- Who receives a water connection application?
- The wholesaler for the postcode, under section 45 of the Water Industry Act 1991, for a new connection, an upgrade for more flow, a move of the service pipe, a diversion of a main or water for building purposes. In Scotland that is Scottish Water. Where the site already has a SPID, jobs on that supply point (a disconnection, a temporary disconnection, a meter removal or a meter relocation) start with the retailer, who raises them with the wholesaler. The tool reads the retailer registered at the site so those requests go to the right party first time.
- Section 45 connection or self-lay: which route?
- A section 45 application asks the wholesaler to make the connection itself, and on a single service connection it is usually the only route. On a development that needs a new main and several services, the contestable work can instead be designed and laid by a self-lay provider accredited under WIRS and adopted by the wholesaler under section 51A, against a point of connection, a design approval and an adoption agreement from the wholesaler. Self-lay is a delivery route for new mains and services, not an application route for a disconnection, a meter removal or a capacity change. The routing table beneath the tool carries both.
- Why does a postcode lookup fail on a NAV site?
- Because a postcode lookup returns the incumbent wholesaler, and on a site served by a new appointee (NAV) the incumbent is not the undertaker. NAVs hold appointments for individual developments, so two addresses in one postcode district can have different wholesalers, and nothing in the postcode says which. Where the site already has a SPID the tool reads the wholesaler behind it; on a bare development it asks whether the site is on an independent network before trusting the postcode, and the adoption paperwork or the bill confirms the undertaker.
- Is there a statutory quotation period for a water connection?
- No. The Electricity (Standards of Performance) Regulations 2015 and the Gas (Standards of Performance) Regulations 2005 set quotation periods for those two utilities; nothing equivalent applies to a water connection under the Water Industry Act 1991. What applies is the wholesaler's own published levels of service for developer services, which vary by wholesaler and by job. Where a wholesaler publishes them and the page could be read, they appear under that wholesaler in the routing table beneath the tool; where they were not read, the result card says so and a consultant confirms them with the wholesaler.
- Who do I ask first for a disconnection or a meter move on an existing supply?
- The retailer. On a non-household supply point with a SPID, a permanent disconnection, a temporary disconnection, a meter removal and a meter relocation all start with the retailer, which raises the job with the wholesaler through the market's central system. Applying to the wholesaler directly for one of these is refused or redirected. The wholesaler's own disconnection routes are for developer and demolition sites without a live supply point, and the tool separates the two.
- What is a SPID and where do I find it?
- A SPID (Supply Point Identifier) is the unique reference for each water or sewerage supply point in the English non-household market, held on the market operator's central system. It is printed on the water bill with the retailer's name, and the tool's supply-check step lists the SPIDs at a postcode where the upstream lookup is available. A site with a SPID is an existing supply for routing purposes; a site without one is treated as a bare site and the application goes to the wholesaler.
- Can I get water for building purposes before the permanent supply?
- Yes. Wholesalers supply water for building purposes as a temporary arrangement for the life of the works: a temporary building supply connection, an existing supply on the site used under an application for building purposes, or standpipe hire from a hydrant where the wholesaler offers it. The tool carries this as the temporary builder's supply job on water and names the wholesaler's route where one is published. It does not become the permanent supply: the permanent connection is a separate section 45 application, sized on the finished building's demand.
- What does a water connection application need?
- A site location plan showing the boundary and the proposed supply position, the flow or demand the site needs and the pipe size where the job asks for it, the SPID 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. Several wholesalers ask about pressure and supply size for commercial premises on the same form. The result card in the tool lists exactly which of these your job needs.
- Can I reduce the capacity of a water supply to cut the bill?
- There is no capacity charge to reduce on a water supply, so there is no capacity-reduction application to the wholesaler. A smaller meter or a changed tariff goes through your retailer, and the tool marks the job that way. If the site's demand has fallen, the saving comes from the retail contract and from checking the meter size and the charges on the bill, not from the network.
- Is the application service free?
- Yes. We complete the wholesaler's or the retailer's application on its own form and submit it with your authority at no fee. Where we also tender the retail water contract on the new supply point, every offer is presented with the wholesale charge, the retailer margin and our margin shown separately, so you can see exactly what the service costs.
