Upgrading your connection: how it works, what it costs and how long it takes

What upgrading actually means

There are two things people call "upgrading" and they often get mixed up:

1. Upgrading the connection. From 1x35A to 1x40A, or from single-phase to 3x25A. This is about the cable from the street and the main fuses. This is the grid operator's work, not an electrician's.
2. Extending the consumer unit. More circuits, a bigger consumer unit. This is my work and can often be done without the grid operator.

Do you only want more circuits but are you still well within your connection capacity? Then you do not need to upgrade and it is simply a consumer unit job. See consumer unit replacement or, if it is purely about space, extending the meter cupboard.

When you really need to upgrade

Work it out before you apply. With 1x35A you have roughly 8 kW. Add up what can run at the same time:

If what is realistically on at the same time comes to more than 8 kW, upgrading makes sense. But look at the alternatives first, because they are often cheaper. The circuit planner works this out room by room for you.

Alternatives that are often better

• Load balancing on the EV charger. The car charges more slowly when the rest of the house needs a lot. Costs € 120 to € 220 and solves most of it. See EV charger at home: single-phase or three-phase.
• Rewiring the induction hob to less power. Many hobs can be set to a lower total power. You can still cook perfectly well on it.
• Spreading usage over time. The tumble dryer at night, the car between 23:00 and 07:00.
• Only extending the consumer unit without changing the connection.

I say this explicitly because upgrading means more work and more turnover for me. If it is not needed, I say so.

Is it possible in your street?

Before you do anything else, do the grid congestion check on your postcode. In more and more neighbourhoods the grid is full and the grid operator no longer grants upgrades, or only in a year's time. You want to know that before you order the kitchen, not after.

How the application works

1. Apply via mijnaansluiting.nl. You do this yourself, as the owner of the property. I can advise on what to apply for, but the application is in your name.
2. The grid operator assesses it. They check whether the grid in your street can handle the capacity requested. In some neighbourhoods that is currently the bottleneck, not your own connection.
3. Quote from the grid operator. It states what it costs and when they can do it.
4. Accept and schedule. This is where the waiting time is.
5. The grid operator comes. New cable or new main fuses, a new meter if it goes from single-phase to three-phase.
6. I adapt the installation. New or modified consumer unit, dividing the circuits over the phases, testing, handover.

Steps 5 and 6 need to follow on from each other. In practice I plan my day straight after, or on the same day as, the grid operator, so you are not left with half an installation for days.

Lead time

Realistically six to twelve weeks from the application. In areas with grid congestion it can take longer, sometimes a lot longer. That is not something I have any influence over.

Important if you are renovating: apply early. If the kitchen is already ordered and the induction hob is lying on site, a ten-week wait is a problem. Apply as soon as the plan is ready.

What it costs

Two separate bills.

Grid operator (prices as of August 2026, indication)

These amounts differ per grid operator and per situation. The grid operator's quote is what counts, not my indication. There is more detail on three-phase connection costs.

Electrician (my side)

So allow € 2.700 to € 4.200 in total for a complete upgrade to three-phase. That is a serious amount and exactly the reason you should work out the alternatives first. How my hourly rate is made up is on what does an electrician cost.

The forgotten cost: the standing charge

A three-phase connection has a higher standing charge from the grid operator than a single-phase connection. You pay that every year, even if you do not use the capacity. Take that into account: over fifteen years it adds up.

What changes in the consumer unit

In a three-phase consumer unit the circuits are divided over three phases. Dividing them well means spreading the heavy users so that each phase carries roughly the same load.

This is where rushed work goes wrong. If the washing machine, tumble dryer and dishwasher all end up on L1 and the rest on L2 and L3, L1 trips while the other two do nothing. Then you have upgraded and you still have problems.

Ask for the measured load per phase at handover. A good electrician has measured it and can show you.