Hi anyanka,

I'm afraid not, regrettably as indicated in the other post your builder choose to save money by getting the gas mains and meters installed by, what is called, an IPGT - Independent Public Gas Transporter - Independent Pipelines is just one of them. Basically your builder would have put out to tender the installation of the mains and meters. Transco and the IPGT's would have submitted quotations and in the interest of saving them money they would have choose Independent Pipelines.

What happens as you have discovered is the builder saves money, but the IGT's levy their charges for transmission of the gas throught their pipelines to the supplier, who in turn levies this against the customer.

Most of the big six suppliers levy this charge and you will be free to change to which ever supplier you choose, however, this daily surcharge would probably be charged.

Regrettably there is no way you can choose your gas transporter, like you can choose your gas supplier. So you are stuck with this extra daily charge, unless, you change supplier. As mentioned most charge, but I believe, Scottish & Southern dont. But you must ask them before you make any contract, as them if they charge the daily IGT charge.

anyanka:

charging us extra ( a huge 11.50p per DAY!!) for the honour of being connected to the other company. I find this unfair as I have no choice in the matter.

It's tough to find this out but you have more choice than everybody with no gas who I imagine would gladly pay the 11.5p per day.

Google "Independent Gas Transporters" for the low down. Your building company did it to save themselves money unless it was the only way to deliver gas to the development.

The customer choice was whether to buy the house or not.

When our house was built, the building company for some reason known only to themselves, didn't connect the gas supply to Transco, but to some company called Independent Pipelines. This caused us some problems at the time because only British Gas and a couple of other companies would allow us to sign up with them because of this.

We have been with EDF for several years now and the gas price has just gone up yet again. I assumed this was just the usual increasing their profits and everybody was getting the same treatment, until I found some very small print telling me they were charging us extra ( a huge 11.50p per DAY!!) for the honour of being connected to the other company. I find this unfair as I have no choice in the matter. Is there any way of switching to Transco like you switch phone line rental? Or do any companies accept Independent Pipelines customers without charging this extra fee?