As we have established previously, gas is far cheaper per unit of energy than electricity. For many people without a gas supply, electricity is their only option, but have you tried to see how much a new gas connection would cost? Is it financially viable for your home?
How much does a gas supply cost?
This really does vary depending on your property, but there are a few important things that you need to consider which will contribute significantly towards the cost of the connection:
- Has the property had gas in the past and been disconnected? If so, it is often fairly simple to reconnect you and the cost is likely to be a few hundred pounds.
- How close is the nearest gas line? If your neighbours or others on the street have gas, then chances are that there is a gas supply right on your doorstep and it just needs a pipe running a few metres to your house. The cost in this instance should be under a thousand pounds.
- Are you in a rural part of the country? If you are outside towns or cities it is quite likely that a gas supply quite hard to obtain to your property. In this case costs could spiral into £1000s just to get connected, making it quite an expensive option.
- Are you in a flat above the ground floor? Flats tend to have complications as the pipe will need to run through other people’s property. High rise properties also suffer with issues of gas pressure. These types of properties tend to cost thousands of pounds to connect.
The National Grid (one of the Gas Distribution Network companies) give a list of the various prerequisites that need to be met for what they call a ‘standard charge’ installation. You can find them in the connection document here. If your property meets all of those criteria, chances are the cost of your gas line will be in the order of hundreds rather than thousands of pounds.
Who installs your gas supply?
To supply gas to a property it must first be connected to the gas grid. If the property is not connected to a gas grid then a Gas Distribution Network (GDN or GT) company can provide a connection from the nearest supply to the gas meter of your property.
It is the responsibility of GDNs companies such as National Grid, Northern Gas Networks, Southern Gas Networks and Wales & West Utilities to maintain these networks and also offer options for new customers to connect should they wish to. To find out which GT can supply your property with a new connection please visit the following OFGEM document by clicking here.
You can speak to your gas supply company (retailer) such as British Gas, E.ON, SSE, EDF, etc in the first instance on what is the best way to proceed with getting connected to the gas grid. The gas supplier will in most cases advise for you to get a quote from the GDN, an Independent Gas Transporter (IGT) or a Utility Infrastructure Provider (UIP).
Other options to connect to a gas supply
To ensure the market is as competitive as possible, OFGEM have designed a framework that also allows other organisations such as IGTs and UIPs to also provide this connection service in certain instances.
Utility Infrastructure providers tend to procure for connections to the gas grid on new housing developments or new commercial premises. However according to the OFGEM guidelines you can ask one of these companies to procure a connection to your property.
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Infills
For example, if you live in a community where there are a number of existing properties that do not have a connection to a gas supply, then the term ‘infills’ is usually applied to the gas connection project. These are often remote communities situated some distance from a relevant gas main.
If a number of local residents gather together and request that an infill project is undertaken, the GT will determine the connection charge at the beginning of the scheme and apply a similar charge to all requests for a connection to the main for a maximum period of twenty years.
These charging arrangements are provided for under the Gas (Connection Charges) Regulations, see here for more details.
Therefore if you have recently moved into a remote community and the neighbours are connected to the gas network but your property is not, then according to the regulations, as long as you find out what the infill project rates were, then those same rates can be applied to connect your property – even if the original project was nearly 20 years ago. This could therefore save you quite a lot of money.
Is it worth getting a gas supply?
If you have an idea of the cost, you need to decide if it is going to be worth it long term. Obviously in the short term the cost is going to be significant, as not only will you need to pay for a gas connection, you also will need to pay for the installation of a boiler, radiators and pipework. This involves installing pipework from the meter to the boiler and additional pipework to provide the heating via radiators or underfloor heating.
Compare this to the cost of installing a boiler and making a gas connection. This cost can range from a modest heating system in a ground floor flat starting around £4,000, to a 4 bed semi for as much as £8,000.
As you can see, the big up-front cost won’t pay back over night, but a 10-15 year payback is actually pretty good when you compare with other money saving improvements like double glazing. And once you’ve paid back that cost, you are going to be saving a huge amount on your energy bills.
Installing a new boiler
Are you thinking about getting a new boiler? We have scoured the country for the best tradespeople, so that we can make sure we only recommend those we really trust.
If you would like us to find you a local installer to install a new boiler in your home, just fill in the form below and we will be in touch shortly!
The newly converted old block of offices into flats only have electric supply the costs of which are unacceptably high.
i have received a bill of £859.00 for three month’s bill from December to February 2016 trying to keep warm. single person, dishwasher used once a week, washing machine twice a week. NOWHERE to dry clothes except near electric radiators during the Winter, which is my first winter in the flat, No ironing, no cooking. It is no wonder that thousands of people die every year because they cannot afford to heat their homes because of the outrageous charges forced on them by the utility Companies who make billions of profits from the suffering of the frail sick and needy consumers. If these Companies were efficient and less greedy lives would not be lost. Off the top of the head sums quoted on this site as to what the predicted cost of heating a home are unjustified and without foundation. the Energy Companies can quote what they want as they have the monopoly of these markets. The petrol, Oil price plummet but the consumers bills continue to escalate, there is no regulation nor accountability and the Big Six energy suppliers monopolize the industry. the energy suppliers are a law unto themselves and should all be ashamed of themselves for always attacking the frail and the needy. the quotes given above are an insult to ones intelligence.
