Self-build connections
Utility connections for your self-build, in the right order
Power, water, drainage and broadband each come from a different company, with its own forms and timescales. We plan them around your build, prepare the applications and chase them, so your supplies are ready when the house is.
A self-build needs four or five separate applications
Most new homes need an electricity supply, a water supply, a way to get rid of foul water and a broadband connection. Some still need gas. Each one comes from a different organisation: the local electricity network operator, the water company, the sewerage company (often the same water company) and a broadband network such as Openreach.
None of them talk to each other. Each wants its own plans, its own fee and its own information, and each works to its own timescale. On a self-build, you are usually the person holding it all together, alongside everything else.
We take that part off your plate. We work out what your plot needs, prepare each application, check every quote and keep the dates lined up with your build. The physical work is still done by the network operators, the water company or accredited contractors. We make sure they have what they need, at the right time.
Who provides each connection
- Electricity: the distribution network operator (DNO) for your area, or an accredited independent provider
- Water: your local water company
- Sewer: your sewerage company, through a Section 106 connection
- Broadband: Openreach or another network that serves the area
- Gas, if needed: the gas network for your area
- Meters and energy: an energy supplier you choose
What to do first, and what can wait
The order matters more than the speed. Get the early steps right and the rest follows on without holding up the build.
When should you apply?
As soon as you have planning permission and a site layout. Connections can take several months from a complete application, and water and road works often set the pace. Use our free connection planner to see typical lead times for your project.
- 1
Check what's near the plot
Find out where the nearest electricity cable, water main, public sewer and broadband network run. A long distance to any of them is the biggest cost risk on a self-build.
- 2
Decide the heating and the loads
A heat pump, EV charger, solar panels or a battery all change the size of electricity supply you need. Decide before you apply, not after.
- 3
Temporary power and water for the build
Your builder will need power for tools and a welfare cabin, and water for mixing and washing. Book these early, and place the temporary supply where it can help the permanent one.
- 4
Permanent applications in
Electricity, water, sewer and broadband applications go in with the location plan, layout, meter positions and loads. Check for any public sewer within 3 metres of the house too.
- 5
Accept, pay and dig
Offers are accepted and paid, and your groundworker lays ducts and pipes to each operator's specification, ready for inspection.
- 6
Connect, fit meters and switch on
The operators make the final connections. You choose an energy supplier to fit the electricity meter, and the broadband line is ordered for the day you move in.
Common self-build connection mistakes
Most delays on self-builds are avoidable. These are the usual ones.
- Leaving it until the roof is on. Utilities are often booked last, then hold up moving in.
- Applying for the wrong size of supply. Forgetting the heat pump or EV charger can mean a second application and more cost later.
- Letting a quote expire. Offers have a time limit. 90 days is common for electricity. Miss it and you may have to apply again.
- Building near a public sewer without consent. Building over or within 3 metres of a public sewer usually needs a build-over agreement from the water company. Sort it before your plans go to Building Control.
- Meter positions that don't work. Meter boxes in the wrong place, or not where the drawings show them, can stop a connection on the day.
- Forgetting the energy supplier. A live cable is no use without a meter, and only a supplier can fit one.
- Missing a previous-use discount. On a replacement dwelling, water infrastructure charges must be reduced if the site had a connection in the last five years.
You deal with us, we deal with the operators
- We confirm which companies cover your plot and what each one needs.
- We work out the electricity load with you, including heating and EV charging.
- We prepare and submit complete applications, with the right drawings.
- We check each quote for what is and isn't included.
- We tell your builder exactly what groundwork to do, and when.
- We chase dates and remind you when to book the supplier and broadband.
Temporary builder's supply
Most self-builds need power on site long before the house is finished. Network operators offer temporary building-site connections for this. Some, such as UK Power Networks, handle small temporary supplies (up to 69 kVA) separately from large ones.
On a temporary supply you or your electrician provide the site board, including an RCD and an earth electrode to BS 7671. These supplies usually use a TT earthing system.
Whether a temporary supply can later become the permanent one depends on the operator and the site. If it can, putting the supply where the permanent meter will go can save a second connection. We ask before you commit.
For water, ask early about using a supply during the build. The route differs between water companies.
More on temporary suppliesGetting the meter and an energy supplier
The network operator builds the connection, but it doesn't sell you electricity. For that you need an energy supplier, who fits the meter and opens an account. The connection is given a meter point number (the MPAN), which the supplier needs to book the meter.
