6.0 Network Service

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Updated May 2017

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Service Types

Other Information

6.1 General introduction

A network service is a 120/208 V or 347/600 V service connected to EDTI's network system. The network area extends from 97 to 110 Street and from 97 to 104A Avenue in downtown Edmonton. See Drawing 29.
Typical installations include medium to large commercial applications.
Please see below for a summary of your responsibilities as the customer and the responsibilities of EPCOR Distribution and Transmission Inc. (EDTI).
Many of the new buildings in the network area are fed with a primary or padmount transformer service. If, after consulting with us, you find that this is the case, please see the Choose Your Connection Section (1.4).
If you decide that you require a feed from EDTI's network system, please complete the Commercial or Single-Family Residential Application Form.
See the Additional Information Section (9.0) to learn about such topics as temporary power, splicing, operations, equipment relocation, and pre-inspection checklists.
The information is divided into sections to make it easier for you to find what you need, but EDTI strongly suggests that you read all the information before starting.
If there are any differences between the information provided in this guideline and EDTI's Terms and Conditions, the Terms and Conditions will govern. In addition, regulations contained in the Canadian Electrical Code, Alberta Electrical Utility Code, Alberta Safety Codes Act, and Alberta Occupational Health and Safety Act must be followed.
The customer must comply with the clearances set out in the Canadian Electrical Code for required vertical clearances when crossing other utilities.

Table 1

Customer's Responsibilities

Complete civil work on private property. This typically includes all trenching and ducts.
Install Current Transformers and Potential Transformers.

NOTE: The customer owns and maintains all secondary ducts on private property.

EDTI's Responsibilities

Complete all work on public property.
Supply and install secondary conductors and make the final connection at the transformer or ring bus and the customer's switchgear.
Supply Current Transformers and Potential Transformers.
Supply and install revenue metering equipment.

NOTE: EDTI owns and maintains the secondary cable to the line side of the switchgear and revenue metering equipment.

Service Connection Point (Service Entry Point)

Property line.

Point of Service Termination (Electrical Connection Point)

Switchgear.

6.2 Standard Supply Voltages 6.3 Permits and Inspections 6.4 Service Connection Agreement 6.5 Basic Drawing Requirements 6.6 Main Distribution Panel Cable Termination Detail Drawing 6.7 Horizontal Clearance to Other Utilities 6.8 Service Entry Point 6.9 Electrical Room 6.10 Main Switch or Breaker Minimum Interrupting Capacity 6.11 Maximum Horsepower of Motors 6.12 General Service Requirements 6.13 Trenching and Backhoe 6.14 Service Ducts 6.15 Duct Bends 6.16 Ground-Mounted Pull Boxes 6.17 Pull Boxes in Buildings 6.18 Equipment Access 6.19 Site Housekeeping 6.20 Conductors 6.21 Cable Installation 6.22 Termination 6.23 Duplex, Triplex, and Fourplex Units 6.24 Service Interruption 6.25 Next Steps

6.2 Standard Supply Voltages

To see the standard voltages available from EDTI for this type of service, please see the Select the Service Type That Works for You Section (1.4).
New or increased 347/600 V, 3-phase, 4-wire services fed from the network system will only be supplied if approved by EDTI Customer Engineering Services.
Existing 347/600 V, 3-phase, 4-wire services will continue to be maintained.
Please contact us to confirm the network voltage available in your area.
Two or more services of the same voltage will not be supplied to the same premises. An example would be a 120/240 V, 1-phase, 2-wire service and a 120/208 V, 3-phase, 4-wire service.

6.3 Permits and Inspections

As a customer, you or your contractors are responsible for:

Obtaining all permits, certificates, licences, inspections, reports, and other authorizations necessary for installing and operating the service connection. EDTI is not required to start or continue operation of a service connection unless the customer has complied with the licensing requirements of EDTI and all other authorities.
Submitting an electronic copy of the electrical wiring permit, civil electrical inspection (if required), and final electrical inspection report to EDTI Customer Engineering Services.
Ensuring that an Electrical Safety Codes Officer inspects all internal wiring before it's concealed. All transformer and switching cubicles, ground grids, underground wiring, and ducts must be inspected before the trench is backfilled. Contact the City of Edmonton to arrange for inspections. A service connection will not be energized unless you have received inspection approval.
Completing utility searches on private property and notifying Alberta One-Call before any work is done.