Completely understand the frustration. We are pleased that we can offer some useful consumer energy saving advice, where we can bring these issues to the table so that the user can make an informed decision, whether or not connecting to gas is worth it.
useful information, but can you tell me how I find out how close the nearest gas line is. This is not a remote area, built up, end terrace 1970’s property
Many thanks
I have an existing boiler. I want to convert to gas heat. My neighbors already have gas.
I know I need a qualified gas line installer and inspection. I already have of course
the pipework and baseboard radiators in place…
Having said that can you tell me what I may need to spend to have this entire conversion done, from placement of the gas line to my home and whatever else may need to be done to my existing boil.
Hi Dan, we have heard varying prices here from £3,000 upwards. It is worth speaking to the national grid to get a price for this.
I am looking to open a hot food take away the neigboours above me have a flat and their gas supplier is EON. Their gas meter in at the back of our lease.
My lease however has no gas supply
I want to instal gas in the lease
What do I do ???
How many houses can a 32mm 40mm 63mm 90mm pipe from gas main in the street connect to
Please can anyone help.
Have recently had a quote for gas mains supply to my house.
Since the quote, a neighbour has said I could connect to the pipe on her land
Which would be a lot cheaper.
Since numerous telephone conversations with the gas supplier. They seemed to have contradicted themselves numerous times as to why this would not be possible.
First excuse being needs to be a terraced house 2nd being the pipe to neighbours was only big enough to service one house,so I presumed that would be the 32mm. So when I questioned that they would be using 40mm on mine,would that be big enough to run 2 or more houses,They replied yes.
I then said that the house across the road infact supplied 2 house so must be 40mm and could I then not be the 3rd as they said 40mm would work for three houses.
They then said no as its all down to the flow rate and the pipes would have to be uprated.
It seems they are only interested in going the longest route possible.
So I contacted another service provider.
Who said Its shouldn’t really matter about the pipe size and the flow rate can be adjusted in the street or close by where the pipe connects to the gas main.
Im confused as there does not seemed to be a table anywhere stating what size pipe gas suppliers should use when connecting up to houses from mains.
For example if you build a new house 100meters from gas main in the street then they would use a 32mm pipe or ten houses a 90mm pipe so to speak
Please if anyone could help would be greatly appreciated.
hi Jeff,I have recently moved in my new 1 bedroomed upper floor flat down stairs has a gas supply could I have a supply off the down stairs property .there is also a supply pipe about 10 meters away or do I not need this to supply me thanks
I have been quoted nearly £5,000 to get a gas supply to my door, and that was after being charged £480 just to get a quote. How is that fair? Other people on my street already have gas, including my next door neighbour. It is sickening what these companies will charge.
Is there anything I can do to get this cost down? Apart from voting for Jeremy of course.
5K is a good price. Just go for it. Your property will increase in value and your heating bills will be much lower.
It will take 10-15 years to recoup the cost…just stay put for 10 years.
My next door neighbour had gas installed last year for £700 due to their age over 70. I am 75 and suffer with Osteoporosis, my husband is a cancer patient with one kidney. Help, please
Hi, as of 1 May 2017, National Grid Gas Distribution was sold and began operating as a new company–Cadent Gas. So, it might be worth updating the links/text in this article that refer customers to National Grid. Happy to pull new links of desired.
Hi guys,
Im looking into buying a property in a block of flats in Glasgow that has no gas in it already. Apparently both apartments at either side of the one i want have gas in it already, I called the gas board for a rough idea on a price and I was told that i need to own the property before they would talk to me, but this is a deal breaker if i can’t get gas in it for whatever reason.
I really want to put an offer in but i don’t have the slightest clue about how much it could cost to get the gas plumbed into the flat, a gas meter, boiler and a few radiators .
Has anyone been in a similar situation that could possibly help?
my daughter would like to install gas her neighbour has gas but ngb have told her it will cost£15000! loads of people would love gas around her way why should they have to pay for b gas to put in a pipe that should have automatically been there??
Need gas connected to house
I live in a First Floor Masionette and I want Gas put on. Downstairs has a Gas Meter but we don’t so it would mean a Gas Meter
put in upstairs. Our Masoinette is not very big but at the moment we have Electric Central Heating but want to turn to Gas. I
would be very grateful if you would give me some idea of how much it would cost to have a Gas Meter put in.
Kind regards
Are there firms that supply biogas, biomethane or Liquid Natural Gas by tanker for domestic use with storage in a tank as happens for LPG or heating oil? I have been trying to find a source without success I live in Scotland
I am trying to find out if it possible to have Mains/Natural Gas connected to my house and how much that would cost. Your site came up on Google and looked as though it could provide the answers. However, all it does is tell me what I already know, e.g. establish where the nearest gas main is, has my house been connected before, etc. The link to OFGEM looked promising but their onward link to the company dealing with my area didn’t work. All in all, complete waste of time
We do not currently use gas (although we would like when and if we can get the central heating working again for an economical price). We are paying 27.344p per day for the privilege of not having the prospect of having to pay to have Gas brought to the house again should we elect to have the meter taken out (so as to not have to pay the 27.344p per day). Is there a cheaper way of returning to using gas later than having to pay 27.344p for every elapsed day at present? We have been paying this since 10.6.2016.
I have tried today to obtain a gas meter installation from 3 companies, it has been impossible. I am in an infill area, i have found funding to reduce the 3200 suggested connection fee, I have arranged and paid for the connection. Can I find a supplier? No, please help me access a company that recognises me as a new customer and not one with an existing meter. I just want heat before it gets really cold.
,
The gas has pipes have been fitted as far as the garage in a 4 bed, 3 storey town house, how much would it cost to have this then fitted in the house, add a boiler and radiators