New Gas Connection

To organise a new gas connection for your self build home you will need to contact one of the country’’s licensed ‘gas transporters’ for the connection and a ‘gas supplier’ for a meter and supply.

new gas connection

 

The gas supply network in Great Britain is divided into eight networks which are operated by four different gas transporters (GTs). These companies provide and maintain the infrastructure for the gas supply network and are the people who will connect a supply to your new home.

They do not however, own, meter or sell the gas that passes through their networks which means you will also need to get in touch with a gas supplier who will arrange the installation of a meter at your property, provide you with a supply of gas and send you all those lovely bills!

If you have read our page on utility and service connections, you’ll know that these service connections can take many weeks and can get complicated, so do your research early and know what to expect. Keep a good log of your correspondence and don’t be fazed if you get passed around different departments or even different companies!

New Gas Connection Process

Parts of this process may differ so please confirm it with your local transporter.

  • You’’ll obviously need to build your house first, so that there is somewhere to run the supply to but make sure you start the application process well in advance so it is ready when you want it.
  • Make sure a registered gas safe engineer installs the gas pipes and appliances in your home with a supply pipe from the meter cabinet.meter cabinet
  • There are several meter box options but if you want a built-in cabinet you will need to purchase this yourself and have it built-in to the external wall of you home in accordance with the specifications of the GT.
  • Determine which gas transporter covers your area. (Links below).
  • Request an application for a new gas connection or fill one out online.
  • You may need to include:
    • Consent forms, if the new supply crosses third party private land.
    • Maps of the plot location and of the property within the plot with the meter box location.
  • There will be options for excavation, reinstatement and provision of meter boxes. You can save money here by arranging for these to be done yourself but once again work must comply with the guidelines of the GT.
  • Based on your application the transporter will prepare a quotation, works schedule, lead times, details and an acceptance form which will be sent back to you.
  • Check everything over and if it’s OK, sign the form and make payment to accept the contract.
  • Hopefully, you will be contacted at some point with an indication of a connection date.
  • Once you have a date for connection you can contact a gas supplier to request a new meter installation. Contact Consumer Focus for a list of supply companies or visit one of the utility price comparison websites.

Cost

Prices of a new gas connection vary depending on the location of the property within the plot, the area of the country you are in and the provider.

You can expect charges to start around £300 for the most simple connection where there is no horizontal distance between the wall of the house where the connection will be made and the public road or path. Prices increase as the distance and job requirments (such as excavation and reinstatement) increase.

Some companies have indicative costs displayed on their websites to give you a better idea of what to expect.

If your property is a consdiderable distance from the highway or the nearest gas main, it may become prohibitively expensive or even impossible to make a connection and an alternative such as an oil or gas tank or microgeneration solutions might be worth considering.

Gas Transporters

Below are the four gas transporter/distribution companies and the areas they operate:

Cadent Gas Ltd

  • North West
  • West Midlands
  • East Midlands and East Anglia
  • North London

New connection page

SGN

  • Scotland
  • Southern England and South London

New connection page

Northern Gas Networks Limited

  • Northern England

New connection page

Wales and West Utilities Limited

  • Wales and South West England

New connection page

We have linked to the ‘new gas connections’ page of each provider where you can find network maps, postcode checkers, indicative costs and new connection quotation application forms.

Note – The majority of connections will be through one of these companies but in some rare cases the supply might be owned by an independent gas transporter (IGT). The GT for your general area should be able to advise you if this is the case and who to contact.

To find out about other connections for your self build and for some general tips, go back to our utility and service connections page.

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