Housing Association residents embrace LPG

Tenants of Cheshire based housing association Dane Housing are reaping the benefits of switching fuel supply from solid fuel to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), supplied by market leader, Calor.

Established in 1998 as one of the first large scale housing associations, Dane Housing manages approximately 4,000 homes, mainly in Cheshire. In Brereton Green, situated close to Holmes Chapel in South Cheshire, it manages a number of bungalows rented to elderly tenants. Located in a semi-rural area, the properties are not connected mains gas.

The tenants were primarily relying on solid fuel for heating, but at the beginning of 2003, Dane Housing re-assessed the fuel supply for these properties. One of the main reasons for this was that solid fuel was becoming increasingly unsuitable for the bungalows’ elderly tenants. It was proving inconvenient, time-consuming and, as many of the residents supplemented their coal fires with electric storage heaters, expensive.

The other consideration was the question of energy efficiency. Housing associations must comply with the Housing Corporation’s Scheme Development Standards (SDS) for both new and existing dwellings. This encourages them to comply with Best Practice standards in terms of heating and insulation, whether building new properties, or refurbishing existing ones. The organisations benefit by reducing the management costs of dealing with complaints and carrying out repair work, and tenants’ quality of life is improved and their fuel bills reduced.

The fuel options available to Dane Housing were limited to oil or LPG. Dane Housing’s building services manager, Mark Davies, explained: “We did consider both as alternative fuel sources, but, after careful comparison, decided that oil wasn’t a viable option. We knew that if we chose oil there would be an ongoing responsibility for both the association and the tenants in terms of tank integrity, as any leakage of oil can have serious environmental repercussions. LPG on the other hand is clean and versatile, and, unlike oil, can be used for cookers and fires.

“We contacted various LPG suppliers in the initial stages. However, Calor really was the most helpful when dealing with our enquiry, and a representative quickly came to evaluate the site without any obligation. Also, Calor’s reputation speaks for itself – we knew we would have no doubts over security of supply once the installation was complete.”

The bungalows are located within a small private estate where space is at a premium. It was decided that an underground central LPG storage tank with pipework running to each property should be installed. Meters would be attached to every home connected to the supply in order to measure specific gas usage, which enables residents to pay just for the gas they use, rather than paying a fixed charge that may not reflect the amount of gas consumed.

Some initial enquiries were made by Dane Housing via the Tenant’s Association to gauge the residents’ feelings towards the project and these were met with a good response. A meeting was then held where the installation process was fully explained, and residents were given the chance to take part. They were extremely positive towards the project, recognising the massive benefits LPG would offer over solid fuel.

Work on the project started in January 2005. The ground for the underground tanks was prepared by Congleton Borough Council, and a Calor approved engineer laid the external pipework and installed the storage tank and LPG meters. Dane Housing then passed the rest of the installation process to BGC Gas Services, a company that has been working in partnership with the association for two years.

BGC director, Steve Hancock, explained the process: “Once the basic specification of the system has been decided we get as much information from the tenants as possible in terms of the positioning of the boiler and radiators. They also had the opportunity to upgrade their fires and surrounds from the standard fitting, which proved quite popular. The work on each property took about one week, and was completed with as little disruption as possible.”

The project was completed in February this year. Resident of 10 years, Dorothy Fletcher, is thrilled with her new fuel supply: “Having to rely on solid fuel and electric storage heaters for heating and hot water has been inconvenient and expensive. It’s so much better with LPG - it’s cleaner, and I save so much time, and my new gas fire looks lovely. I think the best thing is having hot water whenever I want it. That’s a real luxury.”

Mr and Mrs Clark are also benefiting from the Calor LPG supply. Mrs Clark explained: “We’ve been using solid fuel for a long time, supplementing our coal fire with storage heaters, which was very expensive. Although we’ve only been paying for the LPG for a few months, we can already see that it’s going to be more cost effective. And the convenience and cleanliness in comparison to coal are brilliant. It’s great just flicking a switch to get the fire going!”

Mark Davies concluded: “We have worked with Calor on about 20 bulk tank installations to individual properties, but I believe this central storage tank installation with meters is a first in the area. We are extremely pleased with the results, as are our residents, which is of course the most important thing. I anticipate that a number of similar projects will be started in the near future, and hope to build on the successful relationship Dane Housing has begun with Calor.”

Calor has recently introduced a technical fact file designed for rural housing developers, architects and specifiers, which contains essential information on LPG, its benefits and relevant case studies. A copy of the fact file is available by calling 0800 121 4461, quoting ref Dev05.

Issued on behalf of Calor by The Bright Consultancy, 1 Henley Court, High Street, Henley-in-Arden, West Midlands B95 5BA. For further information please contact Ruth Barrows/ Cara Hastings at Bright on Tel: +44 (0) 1564 795535 Fax: +44 (0) 1564 795560 or Email: pr@bright-consultancy.co.uk

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Ref: CALG0064AV
Released: 16th June 2005