6.4 Service Connection Agreement

EDTI requires the customer to sign the Customer Acceptance portion of the estimate letter as confirmation of intent to proceed with construction. This is required before EDTI finalizes the design and issues work orders.
EDTI may require the customer to sign a Construction Commitment Agreement, Electric Service Agreement, and/or Interconnection Operating and Maintenance Agreement.
The customer may be required to make a capital contribution toward the cost of materials and equipment installed on City of Edmonton property or the customer's property.

6.5 Basic Drawing Requirements

EDTI Customer Engineering Services reserves the right of final approval for the location of facilities before EDTI will grant construction approval.
New connection construction cannot start until EDTI has approved all drawings.
A customer requesting a network service must submit a copy of the following:

Commercial or Single-Family Residential Application Form
Architectural site plan
Engineer-approved electrical site plan authenticated by a duly registered professional member of APEGA or ASET
Mechanical plans showing water, sewer, and gas lines on private property

Drawings must be in electronic format and follow accepted drafting standards as indicated in this guide.
Drawings will become part of EDTI's record system and must be submitted in PDF and AutoCAD or MicroStation format.
The following information must be included on these plans:

All legal property lines
Streets, avenues, and any other public thoroughfare abutting the property
Locations of planned and existing buildings
Size and location of secondary conductors on the line (source) side of the meter
Size and location of pull boxes
Direction of door openings for padmount transformers and cubicles
Location and size of the main distribution panel within the building, including voltage, amperage, phase, wire size, temperature rating (i.e., 75 or 90 degree), and type
A detailed drawing of the electrical room layout
Easements and rights-of-way located on customer's property
Location and description of all other utilities crossing or located within 3.0 m of proposed power facilities and conductors
Drawings at a scale that will maintain the readability of multiple conductors, which can be submitted as multiple sheets, if necessary to meet the readability criteria, as long as each sheet is self-contained
Electrical permit number and legal address
Title, block, border, scale, and legend

Please note that all equipment and conductor locations on the drawing are to be dimensioned from the building and property lines and given real-world coordinates. Curb lines may also be included.

EDTI Customer Engineering Services will review and accept drawings and the scope of work.

6.6 Main Distribution Panel Cable Termination Detail Drawing

The customer requesting a network service must submit a copy of the following:

Layout of the electrical room
Service duct and cable routing within the building
Details of EDTI's cable termination cell, including size, shape, and access door locations

6.7 Horizontal Clearance to Other Utilities

The following horizontal clearances to other utilities from underground service lines and equipment, including padmount transformers, switching cubicles, guardrails, and ground grids, must be maintained:

Commercial Installations

Poles, primary and secondary conductors on private property

2.0 m to all valves, hydrants, catch basins, manholes, vaults, sanitary and storm sewer lines, septic tanks, fields, and Minnesota Mounds. Poles cannot be set within, and secondary cable cannot cross through, septic fields or Minnesota Mounds.
1.8 m to all water lines and cc valves.
1.0 m to all gas lines.

Residential Installations (Single Family and Multi-Family Units)

Poles on Private Property

2.0 m to all valves, hydrants, catch basins, manholes, vaults, sanitary and storm sewer lines, septic tanks, fields and Minnesota Mounds. Poles cannot be set within, and secondary cable cannot cross through, septic fields or Minnesota Mounds.
1.8 m to all water lines and cc valves.
1.0 m to all gas lines.

Secondary Conductors

2.0 m to all valves, hydrants, catch basins, manholes, vaults, sanitary and storm sewer lines, septic tanks, fields, and Minnesota Mounds. The secondary cable cannot cross through septic fields or Minnesota Mounds.
2.0 m to sanitary and storm sewer lines.
1.0 m to water lines and cc valves.
1.0 m to gas lines.

