Substation #1: I was in the process of buying a house that had a substation beside it. The owners had knocked down the garage and extended the lounge, with an extra bedroom built above. That meant separation of living space from the substation had been reduced and I did not know what effect that might have on the value of the property or on health, now or in the future. The estate agent and the electricity company were reassuring but I remained unconvinced. It was after all, not them who would be carrying the risk of adverse health effects or raised public awareness and I had heard that official safety limits had been made more stringent since the substation was built. Fortunately, I learned about Electric Forester Investigations before committing to buy and their Remote Appraisal Service gave me the information I needed to make an informed choice, all within 24 hours. I was impressed by the comprehensiveness of their report without necessitating the delay or expense of obtaining underground cable plans. Should the situation have been less clear-cut, they would have obtained cable plans on my behalf and taken on-site measurements. Having expertise to call on gave me peace of mind and allowed me to make an effective decision. In cases such as this, where the impact of a substation is unclear, I think it is well worth seeking qualified professional opinion early on in the process. MB Surrey
Substation #2: My wife and I were initially concerned about an electrical substation at the end of the garden of a house we were going to make an offer on. We liked the house a lot and had been looking for some time; this was a highly significant purchase and we didn't want to get it wrong. Some had advised us not to bother because of the substation, others had said there's no problem. Our problem was that there was no considered and 'sensible' response to the predicament. We therefore sought professional advice and Electric Forester Investigations Ltd. seemed to be one of only a few companies available to do this. Our first impression of the price for a remote investigation was that this was rather expensive and we hesitated. However the promise of explanation over the telephone plus on-going support, if necessary, persuaded us it was worth it. In the end the report (+ explanations) convinced us that there is no real worry in the location of this substation. We made an offer and it was accepted. We are now in the process of taking the purchase forward. I feel the money was well-spent, because I now have an answer to those who question the safety of the house, and moreover, we now have peace of mind. Were we still wondering whether we'd made the right decision, this worry would no doubt have continued. I feel safe because a qualified person who takes the question seriously, has advised that the property is safe (other than the extreme end of the garden, which is something we can live with). D.N. Reading Berkshire