Why is underground service so expensive?
There are several reasons. The underground wire costs more. Because underground wire is installed in the ground it requires several layers of insulation to protect it from constant exposure to rocks, soil, moisture, animals, etc. as opposed to the un-insulated overhead high voltage lines. Additionally, underground wire requires different and more specialized equipment to operate and maintain than overhead lines. Further, it is more labor intensive to install underground wire than overhead. With overhead you only have to dig a hole every few hundred feet to set a pole then just pull the wire up into the air, with underground a ditch must be dug the entire distance through varying terrain, wire installed then the ditch backfilled. These are but a few of the reasons why underground service is so expensive.
