Getting Started
172 sources in the library on getting started. Each one says what the document covers and what it is good for. Name a source to see which document it is and where to read it. One at a time. Page 5 of 5.
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Thames Water
The step-by-step clock and the inspection rules for a new water supply. Thames Water aims to issue a quote within 28 days of receiving the completed application form and fees; the quote covers only its work between the property boundary and the water main, with everything on private land the applicant's responsibility, and the charge is cost-recovery. Allow 5 working days for payment to be processed and another 5 working days for the company to process the pipework notification. Any plumber may lay the supply pipe, but Thames Water recommends a WaterSafe approved one, because if the plumber is not WaterSafe approved a water regulations inspection must be booked (0800 009 3921) and the company aims to visit within 7 working days. A chlorination procedure is required for pipes 63mm or over, which does not apply to a typical house, since a home usually needs 25mm or 32mm. For a genuinely new supply, billing account setup follows within 60 days. A 2026/27 online calculator gives a preliminary estimate, with the caveat it can take up to 28 days to receive a real quote.
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Thames Water
Applying for a water meter is free. Thames Water aims to fit the meter outside the property within 50 days of the request; if that is not possible it looks at fitting inside, so the internal stop valve must be accessible for the visit. Installation may be refused where there is limited space, unsuitable pipework, or the property is on a shared supply, all three of which are common in older terraces and converted flats and are worth checking before planning a bathroom or kitchen around a meter position. Eligibility extends to the bill payer and to tenants with a tenancy of six months or more. A metered bill combines measured water and wastewater volumes with fixed charges for providing the services.
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Thames Water
Surface water drainage is charged as part of the wastewater bill and covers rainwater running off the roof, driveway or garden into the public sewer. Where surface water instead goes to a soakaway or a nearby stream and the property is not connected to the public sewer for surface water, a rebate can be claimed. The homeowner test given is to follow where the gutters lead: if there is a manhole cover close by, the surface water probably drains into a sewer. The bill states whether a surface water drainage charge is being made or a rebate is already applied. A successful rebate can be backdated up to six years, even if the customer has lived at the property longer. Relevant to anyone fitting a soakaway, a permeable driveway or a rainwater harvesting system, because the drainage change can also reduce a standing charge.
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The Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE)
What a leaseholder must do before altering a flat. Landlord consent may be needed even where planning permission and building regulations approval are already held. Alterations include structural work such as removing a wall or extending, non structural work such as moving radiators or replacing carpet with wooden floors, and safety critical work such as replacing a flat entrance fire door or changing gas pipes or wiring. Leases either prohibit alterations, allow them, allow them with written consent, or allow them subject to licence conditions such as approving contractors, proof of building regulations compliance, or a deed varying the lease. Flags the demised versus retained premises distinction: the landlord usually owns the roof, external walls, structural walls, shared floors and ceilings, chimneys and flues, so a dormer, skylight, balcony, knock through or wood burner flue touches retained premises. Common restrictive clauses are 'no cutting of external walls' and 'floors must be carpeted'. Where consent is required, the landlord must reply in writing, must not refuse without reasonable grounds, and must state reasons, unless retained premises are involved. Allow the landlord a reasonable response period, suggested as around 2 weeks. Consent fees are administration charges, so must be reasonable and accompanied by a summary of rights. Charging a premium for non structural alterations requiring consent is unlawful, but for work affecting retained premises a premium based on a share of the uplift in value can be charged, with no legal cap and no tribunal challenge. Unauthorised alterations run with the land, bind a later owner, and make the flat harder to sell, remortgage or insure.
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UK Power Networks
Explains why a short move is not a cheap move: the price is effectively distance-independent at the small end, and even moving the supply 10cm inside the property still attracts a minimum charge, because the service cable running under or over the house has to be dug up and physically moved rather than pulled through. A qualified electrician is qualified to move the fuse box and to work on internal wiring, but is not trained or permitted to work on the electricity supply or the meter; the incoming cable from the road can only be moved by the DNO's own engineers. UK Power Networks offers an online cost indicator that takes about 5 minutes rather than publishing a flat price list.
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United Utilities
The government banned lead in water pipes in 1970, so a property built after 1970 will not have lead pipework; anything built before 1970 may still have a lead supply pipe underground and lead pipe inside. The greatest health risk is stated as being to children under six and pregnant women. Mains are not lead and water leaving the treatment works contains virtually no lead; the lead is picked up in the customer's own pipework or in the connecting pipe. Identification checks at the internal stop tap, usually behind kitchen cupboards or in a downstairs toilet: unpainted lead pipe is a dull grey; there is often a swollen joint next to the tap; tapping with a metal object gives a dull thud where other metals ring clearly. Explicit correction of a common myth: boiling the water does not help and will not remove lead. Do not knock or disturb lead pipes, which raises lead levels. The permanent fix is an application to United Utilities' Lead Replacement Scheme, after which replacement is done by a WaterSafe approved plumber.
