The Importance of Gas Safety
Running from 13th - 19th September 2021, Gas Safety Week is an annual event that promotes the awareness of gas safety and gives our customers and readers some helpful tips when it comes to gas safety checks and what to do in the event of an accident. 
This year is no different and in this year's article, we’ll be giving you a checklist, some tips on how you can keep your energy bills low and signs to look for if there is a gas leak.
Gas Safety Checks
● First, it’s always important that you only use a gas safe registered engineer to fit, fix and service your gas appliances. Simply visit GasSafeRegister.co.uk or call 0800 408 5500 to find a gas safe registered engineer.
● Regularly service your gas appliances, this should be done once a year. Homeowners or landlords, you may need to sort this out yourself or with an estate agent. If you rent, then you should contact your landlord or estate agent to arrange a gas service.
● Never use gas appliances for anything other than their intended purpose. I.e. using a gas hob to light a cigarette or to heat a room. If you do, the risk of accidents occurring is significantly increased.
● Know what to do in an emergency, The Gas Safe Registered have a handy, quick guide on what to do in the event of an accident happening.
● Finally, know the 6 signs of Carbon Monoxide (CO) poisoning, this is something we’ll go into more detail about later, but for now, just know that unsafe gas appliances can put you at risk of CO poisoning, gas leaks, fires and in some cases, explosions.
Gas Safety Tips
We said we’d help you save money on your gas and energy bills and we will!
First and maybe the most popular way to save money on your gas and energy bills is to always switch providers and use comparison sites to find the best deal possible.
In other words, it doesn’t pay to be a loyal customer anymore.
Secondly, search for government energy-saving grants, also known as the Green Homes Grant Scheme.
For those who are unfamiliar, this is where the government will give you the funds to make your home or property more energy efficient. Yes, you read that correctly, the Government will give you free cash to improve your home!
This could be through loft insulations, double-glazing, floor insulations and even air source heat pumps which we’ve talked about before.
Just following some of these tips you can make your home more energy-efficient while saving money and potentially be given free money to do so!
With the proposed gas heating ban coming into play in 2025, this will not only help households keep costs down as they switch to an eco boiler or fully electric to heat their homes, it will also do much more for climate control and move towards a greener future.
And while gas hob cookers will still be allowed, it’s safe to say that now is a good time to get ahead of the game and start looking to improve the energy efficiency of your home while there are incentives from the government to do so.
Carbon Monoxide (CO) Risks
As we briefly mentioned before, Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a poisonous gas that has no taste, colour, or smell.
CO poisoning can cause serious illness and death.
It is vital to know the signs of a CO leak in order to keep yourself safe. Here are the symptoms to look out for:
Headaches
Dizziness
Nausea
Breathlessness
Collapse
Loss of consciousness
It’s important to remember to look out for signs of a carbon monoxide leak!
The usual signs are increased condensation inside of windows, dark or sooty staining on gas appliances, pilot lights that blow frequently or a floppy yellow or orange flame on your gas hob.
If you spot these warning signs, follow the recommended procedures listed by the gas safe register here.
Take Part In This Years’ Gas Safety Week
With many helpful tips and articles on the Gas Safe Register website, you can check to make sure your home or property meets the gas safe checks and government guidelines in order to know if you’re compliant or if you have areas that need improving on.
Pledge your support here and you’ll be given access to a free GSW21 toolkit as well as detailed information of how you can be a part of this year's national safety campaign.
If you have any more questions or want to find out more about how DMS is involved, get in touch with us today!
Our team will be on-hand and happy to answer any questions you may have.
01773 534555 / meters@dmsltd.com