6.8 Service Entry Point

It is critical that you contact EDTI Customer Engineering Services for your site-specific service entry point (the point where EDTI's infrastructure meets your property line) before beginning construction. The service entry point can differ, based on a number of circumstances.

6.9 Electrical Room

If service capacity exceeds 200 A, service equipment must be located in a separate electrical room of adequate size. The electrical room can only contain electrical and/or communication equipment. It cannot contain mechanical devices, such as gas or water equipment.
A detailed drawing of the electrical room layout must be submitted for EDTI approval.
All electrical rooms must have four walls and a ceiling
See the Metering Section (8.0) for more detail.
EDTI has specific servicing details for the Quarters Downtown Development area. If your development is in this area, which extends from 92 to 97 Street and from 101 to 103A Avenue, please contact us for these details.

6.10 Main Switch or Breaker Minimum Interrupting Capacity

Due to higher fault levels, services supplied from the network system require larger interrupting capacities. Please see Table 9.
The minimum interrupting capacity applies to all service entrance equipment.
For temporary services supplied from a permanent transformer, interrupting ratings must match the available fault currents at the transformer.
When disconnecting switches are used instead of breakers, high rupturing capacity (HRC) fuses must be used with switches.
Form I or Form II fuses may be used, but if Form II fuses are used, adequate overload protection is required.
When HRC Form I fuses are used in a standard switch, the switch must be permanently labelled. The label must read USE ONLY HRC FORM I FUSES.

6.11 Maximum Horsepower of Motors

The maximum permitted horsepower of motors permitted is identified in Table 2.
Special permission is required before EDTI will grant construction approval for motors larger than those indicated in Table 2. Please contact EDTI Customer Engineering Services for more information.

6.12 General Service Requirements

EDTI Customer Engineering Services reserves the right of final approval for the location of facilities before EDTI will grant construction approval.
The customer is responsible for installation and maintenance of all civil work on private property, including maintaining the level of equipment. Civil work typically includes trenching, ducting, transformer or cubicle pads, ground grids, guardrails, pull boxes, and intermediate service poles. Please see Table 1 above for more information.
All service connections under this section must have a fused main switch or main breaker with adequate interrupting capacity installed on the line side of all equipment. This includes meters and metering equipment. See the Metering Section (8.0).
The customer is responsible for installing meter bases on private property.
EDTI owns and installs all equipment on public property.
EDTI retains ownership of transformers and secondary cables on the line side (source side) of the point of service.
Only EDTI employees or their authorized agents can operate or maintain electrical facilities owned by EDTI.
The customer will comply with the standards set out by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 519-1992 (Table 10.3, 10.4, 10.5) when loads producing harmonic distortion are involved. The customer will also comply with the short- and long-term flicker limits as specified in Tables 2 and 6 of CAN/CSA-C61000-3-7 Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) – Part 3 – 7.
125 A underground services for residential purposes are not available.
In Alberta, residential services are not designed for electric heating as the primary heat source. If it is to be used as the primary heat source, contact EDTI Customer Engineering Services prior to construction. The customer may be assessed additional costs based on the type of upgrades required.
Typical residential underground services are available at 100 A. To make arrangements for service connections greater than 100 A, contact us.
Voltage drop calculations are the customer's responsibility and must be submitted upon request.
The customer must ensure loading is balanced across all three phases of the service.
Co-generation is not allowed on services connected to EDTI's network system.
EDTI will not connect any permanent or temporary service to the City of Edmonton's streetlight system.
The customer must provide space and easements for utility equipment to maintain flexibility of the power system, if required by EDTI. See the Easement Agreement Section (9.5) for more information.
Connections and disconnections must be done by EDTI or its authorized agents.
EDTI Customer Engineering Services will not permit the installation of service lines crossing public property between private properties.

