Step by Step National Gas Grid Connection

Although some homes are powered by electricity alone, many of us rely on gas to cook our meals, keep our homes warm and ensure that we have plenty of hot water for cleaning and bathing. If you’ve always used electricity, but want to convert your home to gas, you may wonder if it’s possible to make a brand new national gas grid connection and bring gas into your home. Or perhaps you may want to move your national gas grid connection, or change the location of your gas meter.

Read on, and you’ll be cooking with gas in no time!

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How do I connect gas to my home?

Just like our nation’s electricity supply, our gas supply relies on a national gas grid. This is also run by National Grid, the same company that oversees our electricity network. The national gas grid is an intricate network of gas pipes and exchanges that supplies natural gas to our nation’s homes and businesses.

But if you want to connect to the gas grid, you cannot contact National Grid directly. You need to go through your local gas transporter. At Switch Plan, we cant help you get connected to the grid, but we can definitely help you switch energy suppliers. We can search the market for you and find the best quotes for your specific needs. All you need to do is give us a call at the number above!

The gas distribution network, and why it’s important

The national gas grid is divided into several regions. Each of which has a gas transporter responsible for maintaining, upgrading and managing connections to their portion of the network - this is the gas distribution network. They also respond to gas emergencies, with Cadent Gas (the UK’s largest gas transporter) also responsible for operating the National Gas Emergency Service.

These are the gas equivalents of local Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) who perform the same services for the nation’s electricity network.

See the table below to find your area’s gas transporter:

Step by Step connection

Getting a new national gas grid connection is fairly straightforward. Just contact your local gas transporter. It will usually take around 2 weeks after initial contact to get a plan date, and works are usually completed within 6 weeks.

Every gas connection is different. Costs can vary between £300-£600 on average, depending on the size of your property, how much digging needs to be done, and whether works need to be carried out on roads or private land.

You can, however, mitigate the costs by getting an independent contractor to carry out some of the work. This may cost a little less than going through your gas transporter.

Follow the steps below to get the most cost-effective connection possible:

• Find out who your gas transporter is from the table above.
• Obtain a quote for a new connection (usually takes 3-4 working days).
• Ask your transporter to break the quote down into contestable and non-contestable work.
• Obtain quotes from local Gas Safe approved gas engineers to see if they can carry out any of the contestable work at a cheaper rate.
• Compare the quotes obtained to those provided by your transporter. This may save you money without causing delays to the connection’s timeframe.
• Once you have decided on the most cost-effective solution, you’ll need to make payment to start proceedings.
• Once payment has been received, your gas transporter will contact you within 12 working days to let you know when work will commence.
• Your gas transporter will start digging the necessary trenches and laying / connecting the pipework over the next few weeks. Most will have you connected and ready to go within 6 weeks of payment.
• Finally, you will need to contact a gas supplier to connect a meter for your new gas connection.

How to choose your gas supplier

Of course, once you are connected to the national gas grid, you’ll need to choose the right gas supplier. At a national level, we’re spending around £800 million more than we should on our energy bills. As such, it’s vital that you choose the right supplier and tariff for your needs. There are lots of suppliers who can provide cheap gas, including green biomethane gas that is completely carbon neutral.

However, searching for the right supplier can be a slow and laborious process.

That’s where we come in!

We scour the market on your behalf to find you the best value energy deals for your needs. We’ll even manage the supply from end-to-end. So you can enjoy cheaper, greener gas from the day you’re connected.

Also, if you would you like to know more about connecting to the grid, go on and check out our article on connecting to the electricity supply.

Sound good?

FAQ

How much does it cost to get a gas supply?

Costs can vary depending on your area’s gas transporter, your location, how much digging needs to be done, and how much of the work will need to take place on private land. However, costs usually vary between £300 and £600 for a new connection. This may be cheaper if you use an independent contractor for some of the work.

What if I want to move my gas meter?

Your gas supplier may be able to move your meter for free under certain circumstances. For instance, if you are on the priority services register and need to move your meter to make it easier to access. 

However, if you need to move your gas meter by more than 1-3 metres , you will likely need to go through your gas transporter. The costs to move a meter are similar to the cost of a new connection.

How do I get my gas reconnected?

If you move into a property where the gas supply has been “capped”, this is usually an indication that the previous occupant has had a gas leak or requested for their supply to be disconnected. Who you need to speak to in order to get reconnected will depend on where the cap is.

• If the meter is capped before the meter (such as the incoming gas pipe or emergency control valve) you’ll need to call your local gas transporter to find out why this has been done.
• If the cap is after the meter and on the internal pipework, you’ll need to contact a Gas Safe registered engineer in your area to take the cap off.
• If the cap appears to be on the inlet pipe or the gas meter itself, contact your energy supplier.

What should I do if my gas connection is refused and contractors have already organised the connection?

There are some circumstances where your gas transporter may refuse to make a new connection, because it is unsafe to do so. However, if you have already organised a contractor to carry out the contestable work, this can be very frustrating. It may be worth getting a quote from the same contractor to carry out whatever repairs are necessary to ensure a safe connection. If they are able to do this, it may be cheaper than if the same work were to be carried out by your gas transporter.