[zoltrix77]

All,

I am a sparky frim a past life and would have to agree that its probably not worth the trouble if you don't have a specific need for it like mills/lathes that are 3 phase.

However, I really can't see how it would be another 10k on top of a regular install either. If you were doing new mains to a property close to the connection point, you would probably only need a 4core 6mm mains instead of the regular 16mm 2core which wouldn't cost that much more. And there is no need for some elaborate industrial switch board. Long time away from this stuff, but anything more than say 1-2k seems extreme. Some of the three-phase plugs and sockets can get expensive, but have come down now clipsal has some competition.

If you have ducted refrigerated aircon, three phase can also be a good idea, its quite a bit more efficient, in the region of 20% from memory, more so if you use it for heating and not just a handfull of summer days.

Adam.