- Which form do I use for a gas connection application?
- It depends on the gas transporter that owns the mains at your postcode, the job and, at most transporters, whether the load is standard or non-standard. Each of the four gas distribution networks publishes its own portal and forms, and each separates a household or single-property application from a business, multiple-property or non-standard form that asks for the peak hourly load, the annual load and a site plan. The tool above works out the transporter from your postcode or MPRN and names the route for your job; the routing table beneath it lists every network's published routes with the date they were verified.
- Gas transporter or gas shipper: who receives the application?
- The gas transporter (the distribution network, or an independent gas transporter) owns the mains and the service pipe, so a new connection, an alteration for increased load, a move of the service pipe, a diversion and a permanent disconnection go to the transporter. Your supplier acts as the shipper on that network and owns the meter, so meter removal, a meter-only move, capping and uncapping for works and any change to the Supply Offtake Quantity go to the supplier. The tool reads the supplier registered at the site so those requests start with the right party.
- What if the site is on an independent gas transporter?
- Apply to that transporter, not to the host distribution network. Independent gas transporters own the site network on many developments, and a postcode lookup returns the host network and is silently wrong on such a site. Where a meter exists the tool reads the transporter recorded against the MPRN, which is exact. The often-quoted rule that an independent transporter's MPRN starts 74 to 77 is incomplete: the range table allocates 74,000,001 to 79,500,000 on the 8-digit core, so treat any prefix test as a hint and trust the transporter name. On a bare development the tool asks whether a developer-appointed transporter was used.
- How long does the transporter have to send a quotation?
- The Gas (Standards of Performance) Regulations 2005 set the quotation periods in working days from a complete application: 4 for a standard quotation where the load is at or below 275 kWh per hour, 11 for a non-standard quotation at that size and 21 for a non-standard quotation above it. Which class applies is the transporter's determination; the result card shows all three rows and highlights the one its reading of your peak load points to.
- Is a temporary builder's supply available for gas?
- No. Temporary builder's supplies are an electricity product. No gas distribution network publishes one, so site heating and welfare during construction normally run on LPG or electricity. The tool keeps the option visible for gas, greyed, with that reason, so the answer is explicit rather than hidden.
- How do I change the Supply Offtake Quantity?
- Through your supplier, as shipper, not through the transporter. The Supply Offtake Quantity is the hourly figure the site is registered to draw, and it is part of the supply registration, so a reduction or an increase within the capacity of the existing service is a supplier request. Only where the service pipe or the meter must be upsized to carry the new load does the transporter come in, as an alteration for increased load. The tool marks a gas capacity reduction as a supplier job for that reason.
- Can the gas be capped or uncapped for works?
- Yes, and it is a supplier job. Capping and uncapping a gas meter is done by your supplier's meter operator, not by the transporter, so a temporary disconnection on gas goes to the supplier. A permanent disconnection is different: the transporter removes the service pipe, but only after the supplier has had the meter taken out, so a demolition or a site clearance is two requests in sequence.
- Does the meter come out before a permanent disconnection?
- Yes. Every distribution network treats meter removal as the supplier's job and will not disconnect a service pipe with the meter still in place, so the order is: ask the supplier to remove the meter, then apply to the transporter for the service disconnection. The tool routes the two halves to the two parties and lists the disconnection application's usual contents, which include the pipe diameter, the meter details and the reason for the disconnection.
- What does a gas connection application need?
- The peak hourly load and the annual load, which set the meter size and whether the quotation is standard or non-standard; a site plan showing the boundary and the proposed meter position; the MPRN and a recent bill where a supply already exists; proof of title or landowner consent on a bare site or a diversion; a letter of authority where someone applies on the business's behalf; and the programme dates. The result card in the tool lists exactly which of these your job needs.
- How big is my current gas meter?
- UK gas meters carry a U-series designation in which the number is the maximum flow in cubic metres per hour: a U6 passes up to 6, and diaphragm meters run from U6 to U160. The bill does not state the size, so the tool estimates it from the annual usage the industry lookup returns: usage at or below 73,200 kWh a year sits in the standard supply band that a U6 serves, and usage above that band means the meter is larger than a U6, which the annual figure alone cannot narrow further because the size is set by the peak hourly load. The exact designation is printed on the meter face, and we confirm it there before any application is submitted.
- Is the application service free?
- Yes. We complete the operator's application on the operator's own form and submit it with your authority at no fee. We are paid on the supply contract too, disclosed. On the ongoing gas and electricity contract we earn a commission built into the unit rate (stated in pence per kWh) or an agreed fee, your choice. Every margin is separated so you can see exactly what the service costs.
