17 Good Shepherd Court, Ayr, KA8 0RR

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1 17 Good Shepherd Court, Ayr, KA8 0RR Welcome to your new home We hope that you enjoy your new home. It has been designed to reflect modern living requirements and to be as energy efficient as possible. Below are some tips and general information about your new home. Please read this alongside the manual that we have left in your house which contains more detailed information on the heating and other systems in the house. Your Housing Officer will be delighted to provide advice and assistance. Just call Access to the house Your household and visitors should enter the courtyard by way of the paths and pends on either side. These are beside the shared car parking areas. You may leave the courtyard through the church doors. These have self-closers and will lock behind you. It is important that these doors are kept closed for the security and privacy of all the residents. We have provided you with a key so that you can come and go to and from your wheelie bins and drying area (see below). You should though advise visitors to approach your house through the pends. Heating and hot water Heating and hot water is provided by a combination boiler located in the kitchen. The heating has been preset to come on in the morning (7-10am) and again in the evening (7-10pm) but refer to the manufacturer s manual for further information. A thermostat is located in the hall or living room. This can be adjusted to set the ideal temperature in your house. We recommend your thermostat is set between 18 and 21 degrees. The temperatures of individual radiators are controlled by thermostatic radiator valves (TRV) and these can be individually adjusted. We recommend that you start off by turning the thermostat to a middle setting. Gas and electric supply - Gas valve and gas meter is in a box at the rear of the building 1

2 - Electrical meter and Consumer unit are located in hall cupboard Note - Gas and electric meter readings were taken just before you moved in and from this point on all bills will be your responsibility. You should use these readings to set up your own accounts. Water stopcock positions This is under the sink in the kitchen. Ventilation system The house is ventilated by electric extractor fans in the kitchen and bathrooms. Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors All houses are fitted with smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) detectors. These detectors will give you early warning if a fire breaks out or if there is a risk of CO poisoning (from a faulty gas appliance) by making a loud noise. They could make all the difference to your family s safety. You should never: Disconnect the alarms Paint over them Move them Check that the alarms are working at least once a month. Full instructions for each are included in your property pack. Clean the alarms regularly to keep them dust free and improve their efficiency. TV aerials The house is fitted with TV outlets for both satellite and terrestrial digital TV served by communal aerials. This system is enabled but tenants must arrange their own connection to their television or digital receiver. You may not fit your own external aerial or dish. The installation is maintained on behalf of Ayrshire Housing by Gordon White Aerials ( ) who may be able to adjust the system at your expense to suite your own particular needs. BT sockets Telephone points have been wired in your house. These points are not live and you will have to contact BT to connect your telephone. This may take a few weeks. 2

3 Cookers A gas cooker supply terminal is provided. There is also an electric spur point (with a labelled isolation switch at worktop level) installed for an electric cooker connection. It is tenant s responsibility to ensure that the cooker is fitted by a qualified installer. Washing machine Your house is plumbed for a washing machine and an electricity supply has been installed (with labelled isolation switch at worktop level), although it is your own responsibility to fit the washing machine and you will be responsible for any leaks. Fridge A space is provided for a free standing fridge or fridge/freezer. A labelled isolation switch at the level worktop is connected to the fridge spur for ease of access. Electrical equipment The choice of fridges, washing machines and other electrical equipment can make a big difference to your bill. At the end of this handout, you will find handy tips on buying the most efficient equipment within your budget. Whatever the equipment, it also pays to read the energy savings tips in the user manuals supplied by the manufacturers. We have fitted energy saving light bulbs in your house. We hope that you will replace these if required with ones of equal efficiency. Hall carpets The front door to your property is fitted with a low level threshold this is to allow easy access for disabled people. Unfortunately, a side effect of this is that if you fit a thick floor covering/carpet the bottom of your door may snag on the floor covering/carpet. We therefore recommend that you ensure there will be adequate clearance when selecting a floor covering/ carpet or that you lay a vinyl floor covering adjacent to your front door. Due to the location of pipes below the floor, please ensure when laying carpets, etc. to use normal tacks or nail strips as large nails may puncture one of these pipes. Do not glue carpet or underlay to flooring. It is recommended that you seek the advice of a reputable carpet fitter or supplier. Laminate and timber flooring If you wish to ask for permission to fit laminate/timber flooring this will be normally be granted but you will be responsible for lifting the floor if this is required to carry 3

