Siteworks – a general term for chaos
You will be familiar with the term ‘siteworks’ if you have ever had to go through the trouble of working on an energy supply for a property. Siteworks is a blanket term for all of construction work needed to either upgrade, downgrade, install or uninstall an energy supply (gas, electricity, water), installation or removal of meters, and other various construction.
The term is derived from its original construction meaning of any construction work (often underground) needed on the site in preparation for building. It is now used interchangeably. In the energy industry – sitework has grown and developed into an individual service offered by utility suppliers and others.
The most common sitework operations for the energy industry
Electricity:
| Siteworks | Description |
| Meter Upgrade | Removal of outdated electricity meters and subsequent replacement with modern smart-meter. |
| Meter Removal | If you no longer require an electricity supply at a premise (if it is to be demolished), then you will need to arrange for it to be disconnected from network and meter removed. If the building is to remain in use then it should be ‘de-energised’. |
| Meter Repairs | Often electricity suppliers will often ‘lease’ your meter to you, and will remain in charge of any maintenance or repairs. Engineers are often provided by electricity supplier. |
| Accuracy Testing | Resolution of any reading discrepancies will require testing by specialist engineers. |
| New or Temporary Supplies | Installation of a new electricity supply will require extensive siteworks – the best siteworks providers will cause minimal disruption. |
| Sub-Metering | Division of larger business premises into sub-metered areas. This allows greater access to data for companies interested in their energy usage. |
| Disconnection | As already mentioned, before demolition it is absolutely crucial to ensure that the building is disconnected from electricity network. This is for the safety of workers, and protection of infrastructure. |
| Ready to Dig Surveys | Before any building can take place on a plot of land – surveys must be conducted to determine if there is any pre-existing electricity infrastructure present. |
Gas:
| Siteworks | Description |
| Meter Upgrade | Removal of old and outdated gas meters before replacement with modern smart-meter. |
| Meter Removal | For any properties that no longer require gas supply or a meter will need specialist help in removal of meter. |
| Meter Repairs | Any issues with your meter, or any maintenance work needed to be undertaken. |
| Accuracy Testing | Gas meters do occasionally encounter issues and in order to resolve these they should be tested by an expert. |
| New or Temporary Supplies | Any installation of pipes or other infrastructure needed for gas supply – it is important to remember that any issues with this could leave you without gas for a long time. |
| Sub-Metering | It is also possible to sub-divide areas of your property to have consumption data measured by separate meters. |
| Disconnection | Any property that is set to be demolished should be entirely disconnected from gas supply. |
| Ready to Dig Surveys | On building sites – often there will need to be specialist checks for any pre-existing gas infrastructure. |
Water:
| Siteworks | Description |
| Meter Installations and Removal | Similarly to gas and electricity any installations or removals of consumption meters will qualify as sitework. |
| Meter Repairs and Sub-Metering | It is possible to sub-divide areas of your property and measure consumption independently. Any and all meters will require maintenance and occasionally repaired. |
| Water-Waste Prevention Services | Investigations into water-waste sources for a site. This includes but is not limited to: Identification of inefficient equipment, confirmation of correct meter charges, leakage investigation, and cooling system and storage unit analysis. |
| Leak Detection Services | Underground leaks are difficult to detect and can lead to huge costs in damages. Often specialist equipment is needed. |
Why could these potentially affect you?
It is likely that at some stage through either your personal or business life you will be required to deal with some form of siteworks. As you have just read – there are endless reasons why you would need to complete some form of sitework on your property, and it is simply too much to do on your own.
For domestic customers it is an added strain – the need for most utility based sitework will arise when moving or selling properties. This is already a period of incredible stress, and having to arrange all of the various sitework requires an incredibly organised individual. Even then, this burden could well be the straw that breaks the camels’ back.
If you are a business owner – then you could stand to lose vast sums of money from disruption caused by utilities sitework. Any work on live cables or pipes will require temporarily halting supply of gas, electricity, or water. This can bring production to a grinding halt for however long work is being completed – where there is serious potential to lose money. There are not many individuals at a successful business that have the free-time to dedicate to running these projects full-time, so how do you safeguard yourself against losses?
Factors to consider when choosing your siteworks provider
Luckily – there are dozens of utilities sitework specialists out there with years of combined experience between them. Often these are extensions of utilities suppliers, who have decided to lend their expertise to provision of this service.
There are many providers of electrical, gas, and water sitework within the UK. It is sometimes difficult to know who to choose from the pile. As customer needs are so varied, it is important to consider what your needs are prior to agreeing to anything. Try to decide what is most important to you – scoring a sweet deal on the price, or the speed to get things running smoothly again? Outstanding customer service, or a proven track record? To help you make your choice we have put together a short list of factors to consider:
- Price: How expensive the sitework will be. Many companies will be able to offer different prices for the same work.
- Customer-reviews: Previous customers are likely to leave reviews if service lies at either end of the spectrum. This is the quickest way to paint a picture of what a company is truly like. Try to stick to trusted review pages.
- Case-studies: Many providers will have content related to previous projects on their website – it is a good idea to have a read over some of their previous work to determine if they have any outstanding results.
- Experience: It is always a good idea to try to find a company for sitework that holds considerable experience in the field. There are some things that can’t be taught and can only be learned through years of expertise. Experts are less likely to make routine mistakes, and likely to provide a better service.
Who should you choose, plus a little about us
At Energy Solutions we are proud of our commitment to provide efficient sitework for a variety of customers – maximum efficiency with minimum disruption.
We know how much difficult it is to deal with any energy-related siteworks by yourself. By working together with us, we can relieve you of that stress. Say goodbye to paying over the odds to countless contractors, say hello to a streamlined service for an incredible price.
At Energy Solutions, we have been honing our trade for well over twenty years and have developed complete expertise over that time. We are proud to be partnered with companies such as EDF, SSE, and E.ON – and have grown wonderful relationships with one another. We are ideally situated to help you through the entire process, from start to finish.
So, if you would like to get in contact with us or just fancy a chat about our services then give us a call on: 0131 610 1688
If you would rather get in contact online, then you can submit a webform enquiry here or email us at: nick@energybrokers.co.uk
We also provide a live-chat service both on our website, and through Whatsapp. You can visit us at energybrokers.co.uk or WhatsApp: 07757 400 788.
Common Questions
What does the term ‘siteworks’ mean?
Siteworks refers to any work needed to be completed on your building site in preparation for building. It has slightly different meanings dependant on the context it is used in. For example, in the energy industry – siteworks refers to general construction and maintenance of infrastructure for utility supply.
In the energy industry, what does the term ‘siteworks’ mean?
In the energy industry, siteworks is a blanket term for any construction or maintenance work on energy infrastructure within a property. Many businesses now offer dedicated sitework services.
What types of work would be included in siteworks?
In the energy industry siteworks can include installation and removal of meters, pipes, cables etc – it is used as a general term for any construction or maintenance work of infrastructure for utility supply.
How to choose siteworks provider?
Do your research and consider the things that are most important for you to have with a provider. Businesses and domestic customers hold different goals, and sitework providers act accordingly.