Charges for connecting a supply
You should not normally be charged for the connection of a gas supply when you are taking over the supply at premises that are already connected to the gas network. An exception is where the connection has been capped for over 12 months and a new connection is needed.
A gas transporter charges for connecting your premises to the gas network for the first time. You may be charged for all work done on your home and land and for any pipe which has to be laid, although the first 10 metres of the pipe that is not on your property is covered by the gas transporter. For domestic premises within 23 metres of a relevant gas main, a transporter is obliged to connect premises and provide and install the necessary assets for connecting the premises.1Condition 4B Gas Transporters SLCs For premises further than 23 metres from a main or consuming more than 2,196,000 kWh, the gas transporter quotes a price for connection. All work to connect this type of premises is chargeable. Potential customers may face high connection charges, particularly if a new supply is required some distance away from the gas mains network or if costs cannot be shared between a number of new customers. Information and quotations can be obtained from National Grid. Any charges should be checked closely to see if the expenditure is reasonably incurred; it may be possible to contest some charges.
Charges are based on National Grid recovering the cost of laying new mains within a five-year period, less a discount reflecting the anticipated revenue from the new customers. You may be charged if your gas main is less than five years old at the time that you ask for a gas supply. You may be asked to finish paying for the costs of having the supply put in, but the extra charge only applies if:
•the amount of the charge is no more than anyone previously supplied from the main has been charged; and
•the transporter has not yet recovered the full cost of the main; and
•the transporter has supplied you with any information you reasonably requested concerning the cost of the main, the date it was laid and how much has been paid by previous consumers.
This charge does not apply if you are an owner or occupier who has paid contractors to connect the supply.
Ofgem has a duty to resolve disputes about connection charges.