New Gas Connection GIRS accredited UIP

lovehols

If you understand the title you are better than me!

We have a property purchase going through and it is the other side of a canal bridge on oil and we ideally would want to change to gas. National Grid advised me to get in touch with Cadent and they said there is a gas connection the other side of the canal bridge so it is possible (not sure how you get gas over a canal bridge) but then said it would be a non-standard connection. They said we would have to have a surveyor to do a site visit which could be anything between £6-£800 and if the map is accurate they believe it is around 40 metres from the nearest gas line to be connected.

When I raised concern about paying for a surveyor when they can't even give me an indication of price of doing the work, which if is thousands we wouldn't pursue, they directed me to a site https://www.lr.org and a list of UIP companies (over a 100 in my area) to contact as they would be far cheaper and likely able to give prices etc...

I'm just a bit confused, why the difference? So, if you were me would you just email all 100 odd companies to ask for prices? It just seems an odd way of working, but then I know nothing about gas!

Also due to have a full building survey this week.

Alex1983

I would say it will be very expensive.

lovehols

I suspect so, it's just annoying that they want us to pay this for a survey but it's non refundable either way. I mean if they could say it would be somewhere between X figure then we could make a decision either to have a survey or not but it's paying out for someone just to come and look at it before even quoting.....

I'm tempted to email all these other companies and see what they say.

martinsurrey

lovehols wrote: »

I suspect so, it's just annoying that they want us to pay this for a survey but it's non refundable either way. I mean if they could say it would be somewhere between X figure then we could make a decision either to have a survey or not but it's paying out for someone just to come and look at it before even quoting.....

I'm tempted to email all these other companies and see what they say.

The problem is until they have the survey, they have no idea how much it will be between.

its a chicken and egg situation, and as you want the work, you have to make the first move.

lovehols

martinsurrey wrote: »

The problem is until they have the survey, they have no idea how much it will be between.

its a chicken and egg situation, and as you want the work, you have to make the first move.

I just find it strange, I've never had any other tradesmen want money for quoting for a job, given you're paying out X amount to actually do the job. This is all new to me! I'll perhaps fire off this draft email to 100 other people and see what they say, I've attached the map Cadent sent me and see what they say.

bris

Your into the thousands and not the low thousands at that. No one is going to survey it for nothing as they already know they are that they are very unlikely to get the job.


Just moving a meter 1m costs around £1000, can you imagine what it would cost to get pipe across a canal, that's some serious tunneling if they even take it on.

lovehols

Thanks, I've actually had one person email back who will look at it as it is close to their home. I think it maybe helpful to get some indication or price but it's likely to be expensive so I suspect oil may be our only option. This is what they have said.

It is certainly achievable to get gas to your property providing that the Low-Pressure Main situated just before the bridge is capable of the capacity you require.

The difficulty will be getting over the bridge, usually the pipework is encased in steel ducting and clipped to the side of the bridge as opposed to going under the canal.

A further email from them has said it is likely to be upwards of £5k so I think it will be a case of considering alternative 'greener' options, perhaps ground pumps or something similar.

From an email I got more information than Cadent gave me without paying a penny. If it was an option for us I'd be more likely to give my £ to someone else than Cadent who wanted hundreds of pounds before even coming out.

martinsurrey

lovehols wrote: »

I just find it strange, I've never had any other tradesmen want money for quoting for a job, given you're paying out X amount to actually do the job. This is all new to me! I'll perhaps fire off this draft email to 100 other people and see what they say, I've attached the map Cadent sent me and see what they say.

you are confusing tradesmen with National Grid.

Tradesmen compete to get business to feed their families.

National grids (through Cadent) goal is to keep the grid going for as little money as possible.

If they offered free surveys to see if people even wanted to do the work, all of our energy prices would go up, its fairer to make the person who wants to do work on the network, pay for it.