6.13 Trenching and Backhoe

As a customer, you cannot do any excavation work on City of Edmonton property, but you must provide all trenching on your property.
All proposed cable routing and duct work is subject to written approval by EDTI Customer Engineering Services prior to construction.
Underground service lines must be kept a minimum of 1.0 m from the edge of the property line.
The customer's contractor must not trench within 1.0 m of any EDTI wood pole, anchor, transformer, or switching cubicle ground grid (2.0 m from the edge of the concrete base), power pedestal, or energized cable. The facilities must be located first using hydro excavating or hand digging before determining where the mechanical excavation limits end.
Ensure that the top of duct is a minimum of 1,000 mm to a maximum of 1,300 mm below finished grade and that the service cable is set on undisturbed soil that is free from rocks, debris, and sudden grade changes. If large lumps of clay and soil have hardened due to drying or freezing, and when a backhoe has been used for electrical service installation, a 150 mm layer of sand must be placed below the cable. For all service installations, a 500 mm layer of sand must be placed above the cable.
The customer must backfill all trenches with material that is free of stones and items with sharp edges.
Backfill must be placed in uniform lifts not exceeding 300 mm and compacted to the City of Edmonton Design and Construction Standards Volume 2 – Roadways.
If a trench has been backhoed, cables must be shaded with 300 mm of sand. Backhoed material cannot be placed over cable.
Backfill material over cable can be the material trenched using a mechanical trencher, if the inspector deems it suitable. Soil with high thermal resistivity containing large amounts of organics, peat, black loam, sod, hardened clay, stones, straw, snow, or frozen material will not be acceptable. All backfill material will be subject to the inspector's approval. Sand or clean backfill material must be substituted for unsuitable backfill.
A marker tape must be installed 0.5 m above all underground electrical conductors.
The trench must take the most direct route to the meter base location.
Some work may be required over energized primary or secondary cables. This may involve crossing or over trenching of the cables. Mechanical excavation is allowed up to 1.0 m from the energized facilities. The facilities must first be located using hydro excavating or hand digging before determining where the mechanical excavation limits end.
EDTI will allow a contractor to over trench up to 5.0 m of energized facilities by hand or hydro excavating. Follow Alberta One-Call procedures and contact us before starting work.
Exposed energized cables cannot be left unattended. If the excavation is narrow or small, the primary cable must be covered with soil bags or secured with some other suitable temporary method. Contact us for more details.
Under no circumstances must energized primary cables be moved or handled in any way.

6.14 Service Ducts

EDTI Customer Engineering Services reserves the right of final approval for the location of facilities before EDTI will grant construction approval.
All permanent commercial services must be in duct.
For residential installations, EDTI highly recommends installing any cable that will ultimately end up under driveways, decks, etc. in duct.
The customer will provide all conduits (rigid PVC, DB2, Carlon Borguard, Terracon, or other EDTI-approved ducts only), pull boxes, and manholes required on the customer's property for installing the electrical services.
Service conduits installed by contractors working on behalf of other utilities or the City of Edmonton must follow EDTI's construction standards. Contractors must not work within 1.0 m of any electrical equipment.
Where EDTI's conduits have been stubbed to the property line, customers must first confirm that the conduit exposed is the correct one, and then connect their supply conduit to EDTI's conduit. Contact us to arrange for conduit verification.
If pulling lengths exceed the maximum pulling tension of the cable, a pull box must be installed. See the Ground-Mounted Pull Boxes Section (6.16) for more information.

6.15 Duct Bends

All bends must be made of rigid, thick-walled PVC (schedule 40) with a minimum wall thickness of 6.0 mm for 4 in., 6.6 mm for 5 in., and 7.1 mm for 6 in. DB2 bends are not acceptable.
An additional 10 ft. horizontal section of rigid, thick-walled PVC must be attached to the bend.
All bends that EDTI will supply conductors for must be equipped with bell collars to avoid damaging cable.
All spare bends are to be covered (taped or covered by some other suitable method) to prevent material falling into them.

