@quakerquaker As I have mentioned before, I have a first class degree in Scroogenomics and, as such very much resented the standing charge for a gas meter I didn’t use. To clarify a little, the removal of the meter and the capping of the supply pipe was carried out by Octopus Energy. My initial correspondence (by email) went to one department who informed me that removal was no problem and that they could carry out this work and cap the pipe free of charge; all I needed to do was let them know once I no longer required a gas supply and they would do the rest. Some months later, when the ASHP was installed, I wrote again to OE but I think it was a different department that replied and I was told they didn’t provide such a service and to contact SGN. I wrote again and referenced the previous correspondence and contact details; I then received an apology and offers to arrange the removal… Once the meter had been removed and the pipe capped plus an earth bond to link the supply and consumer pipework, I was left with the job of informing the billing dept. who then checked with the removal team and then the SC for the gas meter was cancelled.

I imagine further correspondence took place between OE and SGN for some months later, SGN called and checked that the meter had been removed. The housing had been falling apart for a few years by then and they offered to fit a new cover - but the box in his van did not fit and we heard no more.

In the last six months, we have had SGN’s agent working on gas pipe renewal in all the roads and I requested that when they came down our road, would they be kind enough to disconnect us please. All done free of charge and they even tidied up the vestiges of pipework for me. Perhaps we were lucky but this Scrooge can still hold his head up!

Regards, Toodles. 

Posted by: @quakerquaker

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[...] am looking at £770+ VAT or more. This is for actually removing the pipe to the street. 

A bit more digging and found this...

Don't do much digging around.
That's best left to the professionals  😉 

The rules on dormant gas pipes are varied, and depend on many factors.

In the majority of cases the pipe itself isn't removed, but a section is snipped out close to the main 'in the road'.
So that's a relatively small hole rather than a trench.

Things get complicated when:

• the ground through which the pipe passes isn't wholly within the curtilage of the property
• the pipe is at shallow depth and might be excavated in error at some future date (so how does the contractor know if it's dead?)
• it's one of several gas pipes running in parallel. Most likely they were laid when multiple houses were being built
• the ground is liable to subsidence (I have personal experience of that scenario)

Ofgem will find it very difficult to arrange a Code of Practice which satisfies the long-term safety issues, whilst simultaneously reflecting public opinion on costs.

I also question why this is an Ofgem Public Consultation.
The National Energy Systems Operator (NESO) now has the remit for all electricity, gas and heat networks in BG, and that's been the case since October'24.

Unlike Ofgem, NESO is mainly staffed by engineers and technical experts.

I recently asked my energy supplier Octopus about gas meter removal and they sent me a form to complete.  The form explained meter removal, and that that part they didn't charge for, so far so good.

The form then said the supply pipe would be removed after 12 months, but this was silent about whether it was free, my suspicions rose.  My gas supply pipe is probably 20M from the main to my meter location, and is under very recently laid block paving, that I definitely don't want dug up.

I called Cadent who run the gas network where we are, and needless to say they were vague on scope and costs.  I found a document on their website that explains gas disconnection costs ~£2,000 in my area.

However more research uncovered two different types of disconnecting, voluntary and health and safety.  Voluntary costs two grand, health and safety is free to the consumer as far as I can tell.  The H&S route is triggered by gas meter removal as far as I can tell.

Furthermore the H&S route legislation implies that the supply pipe does not need removal, only disconnection as close to the gas main as possible, venting and capping at both ends.

So, the situation is as clear as mud, and I don't fancy risking it.

Also I'm not sure if I want to disconnect from the gas network, a future buyer of my home might want gas back in; yes, these weirdos exist (kidding!).

There is a final dimension to all of this, OFGEM has recently made a rule that all energy suppliers must offer reduced standing charges from Feb 2026.  Hopefully reduced means zero by at least some suppliers, and hopefully using zero gas won't bar us from taking up one of those.  So we have decided to wait and see.

I'm not an expert in any of this, so please do your own research and due diligence and don't take my words as gospel.

@scalextrix The removal of our gas meter (Please look a little up-thread for details) was removed by Octopus; the result was a capped (but potentially ‘live’) supply pipe, no meter but earth bonding connection from the supply pipe to the consumer-side pipe. It took some months for the paperwork to be generated but at that point, SGN took a look. They wanted to actually cover all the pipework in with a new meter box as the old one had disintegrated but after several attempts to supply one to match the old backplate, they gave up! About a year later, the disconnection was completed in the road when a new gas main pipe was being laid. I was not charged for this and the contractors even removed all the old meter box remains and shortened the gas supply pipe down to the ground, even brushing off the wall and left informing me that the previously scant data held on record would be updated. Regards, Toodles.

@toodles thanks for the info, that's good.

Really this process needs to be a lot clearer for consumers.

After all, what is dangerous about leaving the supply pipe with gas in it and just removing the meter?

If we continue to pay a standing charge, it's apparently not dangerous 🙃

Octopus removed our gas meter for free a couple of years ago - leaving a capped plastic pipe sticking out of the ground inside the old meter box.  I kept the meter box there, so it all looks safe and fairly spade proof.  A year later it was inspected by Cadent - they are judge and jury about safe/unsafe pipe work, and can decide to charge us to disconnect gas at the main pipe if they deem my bit unsafe.  They thought all ok, nice.