Pylons and High-Voltage Lines Near a House: How Close Is Too Close?
You cannot move a pylon, and you cannot always see one from the viewing. Some buyers will not consider a house near a line at any price, and that shows up on the day you come to sell.
Transmission lines, not the poles on your street
Ireland’s high-voltage transmission grid — the 110 kV, 220 kV and 400 kV lines carried on steel pylons — is planned and mapped by EirGrid, and the network is published as open data, including lines that are planned but not yet built. This is a different thing from the ordinary distribution poles on every road, which carry far lower voltages and are not what buyers mean by “pylons”.
A line’s voltage tells you the scale of the structure: 400 kV pylons stand tens of metres tall with wide corridors, while 110 kV lines are often carried on smaller lattice or pole sets. A planned line matters as much as an existing one — a corridor that is routed past the property will change the view, and the market, once it is built.
Health, amenity and resale
International health reviews, including the World Health Organization’s, have not established that living near power lines causes illness, and Irish lines are designed to the recognised exposure guidelines. The buyer concern is mostly visual amenity, noise in wet weather, and the knowledge that a share of future buyers will walk away. That last point is the one that reaches your resale price.
Distance is the fair measure. A 220 kV line 80 m from the back garden is a different proposition from the same line a kilometre away behind a hill, and a valuer will say so.
Reading the line on the ground
A line that crosses the land itself comes with a wayleave: the network operator’s right to enter, maintain and replace it, and limits on what can be built or planted beneath the conductors. Ask your solicitor to look for it among the burdens on the folio, and ask the seller whether crews have ever needed access.
Two things a viewing will not show you: the crackle of corona discharge from a high-voltage line in damp weather, which carries on a quiet night, and how the line reads from the upstairs windows and the back garden in winter when the trees are bare. Visit after dark and in the rain before you settle on a price.
How a VeriSale report grades it
VeriSale measures the straight-line distance from the property to the nearest existing high-voltage transmission line within 1 km, reports its voltage, and notes any planned line routed within the same distance.
- Within about 100 mFlagged, with the voltage and distance: “Nearest high-voltage line (220 kV) ~80 m.”
- Within about 300 mNoted, graded mid.
- Further away, or none within 1 kmGraded well — and a planned line nearby is still called out: “A planned transmission line is also routed within 1 km.”
This is one of 39 checks in the report, each graded A–F with a plain-language summary. The report compiles public data; it is not a survey or legal advice.
What to ask before you bid
- Is there any wayleave or easement on the folio for a transmission line crossing the land?
- Is a new or upgraded line planned on this corridor, and at what stage is the project?
- Has the seller received any correspondence from EirGrid or ESB Networks about works nearby?
Frequently asked questions
How close is too close to a pylon when buying a house?
There is no legal distance. The report flags a transmission line within about 100 m as something to weigh, notes one within 300 m, and treats anything further as context. What matters is how it reads from the house and garden and what your valuer says.
Are power lines near a house a health risk?
International reviews have not established a causal health risk from living near transmission lines, and Irish lines are built to recognised exposure guidelines. Buyer caution is mainly about amenity and resale.
How does VeriSale find the nearest power line?
It queries EirGrid’s published transmission-network data for existing and planned overhead lines within 1 km of the property and measures the nearest one. Distribution poles are not included — they are not what affects a sale.
Do pylons affect house prices in Ireland?
A visible line close to a home narrows the pool of buyers, and a narrower pool means less competition when you sell. The effect fades quickly with distance and with screening.
Does a planned line count?
Yes. The report calls out a planned transmission line routed within 1 km separately, because the view you are buying can change once it is built.
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