from your building, the job still requires the technical design, an authorised crew, the connection cabinet (firida de bransament), protections, the metering point and coordination with the operator. On a typical residential connection, the cable itself is a modest share of the total cost. Halving the distance does not halve the price — not even close.
Costs move in steps, not in a straight line. The price does not creep up smoothly with every extra meter. It jumps when something structural changes: an additional pole becomes necessary, the trench has to cross a concrete driveway, the route crosses a public road and needs permits, or the cable section must increase to limit voltage drop over a long run. Between those thresholds, a few extra meters often change very little.
Beyond a certain distance, the operator takes over. If your property is too far from the existing network, a simple connection is no longer technically possible. The operator imposes a grid extension — new poles or underground lines that extend the network itself — and the cost of that part is established exclusively through the ATR, under the ANRE regulations in force. No contractor can honestly give you a firm per-meter price for it in advance, because it is not the contractor’s tariff to set.
This is why every credible price in this field starts with “from”: the base figure covers a standard job, and your distance, terrain and site conditions adjust it.
The actual price structure in 2026
These are SUN WATT’s indicative starting prices for Bucharest, Ilfov and Giurgiu (we are ANRE-certified for both design and execution, certificate no. 19761). The operator’s connection tariff is always the one stated in your ATR.
| Work / service | Indicative price (from) |
|---|---|
| Single-phase connection (~11 kW) | 1,800 lei |
| Three-phase connection (400V) | 2,900 lei |
| Overhead connection | 1,800 lei |
| Underground connection (excavation included) | 3,500 lei |
| Temporary site connection | 2,200 lei |
| Connection dossier + design | 900 lei |
| ATR assistance | 350 lei |
| DIU (Utilisation Installation Dossier) | 1,200 lei |
Three variables move these figures up or down.
1. Connection type: single-phase or three-phase
Single-phase (~11 kW) covers a normal household — lighting, appliances, a gas boiler — and starts from 1,800 lei. Three-phase (400V) is needed for heat pumps, fast EV chargers, workshops or commercial spaces, and starts from 2,900 lei. The type is decided by the power you request, not by the distance.
2. Installation method: overhead or underground
An overhead connection (from 1,800 lei) runs the cable from the pole through the air and is the standard, cheaper solution in most residential areas. An underground connection starts from 3,500 lei and includes the excavation: trenching, protective ducting and ground reinstatement. In some areas the underground option is not a choice but a requirement of the operator or of the local urban planning rules.
3. Distance: real, but indirect
Distance genuinely matters — just not as a flat rate. It acts through components: meters of cable, an extra pole on long overhead spans, meters of trench on underground routes, and a larger cable section once the run gets long enough for voltage drop to matter. Two properties with the same distance can get different quotes because one trench goes through a lawn and the other through reinforced concrete.
Three realistic scenarios
Scenario 1: pole at the property boundary, ~10 m overhead
The best case. The grid pole is right next to your plot, the route is short and unobstructed. The job stays at or near the base price: from 1,800 lei single-phase or from 2,900 lei three-phase. At this distance, the “per meter” question is irrelevant — the fixed costs are nearly the whole bill.
Scenario 2: ~30 m underground across the yard
A common configuration for new houses set back from the street. The underground option starts from 3,500 lei with excavation included; what moves the final figure is the surface along the trench (soil versus concrete or pavers), any driveway crossing and the reinstatement work. This is still a standard connection — no operator extension involved — so a contractor can give you a firm quote after a site visit.
Scenario 3: 100+ m from the nearest grid point
Here the conversation changes. At this distance the operator will almost certainly require a grid extension before your connection can even be built. New poles or a new underground line extend the network, and that work is designed and tariffed by Retele Electrice Romania through the ATR. The honest position: nobody can tell you in advance what this costs per meter, because the tariff belongs to the operator. The right move is to submit the connection request and obtain the ATR — we provide ATR assistance from 350 lei — and only then compare execution offers.
What the ATR settles — and why you should not skip it
The ATR is the document through which the operator sets the technical solution (overhead or underground, the connection point, whether an extension is needed) and the official connection tariff for its share of the work. Everything before the ATR is an estimate; everything in the ATR is binding. If your distance is borderline — say, 40–80 m from the last pole — the ATR is the only authoritative answer on whether you get a standard connection or an extension.
The paperwork does not depend on distance
Whatever your distance, the documentation side stays the same: the connection dossier and design start from 900 lei, and the DIU (Dosarul Instalatiei de Utilizare / Utilisation Installation Dossier), mandatory before energisation, starts from 1,200 lei. We handle the DIU nationwide. These costs are fixed per job — another reason a per-meter figure would mislead you.
Get a real number, not a per-meter guess
If you want a realistic estimate in two minutes, use our connection cost calculator — it accounts for connection type, power and distance, the way real quotes are built. For a firm figure, send us your address and a few details and we will assess the route, prepare the dossier and walk the job through the ATR.
Call 0733 097 440 or contact us — we answer the per-meter question honestly, with a price for your actual job.
Note: all prices in this article are indicative and valid for 2026 in the Bucharest / Ilfov / Giurgiu area (DIU nationwide). The operator’s connection tariff is the one communicated through the ATR by Retele Electrice Romania.