Getting connected What to expect when getting a new gas connection or making a change to your existing gas supply6 5 04927 m 3 Our gas mains pipe Your supplier’s gas Our service pipe Emergency control valve 1 Gas meter 2 Gas appliances 3 2 How it all works 1. Bringing gas to you2. Your gas supplier3. The property owner We own the pipes which transport gas into homes across southern England and the whole of Scotland, but we don’t own the gas. We look after the pipes up to the emergency control valve (ECV), which is located before your meter and allows you to turn off gas in an emergency. Your gas supplier owns the gas transported through our pipes, and is responsible for the maintenance of your gas meter and for sending you bills for the gas you use in your property. The property owner is responsible for maintaining internal pipes leading from the meter to gas appliances such as boilers, cookers and heaters and for making sure all gas appliances in the property are checked and serviced annually. A Gas Safe registered engineer must be used to do any safety checks or work on internal gas pipes or appliances.3 Our services If your property doesn’t have a gas connection and you want to be connected to our gas network, you can apply for a new connection. If you want to move your gas meter and/or existing gas pipe, or upgrade your existing connection, this is called a service alteration. If you’re renovating your home, building an extension or making changes to your garden, and any of this work will interfere with the pipes carrying gas to your property, you’ll need to contact us so we can move them safely. How much will it cost? Every job is different but the majority of domestic work we carry out costs customers between £400 and £1,000. Please be aware that we need payment in advance of starting your work to cover costs we incur such as local authority permits. Unfortunately we cannot accept part payment. For more information about our standard service charges, please visit sgn.co.uk/connect4 Helping our vulnerable customers New connections Our Help to Heat scheme helps customers who may need some extra support by offering free or discounted connections to our gas network. If you have been struggling to pay your energy bills and you are finding it difficult to keep your home warm, we may be able to help. You, or someone you know, could qualify for support if: • You receive certain income-related benefits • Your household income, after your rent or mortgage costs, is considered low and the expected cost to adequately heat your home would be high • You are eligible under your local authority’s unique criteria, known as its ‘statement of intent’ To find out if this scheme is available to you please call our partner Agility Eco on 0800 015 5174 or email them direct at support@sgnhelptoheat.org.uk Alterations If you can’t access your meter or emergency control valve, we may be able to move your meter for free. This scheme is only for customers who are either pensioners, registered disabled or chronically sick and must permanently reside at the property requiring the alteration. To help us process your application quickly, we’ll need some proof of eligibility such as your: • Certificate of entitlement from the Department of Work and Pensions • Certificate of Entitlement to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) • Medical certificate or a letter from your medical specialistYour quote from SGN If you apply online, you’ll usually get a quote instantly. In other circumstances, we’ll send it by email or post. Either way, it will be valid for 60 days. Only the person it’s addressed to can place the order. If someone different wants to sign the order form, you’ll need to apply for a new one in their name. After we’ve issued your quote, any changes such as altering the position of your meter box, pipe route or changing your gas load will mean we’ll have to re-quote. This may cause delay in us beginning your work and you could incur additional charges. Assumptions about your quote If you choose to place the order without updating us in writing by letter or email before any work begins, we’ll assume that: • You own the premises where we’ll be working, or the owner has given their consent, and • The pipe will not be laid across land belonging to others, and work will only take place on land belonging to the owner of the premises or in the public highway.6 How do I accept my quote? If you’d like to go ahead with the work, you’ll need to complete and sign the order form sent with your quote, and submit it by email, via our website, or in writing, depending on how you asked for the quote originally. You’ll also need to confirm that you’ve read and accept our terms and conditions. This is very important as the contract between you and SGN for the agreed work will become binding once we’ve accepted your order. If you’re in any way unsure about your rights and obligations, we strongly advise that you obtain independent legal advice from a solicitor or the Citizens Advice Bureau before sending us your order form. To process your order, we’ll need: • Full payment • Detailed consent from any third party owner of the property or land if required (please ask us for consent forms) • Solicitor’s details to begin the process of obtaining any easements/servitudes* • Proof of discount eligibility if applicable (see page 4) Once we’ve received all this, and we’re able to confirm that the work falls within our standard service charges, we’ll send you a letter to say we’re happy to go ahead. *An easement (the term used in England) or servitude (the term used in Scotland) is a legal agreement between our company and a landowner, restricting future use of that land such as building over our service pipe. If you think this applies to you, please seek legal advice. Obtaining an easement/servitude can take a long time and may delay your work.7 Can I cancel the work after I have paid for the order? You can cancel your contract with us in writing at any time before we start work on site, giving at least three working days notice. If work hasn’t started, we’ll cancel your request and refund you in full within 30 days unless we’ve already incurred some costs, in which case it may be a partial refund. Can I get a quote from someone else? You can get an alternative quote from another utility infrastructure provider (UIP) so long as they’re part of the Gas Industry Registration Scheme (GIRS) as it’s illegal for anyone to carry out this work unless they’re qualified. For more information check Lloyds Register lr.org/girs or call 0330 414 1337 for a list. We’ll need to approve any other UIP’s work in advance to make sure they meet all our safety requirements. If they go ahead without our approval, we may have to cut off your gas and bill you for any resulting repair work.8 How long will it take? Every job is different, but the average time from planning to work starting is usually four to six weeks. Once we’ve processed your documents and received payment, our nearest office will telephone you within seven working days to discuss the details of your work and to arrange a start date. You can tell us about any urgency or special requirements at this point. We’ll try and finish the job within two working days, and restore any areas of your property that we’ve disturbed within five working days wherever possible. Do I need to be there on the day? There’ll need to be someone authorised on site to give us access to your premises and approve any changes to the job not included in your original quote. Are any permits required? We have to get permits from the local authority to work on the public highways. The cost of this is not normally passed on to you but if you decide to change the date we start work, you may incur additional charges for a second permit. Your local authority may have to provide consent for the location of your meter box if your premises are listed or you’re within a conservation area.Next >