Choose a supplier once your connection date is known and book the meter for soon after. If you are having gas, the same applies: the gas supplier fits the gas meter.
New water connections are normally metered, and the water company fits that meter as part of the connection. Your groundworker lays the supply pipe from the boundary to the house, and it is inspected before the connection is made.
Leave enough time between the connection date and the date you move in. A late meter can leave a finished home sitting empty.
Broadband for a self-build
In England, new homes must have gigabit-ready physical infrastructure under Part R of the Building Regulations, and a gigabit-capable connection, subject to a cost cap of £2,000 per home. If a gigabit connection would cost more than that, the next fastest connection within the cap is installed instead. A connectivity plan goes in with your Building Control application.
Openreach takes new sites through its developer portal. Full fibre is free on sites of 20 or more homes, so a single self-build pays a contribution under Openreach's rate card. Openreach charges £2,500 per plot where a home is connected to copper instead of fibre.
We register the plot, line up the duct route with your groundworker and gather the evidence Building Control asks for.
More on fibre connectionsNo public sewer? Septic tanks and treatment plants
If there is a public sewer within reach, connecting to it is usually the simplest answer. You have a legal right to connect under Section 106 of the Water Industry Act, once you give the sewerage company notice. If the sewer is further away, a new public sewer can be requested, though that costs more and takes longer.
Many rural plots have no sewer nearby. Then foul water goes to an off-mains system, such as a septic tank or a package treatment plant. These have their own rules on where they sit and where the treated water can go. Building Control, and in some cases the environmental regulator for your area, will want to see that the system is suitable.
We don't design off-mains systems. Your designer or the system supplier does that. We can check whether a public sewer connection is realistic first, and handle the Section 106 application if it is.
More on sewer connectionsWhat self-build connections cost
Each operator sets its own price, and the distance to its network matters most. These published figures give a feel for it. They are indicative, and only apply to the operator named.
Electricity
National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED) publishes an indicative price of about £2,500 + VAT for one new home in its areas, with a typical 8 weeks from acceptance and payment. Other operators and longer runs cost more.
Water
You pay a connection charge plus an infrastructure charge. Each company publishes its charges every year. As one example, Affinity Water's infrastructure charge for 2026/27 is £615.
Broadband
Smaller sites, including single homes, pay Openreach a contribution under its rate card. The Part R cap of £2,000 per home limits what you must spend on a gigabit connection.
Since 1 April 2023, a new electricity connection usually pays only for the new cable that connects it, not for upgrades to the wider network. The exceptions are assets used only by you and costs above Ofgem's high cost cap. Some network operators also charge a fee to prepare a quote, whether or not you accept it.
Our own fee for managing your applications is agreed and fixed before we start, and our quote is free and no-obligation.
Read the full connection costs guideSelf-build connection questions
When should I apply for utilities on a self-build?
As soon as you have planning permission and a site layout. Connections can take several months, and you want them live before you move in, not after. Our connection planner shows typical timings.
Can I apply for the connections myself?
Yes. Anyone can apply direct to the network operators and water company. We save you the time, make sure each application is complete first time and check every quote, which is where self-builders often lose weeks.
Does a new self-build still need a gas connection?
Often not. In England, homes built to the Future Homes Standard (in force from 24 March 2027) won't need a gas connection for heating. Homes notified before then can still have gas if work on the house starts before 24 March 2028.
Can my temporary builder's supply become the permanent supply?
Sometimes. It depends on the network operator and the site. Where it is allowed, placing the temporary supply at the permanent meter position can save a second connection, so we check before you book it.
Who digs the trench for my connections?
It depends on the operator and the job. On your own land, your groundworker often lays the ducts and pipes to the operator's specification, while work in the road is done by the operator or its contractor. We confirm what each quote includes.
What if there is no public sewer near my plot?
You will probably need an off-mains system, such as a septic tank or a package treatment plant, designed by your designer or the supplier. We can check first whether a sewer connection is realistic.
Who arranges the electricity meter?
An energy supplier you choose. The network operator provides the connection, then the supplier fits the meter and opens your account. We tell you when to book it so it doesn't hold up moving in.
How much do self-build utility connections cost?
It depends on how far the plot is from each network and what you need. As one published example, NGED shows about £2,500 + VAT for a single new home in its areas. Our costs guide explains the rest.
Connections for your self-build
Building your own home?
Tell us about the plot and what you are building. We'll set out which applications you need, when to make them and a clear quote for managing them.