6.16 Ground-Mounted Pull Boxes

EDTI Customer Engineering Services reserves the right of final approval of the pull box size and location prior to construction.
If pulling lengths exceed the maximum pulling tension of the cable, a pull box must be installed. See Drawing 1.
The accumulative total of all bends between pulling points cannot exceed four 90-degree bends, as per Canadian Electrical Code Rule 12-940.
Contact us to perform a cable pulling calculation for your specific site.
The size of ground-mounted pull box required depends on the type of cable being installed.
Conduits must enter and leave the pull box at the same level.
Communication cables cannot share the same pull box with secondary cables.
Customer-owned facilities cannot share the same pull box with EDTI facilities.
EDTI requires truck access to on-property transformers, switching cubicles, poles, and pull boxes where EDTI will own the cable. See the Equipment Access Section (6.18) for more information.
Rigid, thick-walled PVC (schedule 40) with minimum wall thickness of 6.0 mm for 4 in., 6.6 mm for 5 in., and 7.1 mm for 6 in. must be installed for the first 10 ft. when entering or exiting any pull boxes, manholes, or vaults. DB2 bends are not acceptable.

6.17 Pull Boxes in Buildings

EDTI Customer Engineering Services reserves the right of final approval of the pull box size and location prior to construction.
If pulling lengths exceed the maximum pulling tension of the cable, a pull box must be installed.
The accumulative total of all bends between pulling points cannot exceed four 90-degree bends, as per Canadian Electrical Code Rule 12-940.
Contact us to perform a cable pulling calculation for your specific site.
Pull boxes in buildings must be sized according to EDTI requirements. Contact us to discuss your specific installation.
Communication cables cannot share the same pull box with secondary cables.
Customer-owned facilities cannot share the same pull box with EDTI facilities.

6.18 Equipment Access

EDTI Customer Engineering Services reserves the right of final approval for the location of facilities before EDTI will grant construction approval.
EDTI requires truck access to on-property transformers, switching cubicles, poles, and pull boxes where EDTI will be installing the cable.
Access to equipment must be provided from private property. Without special permission from EDTI, public roadways or laneways are not acceptable for access to equipment on private property.
Equipment must be placed beside a 4.6 m wide access roadway, centred in an unimpeded 6.5 m area. The area must be capable of supporting an 18,000 kg truck, plus a transformer weighing up to 6,900 kg (transformers must be unloaded from the side of the vehicle). Road allowance must account for outriggers on the truck to extend to a width of 7.0 m.
Any overhang or other obstruction over the access roadway, such as a sign, must have a minimum of 5.0 m of vertical clearance.
If access is through a locked enclosure, the customer shall provide double lock capability on the gate to accommodate an EDTI lock.

6.19 Site Housekeeping

Areas that our crews must access and work in must be clear of construction materials, equipment, debris, trash, and other materials that may pose a safety risk to personnel or damage equipment.
The site must be level and consist of hard-packed material or asphalt.
If a site has substandard housekeeping or is deemed unsafe by EDTI personnel, our personnel will leave the site until the issues are rectified.

6.20 Conductors

EDTI Customer Engineering Services will supply and install the secondary cable for all services connected to EDTI's network system.
For network services 400 A and larger, EDTI will supply and install parallel runs of network service cable. (One 7/C run is 400 A, two 7/C runs are 800 A, three 7/C runs are 1,200 A, and four 7/C runs are 1,600 A.)
The 7-conductor network service cable is a multiplexed cable rated at 400 A. It consists of six #4/0 Cu conductors (two per phase) with one # 500 MCM Cu. XLPE USEI 90 cable neutral.

6.21 Cable Installation

EDTI Customer Engineering Services will supply and install the secondary cable for all services connected to EDTI's network system.
Telephone and television cables can be installed in the same trench as power conductors. When this is considered, design drawings must be forwarded to the appropriate organizations for their approval.
Cable cannot be installed on building footings or weeping tile.
EDTI will make the final connection in the transformer or ring bus.
The maximum length of service conductors permitted in a building is 3.0 m, unless they are mechanically protected in rigid metal conduit, in which case the maximum is 7.5 m.