4 out and repair work. Ayrshire Housing will not be liable should the flooring be damaged in any way Decoration during first year During the first year in your new property we recommend that you do not decorate your house this is because during the first year your house will settle and components may shrink. This may ruin your decoration and Ayrshire Housing would not make good any decoration work you had carried out, this would be your own responsibility. Alterations and improvements You have a right to carry out certain alterations or improvements to your home (for example, fitting an electric shower). Because of development incorporates parts of the former church, the planning department has imposed restrictions on external alterations. In addition, garden huts, trampolines and green houses cannot be erected in the gardens and landscaped areas facing the streets The upstairs toilet has water and electric connections to aid fitting a shower unit. Please ask the association for details if you are thinking of installing a shower. We will not unreasonably refuse permission for example for a shower installation, but we may insist on certain conditions being met, for example if the work involves alteration to the gas or electric supply we may insist that you provide a certificate from a qualified tradesperson to confirm the work has been done to acceptable standards. If you are thinking about making any alterations, contact us and we will discuss your plans and give advice. After the work has been done, contact us and we will arrange to inspect it. If the work has been unauthorised we may insist that you re-instate the property to its original condition. Landscaped and shared areas You have the use of a section of the shared ground at the side of your house for bin storage and clothes drying. Please keep these areas tidy and you must stow the rotary clothes dryer in your house when not in use. 4

5 Refuse bins You will be entitled to three bins, one blue bin for recycling waste, one green bin for general waste and one brown bin for garden waste. In addition there is a black box for glass and bottles. As the tenant, you are required to order your own bins with South Ayrshire Council, the telephone number to order your bin is All rubbish Bins should be stored behind the timber screen on the slabbed area provided. Energy labelling By law, the European Community Energy Label must be displayed on all new household products of the following types displayed for sale, hire or hire-purchase: Refrigerators, freezers and fridge freezer combinations Washing machines Electric tumble dryers Combined washer-dryers Dishwashers Lamps Electric ovens Air conditioners Mail Order catalogues, Internet advertisements and manufacturers literature must contain similar information. You should expect to be provided with this information wherever you buy or hire these products. Product details How to use the Energy Label to Choose more efficient products and save you money What you get for your money Energy Efficiency The more efficient the product, the less energy it needs and the more you get for your money. A rated products are the most efficient and G rated products the least efficient. The most efficient fridges and freezers can now be identified by new A+ and A++ markings on the large black arrow appearing against the green A arrow. How much will it cost to run Energy Consumption This tells you how much electricity the product uses, in kilowatt hours (kwh)*. Use the kwh figure to see how much electricity and money you might save if you chose a different model. Using less electricity is better for the environment and for your pocket. 5

6 * When you buy electricity, your supplier charges you for how many kwh or units of electricity you use. A one bar electric fire uses 1kWh in one hour. A 100watt electric light bulb uses 1kWh in 10 hours use (an energy saving light bulb would go on for 40 hours on 1kWh of electricity!). Actual savings will, of course, depend on how you use the product and how much you pay for your electricity. You can also save money by running washing machines, washer-dryers and dishwashers only when you have a full load, using economy and low temperature settings, and spin-drying clothes well before you tumble dry; by ensuring that fridges and freezers are installed away from cookers and other sources of heat in accordance with the manufacturer s advice; and by switching off lights when not needed. Manufacturer s name and product details This confirms the manufacturer s name and model number - check that this is the same as the model you actually choose to buy. The European Ecolabel Some products are awarded the European Ecolabel which may appear on the label or elsewhere. The Ecolabel indicates that the product has been independently assessed and found to meet strict environmental criteria (considering more than just energy consumption), putting it among the best in its class. How well does the product perform? The A-G indicators here are similar to the main energy efficiency ratings and are based on European standards (the test cycle used is on the label): A is the best performance and G the worst. Using models with A ratings for both energy efficiency and performance, together with lower than average water consumption, will save you the most money as well as being the best for the environment. Washing machines, washer-dryers and dishwashers Conserve water To help you choose a water efficient model, the table below shows roughly how much water typical appliances use. Washing machine: litres per wash programme (based on a wash load capacity of 5kg) Washer-dryer: litres per wash and drying programme (based on a wash load capacity of 5kg) Dishwasher: litres per wash (based on an 8-place setting) Dishwasher: litres per wash (based on a 12-place setting) Save Energy To find out more ways to save money on your energy bills and choose efficient appliances, visit or call your local Energy Efficiency Advice Centre on between 9am and 5pm Mondays-Fridays. 6