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University of Portsmouth
A year-long practical test of rising damp on walls built from different mortars, compared against theoretical models. Findings: mortar characteristics significantly affect the height to which damp rises, and the rate of water absorption into the mortar is the key factor determining the height of the rising damp front, with a strong correlation to the Sharp Front Model. A second measured result is useful for diagnosis: walls that had received rising damp treatment were warmer than the untreated control walls, because reducing surface moisture removes the evaporative cooling effect, which is why a damp wall reads cold to the touch and on a thermal camera. The paper reviews the controlling mechanisms of capillary effect, water absorption, evaporation and salt formation.
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University of Salford
Measured results from two prototype Future Homes Standard houses built inside the Energy House 2.0 climate chamber in January 2023. The headline finding is the size of the performance gap: the two homes, built by different methods, showed a difference of only up to 8 per cent between designed and actual measured performance, against a stated typical range for new build homes of 5 per cent to 140 per cent of design specification. Airtightness on one house was measured better than design values with low heat loss. Running cost effect: the design-to-actual difference on eHome2 equated to £4.50 per month, giving a running cost of £88 per month. The chamber can reproduce conditions found across 95 per cent of the earth's inhabited land, from -20C to 40C with rain, wind, snow and solar, and holds temperature to within 0.5C. Context stated: the Future Homes Standard applies to new UK homes from 2025 and targets 80 per cent fewer carbon emissions than homes built to the 2013 regulations. The research team's conclusion is that small human errors have disproportionately large effects in a highly efficient home.
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University of Salford, Energy House Labs
Specification of one of the largest purpose-built building performance test laboratories in the world, opened in 2023. Two large-scale environmental chambers control temperature from -23.5C to +51C plus humidity, with weather rigs that can be placed on buildings inside. The chambers are green field sites: any type of property can be built inside, hangar doors admit construction plant, and earth pits allow real foundations to be dug so builders work as they would on site. Sensor arrays are cast into the properties as they are built. The lab's heat loss testing follows EN 17887-1:2024 (in situ testing of completed buildings, data collection for aggregate heat loss test) and EN 17887-2:2024 (steady-state data analysis for the same test).
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University of Strathclyde, Energy Systems Research Unit
Modelled conclusions on retrofitting the Scottish stock. Greenhouse gas reductions were achieved at every retrofit level through reduced energy demand, and at scale the cost of retrofit could be competitive with conventional responses to rising demand such as building more generation. Going deeper, the modelling showed it is possible to feed a high percentage of buildings with low carbon heat without any increase in electricity demand, a system-level benefit usually overlooked in individual retrofit decisions. Deep retrofit also raises thermal comfort and indoor air quality and can reduce fuel poverty, which affects around 30 per cent of Scottish households. The delivery model judged most promising for scale is EnergieSprong, largely because its financing offsets cost against current energy bills and recycles the saving into further retrofit, following the developed market in the Netherlands.
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University of Strathclyde, Energy Systems Research Unit
A breakdown of the Scottish housing stock drawn from the 2015 Scottish House Condition Survey, covering dwelling types, ages, heating systems, sizes and U-values. Headline fuel split: 79 per cent of the Scottish housing stock runs on gas, 12 per cent on electricity, and oil and other fuels together account for around 10 per cent. Flats, a category that includes maisonettes, two-storey flats and tenements, make up the highest proportion of buildings in Scotland, which is why communal ownership and shared stairwells shape what retrofit is possible there. Semi-detached houses are described as paired by a common wall and designed to use less space than detached; terraces, common in old industrial towns and popular through the 20th century for high density working class housing, share walls on both sides.
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Wales and West Utilities
A new gas connection for a house or small business starts from £3,912 plus VAT, with the exact price depending on the distance from the existing gas main and any groundworks needed, quoted per address through the online portal. Once payment is made a standard connection typically takes 6 to 8 weeks to complete; the company offers the earliest available date and flags where local traffic management or highway restrictions could extend it. The first step is a postcode check to confirm gas is available at the address at all, then a quote through the portal. Business connections or multiple homes are priced individually on 0800 072 6814. Useful as a benchmark against the alternative of an all-electric heating scheme, since the connection charge alone is often larger than homeowners assume.