6.22 Termination

A drawing showing details of EDTI's cable termination cell, including size, shape, and access door locations, is required. See the Main Distribution Panel Cable Termination Detail Drawing Section (6.6).
The customer's main switch must be equipped with a sufficient number of solderless terminals to allow for terminating the appropriate service conductors. See Table 10 for appropriate conductors.
The customer's main disconnect switches must have sufficient #4/0 lugs to accommodate the number of 4/0 Cu phase conductors required for rating the service (Allen-key-type terminations at the breaker are not acceptable).
EDTI will make all terminations on the line side of the customer's main switch or breaker.

6.23 Duplex, Triplex, and Fourplex Units

All units on one lot

Each individual unit in a new multiple dwelling will be served as a separate service, unless EDTI Customer Engineering Services agrees otherwise.
If a homeowner's agreement is in place, one service may be installed to a common location on the building to service all the units.
Please contact us to talk about your specific situation.

Each unit on an individual lot

Each individual unit in a new multiple dwelling must be served as a separate service, unless EDTI Customer Engineering Services agrees otherwise.
EDTI may require additional work at the customer's expense to ensure no trespass is created.
Please contact us to talk about your specific information

Bare-land development

EDTI requires a blanket easement to be registered on the owner's title in EDTI's name. See the Easement Agreement Section (9.5) for more information on easements.

6.24 Service Interruption

While EDTI takes all reasonable efforts to guard against interruptions, we do not guarantee uninterrupted service.
Without liability of any kind to EDTI, EDTI Customer Engineering Services has the right to disconnect or otherwise curtail, interrupt, or reduce Distribution Tariff Service to customers whenever EDTI reasonably determines, or is told by the Alberta Electric System Operator, that such a disconnection, curtailment, interruption, or reduction is necessary:

To facilitate construction, installation, maintenance, repair, replacement, or inspection of any of EDTI's facilities
To maintain the safety and reliability of EDTI's distribution system
For any other reason, including dangerous or hazardous circumstances such as emergencies, forced outages, potential overloading of EDTI's distribution system, or force majeure

6.25 Next Steps

Your next steps are to ensure the metering facilities at your Site are built correctly and to contact an energy retailer of your choosing to apply for power service.

Please see the Metering Section (8.0) to determine the type of metering required for your installation.

You are free to choose any retailer. Regulated wires services do not depend on the retailer you choose. For a listing of licensed Alberta retailers, visit ucahelps.alberta.ca or call 310-4822 (toll free in Alberta).

6.0 Network Service

Have questions about the
Customer Connection Guide?

Updated May 2017

Contact Us

Service Types

Other Information

6.1 General introduction

Many of the new buildings in the network area are fed with a primary or padmount transformer service. If, after consulting with us, you find that this is the case, please see the Choose Your Connection Section (1.4).

Table 1

Customer's Responsibilities

EDTI's Responsibilities

Service Connection Point (Service Entry Point)

Point of Service Termination (Electrical Connection Point)

Commercial Installations

Poles, primary and secondary conductors on private property

Residential Installations (Single Family and Multi-Family Units)

Poles on Private Property

Secondary Conductors

All units on one lot

Each unit on an individual lot

Bare-land development

Section Links

Drawing 29

Table 1

Table 1F

Table 2

Table 9

Table 10

6.0 Network Service

​Have questions about theCustomer Connection Guide?

Updated May 2017

Contact Us

Service Types

Other Information

6.1 General introduction

Many of the new buildings in the network area are fed with a primary or padmount transformer service. If, after consulting with us, you find that this is the case, please see the Choose Your Connection Section (1.4).

Table 1

​​Customer's Responsibilities

​EDTI's Responsibilities

Service Connection Point (Service Entry Point)

​Point of Service Termination (Electrical Connection Point)

Commercial Installations

Poles, primary and secondary conductors on private property

Residential Installations (Single Family and Multi-Family Units)

Poles on Private Property

Secondary Conductors

All units on one lot

Each unit on an individual lot

Bare-land development

​Section Links

Drawing 29

Table 1

Table 1F

Table 2

Table 9

Table 10

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Have questions about the
Customer Connection Guide?

Customer's Responsibilities

EDTI's Responsibilities

Point of Service Termination (Electrical Connection Point)

Section Links