Service drop

[1] The customer connection to an underground distribution system is usually called a "service lateral".

[2] At the customer's premises, the wires usually enter the building through a weatherhead that protects against entry of rain and snow, and drop down through conduit to an electric meter which measures and records the power used for billing purposes, then enters the main service panel.

The utility's portion of the system ends, and the customer's wiring begins, at the output socket of the electric meter.

The neutral line from the pole is connected to a ground near the service panel; often a conductive rod driven into the earth.

The use of three-phase power allows longer service drops to serve multiple residences, which is economical with the higher density of housing in Europe.

In Australian service drops, to avoid having unprotected cables within the building up to the service panel main switch, a fuse for each phase is provided at the point-of-attachment, at the weatherhead - called a "raiser bracket" in Australia - or on the outside of the building.

These fuses may be removed and replaced by the supply authority in the event of a fault causing them to "operate".

A three phase 400Y/220 volt service drop in China.
A 240/120 V split-phase service drop providing power to a residence in USA. The three wires from the utility pole enter through a weatherhead (top) into a vertical conduit, which routes them to the electric meter (bottom). From there they pass through the wall of the house to the electric panel and Main Fuses or Circuit Breakers inside.
Australian three-phase fused "point of attachment" for electrical service to a premises