3 ways to add an external power supply

Ah, the joy that is unspooling the garden extension cable to mow the lawn. It takes longer to untangle the thing than to do the strimming, but when you do not have an external power supply, it is a necessary evil. 

Getting an external electrical installation for your garden or outbuilding may feel like a luxury, but it can make life significantly easier. We think that there are three main ways that you can get power outside your home. 

A lot will depend on why you need an outdoor electrical installation. If you are wanting to reduce the hassle of setting up your lawnmower, then installing an outdoor socket is a perfect solution. But if you are wanting to be able to potter around in your garden shed, an outdoor socket attached to the outside of your property will still require you to run an extension cord, an unnecessary inconvenience. 

Here are our top three solutions to getting an electricity supply outside the home. Hopefully one of these will be the best solution for you. 

Outdoor socket

• Cost: Low - Medium
• Installation time: A few hours
• Impact: Medium

An outdoor socket, also known as an outlet, is a device that provides power to devices outside of a building. They are commonly used to provide power to lawn care equipment, such as mowers and trimmers. Outdoor sockets can also be used to power outdoor lights or Christmas lights.

Outdoor sockets come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Outdoor sockets must be weatherproofed in order to prevent moisture from damaging the electrical components.

They are wired into your home’s fuse board and draw power from your main supply. It is always best to get a qualified electrician to install them, as you will have to check that they are connected safely. 

Once your socket is installed, you can easily plug in garden appliances, such as lawn mowers or henge trimmers, or electrical pumps to blow up your kids' paddling pools. You no longer need to run extension cables through open windows or pack them away afterwards. 

An SWA cable to Outbuilding ( Supply a separate fuse board) 

• Cost: High
• Installation time: 3 days
• Impact: Large

A steel wire armoured cable is an outdoor electrical supply cable that is used to provide power to buildings or other structures. It is made up of steel wire armour that surrounds the inner conductor, which is typically made of copper or aluminium. The steel wire armour protects the inner conductor from damage and provides a good electrical connection between the two.

An SWA cable is normally buried underground, so requires a trench to be dug along the length of your garden from your property to the outbuilding you are wanting to wire to your supply. The armouring ensures that the cable is not damaged under the ground. 

The cable is then wired into your fuse board, ensuring that the outbuilding can draw electricity from your main supply. 

An additional fuse board is normally installed in your outbuilding. Lighting, electrical sockets and other appliances can then be run from this secondary fuse board. 

There is a lot of work involved in laying an SWA cable. But, the payoff is a fully functioning versatile outbuilding that can be used however you want. From home gyms to extra freezers, home offices to DIY tools, your outbuilding can be repurposed into whatever you want, improving your quality of life overall. It can also add value to your property, meaning it is a form of investment for the future. 

Portable power generators

• Cost: Medium
• Installation time: Only as long as it takes you to go to the shops to buy it!
• Impact: Medium

Portable power generators are devices that produce electricity. Most portable generators are equipped with wheels and handles or are lightweight making them easy to transport. They also have sockets for powering electrical devices.

Technology has improved a lot over the years, meaning some generators are incredibly lightweight, and can even be recharged using solar energy. Having one handy in your garage can make it easy to use garden appliances, particularly for those with large gardens. 

Portable generators do not come cheap, though. Those suitable for domestic use come in at the £400 - £500 mark. You also have to make sure that you charge it up before using it, meaning a degree of forethought that can be a hassle when life gets busy. 

Choose the best solution you can afford

My advice to my customers when they ask me about installing electrics outside the home for their garden or outbuilding is always to choose the best solution that they can afford. If you can afford to have an SWA cable laid, then do it. You will get the best return on investment, in the long term. 

But even getting an outdoor socket under your kitchen window can significantly improve the effort involved in completing everyday tasks. For more information on this, and any other external electrical installation, please do not hesitate to contact A Bathe Electrics and we will be happy to help.