New water connection process

The cost of a connection varies greatly, and depends on many factors, including:

• Size of the pipe being laid (which is 25mm or 32mm for a house, but commercial properties may require much larger supply pipes)
• The distance between your property boundary and the water main
• If the main is situated on a verge, footway or carriageway
• The traffic management required

Ofwat regulates how much water companies charge for their services. They publish the median cost of UK connection charges to give you a basic idea of the cost of new water service connections. Please note, that construction costs in and around London are likely to be higher, and there are other charges required in addition to the prices listed on Ofwat’s website which you’ll find in our charging arrangements below.

Our charging arrangements can help you create an estimation of your new water connection, however, is an indicative cost only. A quote, which is created by our design engineers will give you specific prices based on your requirements and our network capacity. Please note, these charges are updated on 1 April each year.

Using the contents section of the charging document, find the ‘service connections’ page which is listed under ‘water charging arrangements’.

To protect our water supply from contamination, the quote we provide you may specify that you use a special barrier pipe when you lay your pipework. This is likely near garage blocks, petrol stations, cemeteries, railways, industrial sites and other areas where contamination may happen. You’ll notice that there are two different sections for the charges for barrier pipe and non-barrier pipe.

To estimate your costs, you’ll need to add up the following items listed in the charging arrangements:

• Application fee
• Design fee
• Connection charge
• Pipe-laying charge

To estimate how much pipe you’ll be quoted for, you’ll need to calculate how far your property boundary is from the nearest water main. To purchase a site plan for the area, you can contact your local authority or purchase a map from our property searches team. However, we’ll always strive to make sure you get enough water pressure, so it’s not always possible to connect you to the nearest mains supply. We recommend applying for a new connection and our design engineers will create a quote for you.