At Dream Team Movers, we understand that moving into a new home can be tricky, so we try to make it as smooth and trouble-free as possible. But sometimes there are extra considerations when it is a new build and many things people overlook – including gas, electricity, or energy.

When moving into another home or a new building, gas and electricity are often the last things you think about, but the first thing you’ll miss if you forget about them. However, setting up your electricity and gas as soon as possible is crucial for convenience. This way, you and your family can cook, illuminate spaces and heat/cool rooms from the start. Read on to learn how to set up your new home’s electricity and gas.

How to set up gas and electricity

In new builds, developers often appoint gas and electricity suppliers during the building process. However, they usually select standard tariffs, which don’t offer the best deals. So, it’s always a good idea to look at the options available and make an informed decision to either switch to a different supplier or keep the same supplier. What you choose varies depending on the type of appliances you use, the size of your home and your individual needs.

It’s a good idea to explore different plans to find one better suited for you and your family. But first, find out who your supplier is through your contractor and your MPRN (Meter Point Reference Number). If you’re newly moved and want to find your MPRN, you can call your local Meter Point Administration Service (MPAS) to find your gas and electricity supplier. You can get MPAS’s contact information here.

Setting up your bills

After getting your MPRN and identifying your gas and electricity supplier, decide whether you want to switch providers or keep the same. These are the steps to follow:

• Contact your provider and give them your first-meter reading

• Get the best price for electricity and gas

• Set up your energy account

• Arrange connections to the grid

Moving into your new house checklist

Dream Team Movers have provided a handy house move checklist with our Ultimate moving guide, so make sure you check that out too.

Before moving into your new home, it’s always important to inform your current gas and electricity provider of your move, whether you plan to keep your current supplier or switch to a new one. Informing them beforehand prevents double billing and ensures your previous home is correctly closed. You can learn more about switching suppliers here. Make a point to get the last reading from your house to ensure you only pay for the energy you have used.

When you move into your new home or new build, take the first meter reading and provide it to your supplier so that they can bill you correctly. Be sure to check whether your meter is a smart meter because it’s the best at saving money.

Ultimately, remember to compare gas and electricity packages from different providers to find the best price for you. And we hope you have an excellent house move.

The post Setting up gas and electricity in a new build. appeared first on Dream Team Movers.

Introduction

So…You’re Moving! Congratulations.

Finding your new home and getting ready to move in is an exciting time.

Sometimes it can be hard work also. After all, you are about to move your whole life, family and worldly belongings to a new place, whether that’s local or across the country.

However, did you know that 60% of people say that moving home is the most stressful time they experienced in their lifetime?

That’s crazy right, maybe we overlook the fact since we move 100’s of houses a year. The brilliant thing is though, moving to a new house doesn’t have to be difficult or stressful at all.

What’s the Secret?

In a nutshell, the secret to a successful move is to be prepared, plan ahead and follow a few simple rules for moving.

In this guide, you will be given helpful moving checklists and guides such as:

• Packing your home
• Prior to moving
• Moving checklist
• Who to Notify
• Removal Companies
• Prior to moving
• Hints and Tips
• The Big Day

Prior to Moving…. 

The Weeks running up to Moving Day

Three Weeks Before Your Move

It’s better to start early and make arrangements for your move day in advance to stop the need of rushing around at the last minute.

Being organized will make moving home a pleasant experience, rather than a stressful day.

▢ Declutter your Home.

Before your move, it is the best time to have a clear out. There is no better feeling than moving into a new house without your extra baggage! Donate to your local charities or sell your unwanted items.

▢ Organise sitters for your children and pets.

Although some older children may want to be involved on the big day, moving can be quite a stressful time for young children. Arrange for friends or family to look after your kids until you’re all moved in. The same applies for pets, it can be a traumatic experience for many!

▢ Notify Relevant Companies of your Change of Address.

You would be surprised how many people leave this a little too late. Companies need time to switch you over to your new address, you want to ensure you give enough notice so that you don’t experience any downtime when moving into your new place. You want to notify the relevant people & Companies of your change in address such as: –

Utility Providers

• Post Office
• Satellite or Cable Provider
• Phone Provider
• Work
• Family
• DVLA
• Bank
• Insurance Providers
• School
• DWP – Or any other Benefit provider

TWO Weeks Before…

It’s getting closer! Don’t worry though, you have got all the menial out of the way. All you need to do is make some final arrangements ready for your current property for moving day.

▢ Confirm your Move with your chosen removal company.

Now is the time to make final confirmations with your moving company, Dates, Times and any paperwork wants to be signed and sent over. There is no worse feeling than leaving it too late and your planned mover being booked for your day.

▢ Start Packing unessential items.

Now is the time to make your move easy! Packing your belongings is the most important part and it is also one of the largest tasks. If you haven’t already, call your movers and purchase all the packaging you require and start packing any items you won’t require until you’re in your new home.  Closets, drawers, books, garage, shed & lofts are all great place to start.

▢ Get the home ready for your new homeowners.

