Introduction
By law we must ensure all our homes with a gas supply have a gas safety check each year. Your gas safety inspection is very important, as it will ensure that the fixtures and fittings in your home that use gas are safe. We want to ensure that you and your family are safe in your home.
Appointments
Once an appointment has been scheduled, it is important that you keep it and provide us access to your home. If you unable to attend, please inform us in advance so we can reschedule to a time that works better for you.
If you are not at home when we visit, we will leave a calling card with our contact details, asking you to get in touch to rearrange the appointment. Please contact us as soon as possible to arrange your gas safety check.
Your safety is our priority. If we are unable to gain access to your property, we may be required to take legal action to gain entry to your home. Should this be required, we will seek to recover our costs from you.
What will happen during the gas safety check
We will service and repair all the gas appliances that we own. We will also check your own appliances, such as your cooker and list any faults. Should any of your own appliances be deemed as unsafe, we are legally bound to disconnect and isolate them, so they are no longer a hazard. Repair or replacement of these appliances and subsequent reconnection are your own responsibility.
We will also check that all your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are working and give them a clean. If any of your smoke or carbon monoxide alarms are defective, then we will replace them for you.
We will explain the gas safety certificate, send you a copy and tell you what we will do next if any extra work is needed. Appliances that are serviced regularly are less likely to break down. Just think how inconvenient it would be if your heating system breaks down unexpectedly – no heating and no hot water!
The gas safety check takes on average around one hour to complete.
What are the dangers of carbon monoxide
Every year 30-40 people in England and Wales die from carbon monoxide poisoning caused by gas appliances and flues that have not been properly fitted or maintained. When gas does not burn properly, it produces poisonous carbon monoxide.
You can’t see it. You can’t taste it. You can’t even smell it. Carbon monoxide can kill without warning in just a matter of hours. You are most at risk when you are asleep.
The early symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include tiredness, drowsiness, headache and pains in the chest and stomach. You are at risk of this if:
- Your gas appliance is not working properly.
- Your gas appliance has not been checked for safety or maintained regularly.
- There is not enough fresh air in your room (do not block air bricks or other vents).
- Your chimney or flue is blocked.
- You have allowed unqualified people to install or maintain your gas appliances.
If you believe you may have suffered from any symptoms related to carbon monoxide poisoning visit your GP or the hospital at the earliest opportunity.
What should I do if I smell gas
Turn off your gas supply immediately. Find the lever next to your meter and move it one quarter of the way round, either right or left, until the gas stops.
Once the gas has been turned off, open the windows and doors to let in plenty of fresh air.
Do not turn any electrical switches on or off, light matches or lighters, or smoke.
Go outside and ring the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999. They will come to your home and make it safe.
If the engineer from the National Gas Emergency Service tells you something in your home needs to be repaired, call our Contact Centre on 0345 2000 102.