Securing a water supply for your home, business, or any other premises is vital as water is imperative to operate and survive. The rules and regulations surrounding new water connections in the UK can be complex.
If you’re searching for a new water connection for your home, business, or large-scale construction project, Crown Energy is equipped to take care of your requirements from start to finish with little to no disruption to your daily life. To ensure that the entire process is as seamless as possible, we bring our decades worth of experience, knowledge, and expertise together and provide a smooth new water connection service.
In this ‘How to get a new water connection’ guide, we’ll explain what a new water connection is, how to organise one for your home, and all the steps required to complete the job.
What is a new water connection?
A new water connection is a first-time connection that links a commercial, residential, or industrial property to a main water supply.
A water connection is required for all toilets, taps, and many household appliances including dishwashers and washing machines to function. Without water, you won’t have a fully operational premises.
At Crown Energy, we can also facilitate water disconnections, and infrastructure upgrades, and relocation for homes and businesses. Click the button below to speak with an account manager about the scope of works you require.
How do I get a new water connection at home?
Dealing with a professional and experienced company like Crown Energy means we know when the right time is to apply for a new water supply connection. Whether you are a developer undertaking the construction of a new development or a homeowner putting up an outbuilding, it’s crucial to get this timing right in order to avoid any disruptions or delays in the work timeline.
Call us on 0333 2000 204 to get the ball rolling. You’ll be allocated one point of contact who will take care of your needs throughout the process, thereby ensuring maximum attention and efficiency are provided.
Your account manager will get in touch with all the required statutory bodies on your behalf, answer any questions you may have, and assist with any complications or problems that may arise.
We can arrange every aspect of your new water connection. Our design engineers will provide you with a fair and competitive plan and costing for your new water connection. There are, however, other areas of the process that fall under your responsibility. These include:
- Digging trenches for the piping
- The laying of the pipe on-site.
- All backfilling
- Surface restoration
There are many plumbing companies that can complete this work for you. It’s a good idea to use a company that’s WaterSafe approved.
What are the key steps to getting a new water connection?
There is plenty of red tape to cut through before a new water connection can be legally installed. A private water connection installation may require the laying of service pipework in conjunction with your water board.
Crown Energy will always provide a complete checklist of all the steps to be completed by the customer, for a successful water connection, before any work commences. The following steps are required to get a new water connection installed, or an old one replaced:
Apply and get a quote
Your first step is to contact us and start an application for a new water connection. We will take down a few details from you including name, address where the connection is needed, and a clear site plan in order to proceed with your new water connection application.
Alternatively, you can get a head start and fill in our online Utility Application form which will be assessed by an account manager. They will contact you to confirm the details you have provided and start the water connection application process with the relevant authorities.
Please note when submitting your application online, certain supporting documents will be required to get your application processed correctly and efficiently. You will easily be able to see where these can be uploaded onto the form before you submit it.
In some cases, we may require a water application fee and/or a free on-site survey may need to be carried out to gain a full understanding of the works needed. We’ll provide an in-depth analysis of the pipework that needs to be laid, along with all costs involved. Once we’ve discussed this with you, we’ll send an official costing to you with a full scope of works.
Agree and make payment for work to begin
If you’re satisfied with our analysis and subsequent quote, you’ll need to officially approve it, and make full payment for the work to proceed. The quote you receive will be valid for 30 days.
Once the payment has cleared, we will proceed with arranging all the required work to complete your new water connection in a safe, professional and timely manner.
Receive a home or site visit
Once you’ve accepted the quote, paid for the water connection, and received consent for your water regulation, we’ll provide the plan and costing for laying the pipework from your house to the boundary box where your meter will be positioned.
There are some legal regulations for us to follow when performing the installation. Our team will arrange for a site visit, a pre-works visit, and a trench inspection at the relevant stages.
We’ll need to confirm that the new piping has been laid at the correct depth, that appropriate materials have been used, and that the job has been completed competently and safely.
In some cases, you may be required to take and submit photographs for your site inspection. In other cases, we will conduct the site visit ourselves.
We’ll review these photos to ensure we’re happy the work has been completed according to industry standards, rules, and regulations.
For any high-risk projects, we may send a representative to perform a thorough on-site inspection.
Water regulations inspection
We’ll assist in the preparation for Water Regulations Inspection – this is prior to the connection being made and must be passed by the local water board. If a water regulation inspection is required for your project, we’ll provide you with advance notice.
We will arrange a water regulations inspection for your new connection, as the regulations and conditions surrounding the industry are complex.
All pipework and plumbing must comply with Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999, which we adhere to throughout.
We get you connected
After the site has passed the water regulations inspection, we can begin the installation of your new water connection.
There are additional factors that could influence the length of the work, due to authority permits being required.
If private land entry or road closures are required, the work could take a little longer. Your dedicated account manager will be able to discuss these considerations with you. Your dedicated account manager will share the anticipated timeframe for the job to be completed. This could vary depending on factors outside of our control.
Once we’ve successfully installed your new water connection, you can start to enjoy a normal water supply at your home or business.