There is nothing worse than moving into a new home and not knowing how to use the boiler or what keys go where. It’s a great gesture to have a walk around your home and make sure you gather manuals for appliances and boiler. It’s also a great idea to label your house keys.

ONE Week Before Your Move…

▢ Defrost your Fridge Freezer.

You want to defrost your fridge/freezer before move day as moving them while frozen can cause damage to the item. Simply empty the contents and turn the appliance off. While its empty you might want to clean the insides as an empty and deforested fridge can induce unwanted odours that are hard to remove.

▢ Remove Fixtures and Fittings.

Unless your mover is carrying out this work, you will want to remove curtains, blinds, lampshades and other fixtures and fittings and pack them ready for moving. This also applies to disconnection of TV’s, set-top boxes and whitegoods.

▢ Pack the rest of your Belongings.

Now it’s time to pack the entire house into moving boxes, obviously, you want to leave anything you’re going to need on the moving day and the coming days such as medication, some food and drink, a change of clothes etc. Packing an overnight bag would be a great idea.

▢ Ensure prohibited goods are ready.

Some items are not covered by removals insurance, flammable goods such as petrol, gas canisters and flammable liquids will need to be moved independently. Make sure to drain any petrol-powered machines such as lawnmowers and ensure paints are packed in a sealed container so that you can transport these items without spillage.

THE BIG DAY HAS FINALLY ARRIVED…

Its’s time to move home! You have worked hard and its time to relax. Your movers will arrive shortly and take care of everything else; you have chosen to miss out on the heavy lifting, we don’t blame you either. However, there are a couple of things that may require your attention.

▢ Meter Readings:

You want to make sure you take readings of your gas, electric, water meters. We recommend taking a clear photo on your phone as it saves the date and reading itself. You can also include a written copy for your self and the new owners if you wish.

▢ Cut off Utilities:

If no one is moving into the new property right away, you may want to cut off the gas, electric and water from the mains. (If its cold weather or the property will be left unattended for a longer period you may want to leave the boiler running). 

▢ Clean the Property:

Although you may have already cleaned the home prior to moving, once your movers start moving furniture, you will be able to get behind all the large units and pieces of furniture that are not accessible. Keep a few cleaning supplies and vacuum cleaner handy to give the property its final clean ready for the new owners.

▢ Secure the property:

Make sure you secure the property when leaving properly. Check that all doors and windows are locked, including garages, sheds, gates etc and all are secure.

Packing Guide…

How to pack your belonging like a pro

First things first, your Boxes!

Packing Materials are a must for anyone moving home, it’s pretty simple really though. You will need:

• Small, Medium and Large moving boxes (Double walled are best)
• Packing Paper
• Bubble wrap
• Packing Tape
• Marker Pens
• Speciality Boxes

You can also buy speciality packagings such as Mattress bags, television boxes, wine boxes, garment boxes and many more.

We can help you with your supplies by visiting our packaging store:

162 High Street, London Colney, AL21QF – Calling us on 01727 572 999

How to Pack a Box.

It’s important that you pack your belongings correctly. This means that items inside your boxes are wrapped in either packing paper or bubble wrap. If there are any voids in your box once packed, be sure to fill them with crumpled packing paper. Boxes should not be overloaded with weight, try to keep boxes below 15kg as these things will help your removal team on the day.

Labelling Boxes

Label your boxes with the room it is to go to and brief contents list, so you and your removals team know exactly where it goes. To make it easy for you we have a specially designed tape with the list of rooms and a contents box that you can write on.

Good Luck!

We hope your move goes as smoothly as possible.

Other Helpful Resources

As well as this moving guide, we also provide other helpful hints and tips for movers on our blog page.

Removal Company St Albans

We are an independent family run removals company based in St Albans and serve the whole M25 area and beyond.

If you have not already, you may wish to get in touch and have an informal chat regarding your up and coming move and how we can help.

For all your removal and storage needs: 

Dream Team Movers Limited

365 High Street

London Colney

St Albans

Hertfordshire

AL2 1EA

For all your packaging supplies:

Dream Team Movers Limited

162 High Street

London Colney

St Albans

Hertfordshire

AL2 1QF 

The post The Ultimate Guide to Moving Home appeared first on Dream Team Movers.

We have grown from a small team, wanting to provide excellent service, to a large team, that still put excellence first. And we have met many great customers along the way!

And now, we finally think it is time to start a blog!

We want to give something to our potential customers, we want to provide value, and give them a glimpse of the great service that we provide.

Our blog will consist of moving tips, because, let’s face it, that what we know! We know moving! We have been doing it for years! And providing 5-star service no less.

It will be a moving information resource centre, and we can even send people to blog post that explains processes and provide checklists, without having to make lists from scratch each time.

Besides home moving hints and tips, and as much useful information as we can supply, we will also do a few updates from behind the scenes (when we have time). But predominately we want this to be a valuable resource for our customers.

We look forward to the future, and if there is anything that you would find helpful that we don’t include in our blog, then, by all means, get in touch. We would love to hear your ideas 🙂

The post Welcome to the Dream Team blog! appeared first on Dream Team Movers.