Domakihub How to Get Electricity to Your Shed Safely
Plan the job right, know what needs a licensed electrician, and keep your outbuilding safe for years to come.
Reviewed by Domakihub home & decor pros · 2026-06-23 · 5 min read
Adding a power supply to a garden shed, storage outbuilding, or pool house transforms it from dead storage into a genuinely useful space — workshop, laundry room, or equipment shelter. The video above shows a master electrician working through a real installation, while this guide gives you the planning steps, the decisions you need to make, and a clear picture of which parts require a licensed professional. In Greece, all work that connects to the mains supply or installs a sub-board must be carried out and certified by a licensed electrical engineer (ηλεκτρολόγος μηχανικός) — a legal requirement that also protects your property insurance.
Why This Job Is Not Fully DIY
Unlike painting a wall or laying tiles, extending your home's electricity supply to a separate outbuilding involves mains-voltage work at the consumer unit (fuse board) and, in most cases, the installation of a dedicated sub-distribution board in the shed itself. In Greece, the Hellenic Electricity Distribution Network Operator (HEDNO/DEDDIE) and the Technical Chamber of Greece (TEE) require that a licensed electrician signs off on any new circuit connected to the property's main supply. Attempting this work without certification can void your home insurance and create a serious fire or electrocution hazard.
That said, understanding the job in detail helps you communicate clearly with your electrician, prepare the site yourself (legally and safely), and avoid paying for unnecessary work. Homeowners in Greece can legally carry out low-voltage preparatory tasks — laying conduit through the garden, positioning junction boxes inside the shed, and planning socket and light positions — leaving the live connections entirely to the professional.
Choosing the Right Cable Route
Power can reach a shed by two routes: underground armoured cable (the most common and safest permanent solution) or overhead aerial cable between two buildings (permitted under specific span and height rules). Underground armoured cable — in Greece typically NYFGY or similar double-insulated SWA type — must be buried at a minimum depth of 600 mm under a lawn, 750 mm under a path, and 1,000 mm under a driveway, protected by proprietary warning tape above it.
The cable must run in a straight line between the house and the shed and be plotted on a sketch plan so future owners and you when digging know exactly where it lies. Before you dig, check for existing buried services — water pipes, drainage, gas, and telecoms — using a cable avoidance tool or by calling your utility companies. Your electrician will calculate the correct cable cross-section based on the total load you expect and the length of the run; undersizing is a common and dangerous mistake.
The 5 Steps to a Safe Shed Power Supply
- 1
Plan your load and get a permit if required
List everything you intend to run in the shed: lighting, sockets, power tools, a freezer, an EV charger. Add up the wattages and add 25% headroom for future use. In Greece, any new circuit connecting to the property's main supply requires a declaration (Υπεύθυνη Δήλωση Εγκαταστάτη, or ΥΔΕ) from a licensed electrical engineer before HEDNO will accept it. Your electrician arranges this; knowing your load upfront lets them size the sub-board and cable correctly from day one.
- 2
Prepare the cable trench
Mark the cable route from the house to the shed with spray paint or string. Dig a trench to the correct depth for your surface type — 600 mm minimum under grass, deeper under hard surfaces. Lay a bed of sharp sand in the bottom, and have yellow-and-black cable warning tape and a bag of sharp sand ready for backfilling. Leave the trench open for inspection before backfilling; your electrician may want to confirm the route. This preparatory groundwork is legally within a homeowner's scope and can save significant labour cost.
- 3
Install the sub-distribution board inside the shed
Inside the shed, your electrician will fit a small consumer unit (sub-board) containing at minimum a main isolator switch and individual MCBs (miniature circuit breakers) for each circuit — typically one for lighting and one or more for sockets. An RCD (residual current device) or RCBO on every circuit is mandatory for outbuilding installations. The board must be sited in a dry, accessible location away from flammable materials. Surface-mounted metal or plastic enclosures are both acceptable; plastic is preferred in damp or unheated sheds.
- 4
Run internal wiring for lights and sockets
With the sub-board in place, your electrician will run the internal wiring. In a timber-frame shed, cable is typically clipped to the surface inside conduit or trunking for protection; in a masonry outbuilding it can be chased into the walls. Position double sockets at workbench height (900 to 1,100 mm from floor) and plan light positions before any wires are run. Use IP-rated (weatherproof) socket and switch faceplates if the shed will be unheated or exposed to condensation — IP44 minimum for a damp outbuilding environment.
- 5
Connect the cable, test, and certify
This final step must be performed exclusively by your licensed electrician. They will connect the armoured cable at the house end to a dedicated MCB in your main consumer unit, pull the cable through the trench, terminate it at the shed sub-board, and carry out a full suite of electrical tests: insulation resistance, earth loop impedance, and RCD trip-time tests. The results are recorded on a test certificate (the ΥΔΕ declaration in Greece), which you should keep with your property documents. Only after testing and certification should the trench be backfilled and the system energised.
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FAQ
- Can I legally wire my own shed in Greece?
- You can carry out preparatory, non-live work — digging the cable trench, laying conduit, positioning back-boxes and trunking inside the shed. However, any work that connects to or extends the mains supply (including fitting the sub-board and terminating the armoured cable) must be done by a licensed electrical engineer (ηλεκτρολόγος) who will issue a ΥΔΕ certification. Working without this certificate voids property insurance and is illegal under Greek electrical safety regulations.
- How much does it typically cost to run power to a shed in Greece?
- Costs vary by cable run length, ground conditions, and the number of circuits required, but a typical 20 to 30 metre trench with a 4-way sub-board, two socket circuits, and one lighting circuit generally ranges from €600 to €1,500 in parts and labour including the electrician's certification fee. Getting two or three quotes from TEE-registered electricians is advisable; the cheapest quote is not always the safest.
- What cable type should be used for an underground shed supply in Greece?
- For a buried run, the standard choice is steel-wire armoured (SWA) cable — commonly specified as NYFGY or NYY-J type in the Greek and European market. The armour provides mechanical protection against accidental dig-through. The cross-section (1.5 mm², 2.5 mm², 4 mm², or larger) is determined by the total load and cable length; your electrician will calculate this. Never use standard PVC-sheathed domestic cable (NYM or similar) directly buried without additional protective conduit.