What was the Client Requirement

Syntegra Consulting were supporting a planned refurbishment of an HMO unit in Islington, enabling the property to meet new government standards and converting the existing 17 unit HMO into a redesigned layout offering 6 new residential units. As part of their investigatory work Apogee were instructed to provide a Full Utility Search as well as two Point of Connection (POC) Reports and Capacity Checks. Islington is one of the hardest pressed areas of London for housing supply and this development will provide much needed additional space as well as improving the quality of the building. This refurbishment involved a large upgrade to the building’s electricity supply – initially 30kva and later revised upwards to 69kVA – which necessitated a second Point of Connection assessment.

What was the Apogee Solution?

As with all utility investigations the first step in the process was to acquire and collate all of the available utility records into a single, easy-to-use report. This was obtained by Apogee’s qualified searches team and enabled its consultants to assess the best connection solutions with a complete understanding of the options and their potential costs.
Apogee’s extensive relationships with the DNOs and experience in managing their quotations meant that all of the relevant Points of Connection were identified as well as the available capacity for each utility – electricity, water and gas - and the costs of connecting the refurbished property to the electrical grid.

What was the result of the report?

The existing mains connections for the gas and the water supply were suitable to supply the refurbished property and this meant that for those utilities there was likely not to be any diversion or reinforcement costs. The client did not instruct for the exact connection costs to be secured at this stage – several of the utility companies charge for this information – and so this was not yet obtained for water and gas.

For the electricity connection, a new point of connection was identified across the road from the property and an initial budget estimate was provided which estimated the cost at £10,000, raised to £12,000 after the second revised application for the increased electrical loading. There were no reinforcement or diversion costs anticipated. This is on the lower end of what electricity connections can cost.

Why was the client delighted?

As Government standards on energy efficiency rise to meet the challenge of reaching net-zero, electrical loading has become a more pressing issue and is often a limiting factor in developments, moreso than other utilities such as water and gas. The quote given to connect here was reasonable and the capacity was available, even after the loading was more than doubled for the second application, which resulted in only a marginal increase in cost. The POCs were all close to the site and the client got clarity on costs and some reassurance that the process would be relatively straightforward once they decided to proceed with the connections.

Apogee’s extensive relationships with the DNOs and experience in managing their quotations meant that the applications were processed in a timely manner and that all quotes and capacity confirmations could be audited by an experienced utility professional on the client’s behalf.

About the client:

Established in 2008, Syntegra provides high quality sustainability consultancy, energy compliance solutions and multi-discipline engineering design services to the built environment sector. They provide a complete range of solutions for planning, property development and energy efficient built environments that offer long term sustainable benefits to all stakeholders.

What did the client say?

“As CEO of Syntegra Group, I am proud to commend our long-standing partnership with Apogee. This relationship has been built on:
• Meticulous attention to detail in every project phase
• Excellent, proactive communication at all stages
• Complete peace of mind for our clients and our team

Apogee’s professionalism and reliability have consistently ensured that our projects progress smoothly, with clarity and confidence at every step.”
Alan King, CEO of Syntegra

Who else would buy this?

Our full turnkey consultancy services are ideal for Clients and Project Managers, Developers, Local Authorities Consultants, Architects, Design & Build Contractors, Highways Scheme promoters and Surveyors. Anyone involved with a residential or commercial development who would benefit from understanding the risks and costs which come from utilities would be well placed to talk to us. Even if you are not the source of funds for the development and costs savings are of secondary importance to you, we can help you avoid other inconveniences such as delays, and reduce the risk of any accidents or strikes of existing plant, as well as improve due diligence and help you achieve compliance under the relevant guidelines and regulations, namely PAS128 and HSG47. We have decades of experience in managing such conflicts across our capable team, a member of whom was on the PAS128 steering committee and who was personally involved in the drafting of PAS128 Quality Level D.