Important information about your heating system
In Washington almost 1,000 households receive their heating and hot water from a communal heating system in the Fatfield, Oxclose and Albany areas. As a resident or a prospective new resident of a property that has a communal heating system, we understand that you may have many questions about how the system works. Communal heating differs from other conventional stand alone heating systems. This leaflet contains important information in relation to how the communal heating system in Washington works. What is District Energy? District Energy is the environmentally responsible way for homeowners to reap the benefit of centrally generated, reliable and efficient heating and hot water. In this case, your District heating system consists of a centralised boiler plant that delivers heat and hot water on demand to your home. Households served by the District heating system in Washington are unlikely to have a gas supply to their homes and instead receive heating and hot water from pipes leading from a nearby plant room. To ensure that each household connected to the system only pays for the energy it consumes, the supply is automatically metered and connected to a prepayment meter. What service will I receive? Gentoo work closely with Switch2 who are the appointed service provider who manage and maintain the District heating system in Washington on our behalf. With a 24 hour Helpline and maintenance programme, you have peace of mind that your energy supply will be available when you need it, 365 days a year. I have just moved in, what do I do to get started? If you have just moved in and would like the system setting up in your name and the controls explained, you will need to contact Switch2 on 0333 32 12 010 who will call out to set the system up in your name. During the appointment, an engineer will be happy to explain to you how the system and controls work. If you are a Gentoo customer, this will be arranged on your behalf by our Allocations team. How do I pay for my heating? Heating is paid for as part of a pay as you go system only. This means that you will not receive a bill for using the system and instead pay for heating by charging a smart card which will be supplied by Switch2. You can purchase credit from various outlets across the Washington area. These have been listed below:
- Gentoo Office The Galleries shopping centre - Gentoo Office Front street, Concord - Oxclose convenience store Oxclose Village Centre - Londis store 48 Biddick Village Centre - Albany convenience store Albany Village Centre (near Duke of Albany pub) Do I get value for money with District heating? Gentoo purchase gas to fuel the plant rooms at a bulk commercial rate and customers who purchase heating credits effectively pay Gentoo back for the gas that has already been purchased. As Gentoo can purchase gas at a bulk rate, we are able to agree far more competitive tariffs than an individual domestic householder. Gentoo is then able to pass on the cost benefits to our customers as shown by Gentoo not implementing a price increase from 2008 til Jan 2012 and again no price increase since April 2013. My heating or hot water has failed to work, what do I do? In the unlikely event that your heating fails or develops a fault and you still have credit available, you can call the Switch2 Helpline on 0333 32 12 010 which is available 24 hours a day. They are there to give advice or arrange for an engineer to visit your home to address any problems you may have.
Benefits of Communal Heating There are many advantages of being part of a District heating system. They include the following: It s greener! - District heating schemes are more energy efficient and save more energy than individual gas fuelled equivalent boilers as less energy is needed to fuel them in comparison to individual systems. More responsive - Customers are part of a 24 hour monitoring and maintenance programme which can offer great peace of mind. Back up boilers Unlike an individual house, in a communal plant room back up boilers can work to maintain heating and hot water to homes if one boiler fails. The second one will ignite automatically so as not to interrupt service. No bills! As the Washington system is pay as you go only customers will not have to worry about quarterly bills. Heat without paying for it! As warm heating and hot water pipes already run throughout your and neighbouring properties you may find that you will benefit from warmth from those pipes without having to turn your heating on. For instance, many residents who live in communal flats often report that they don t need to turn their heating on due to benefits they already gain from the location of the hot water pipes in cavities and floor space of their homes. System upgrade Gentoo and Switch 2 have recently embarked on an upgrade of the plant rooms throughout Washington. This means that some plant rooms have already had a full replacement of the machinery and are benefiting from new more efficient boilers. Gentoo and Switch 2 are continuing with a rolling programme of improvement until all plant rooms have been fully upgraded. How can I avoid spending more on credit in the winter? Like any central heating system the cost of paying for your heating rises in the colder months and reduces in the warmer months. You may feel you need to purchase less credit in the summer compared to the winter but it is recommended that customers maintain the amount of credit purchased throughout the year. This allows the customer a chance to build up credit for colder months.
Frequently asked questions Why can t I pay by direct debit? Many customers ask why we do not provide a direct debit payment facility. Like any administrative system, providing this service would lead to inevitable running costs. At Gentoo we understand the importance of keeping the cost of the system as low as possible and have chosen to retain the current pay as you go system to purchase heating credits to ensure we can remain charging our rates as low as we can. I am not happy with the service, what do I do? Both Gentoo and ENER-G Switch2 are committed to providing excellent customer service. If you are not happy with any aspect of the service you have received in relation to your communal heating system please contact Switch 2 on 0333 32 12 010. You can also contact Clare McInroy at Gentoo on 0191 525 5007. Clare is Gentoo s Neighbourhood Coordinator for Switch 2 issues. Important Information Tampering with the heating system It is very important that customers served by the District heating do not tamper with any of system including all of the heating controls, pipe-work and radiators. If for example you need to move a radiator (e.g. for decorating), you must contact Switch first who will advise if they can assist with your request. Please note that any remedial work required due to a customer tampering with the system, may result in charges which the customer will be required to pay. Communal Heating Fraud Switch2 and Gentoo are working closely together to eliminate theft of services in the Washington area. Switch 2 engineers will inform Gentoo of customers who have been found to have tampered with the heating controls within their home to fraudulently obtain free heating and hot water. As this is a criminal offence, Gentoo will contact Northumbria Police in order to pursue possible legal action against the customer. In addition, any Gentoo customer found to have tampered with the system will risk serious action that could put their tenancy at risk. Gentoo trust that the above information will be of assistance to all customers served by the District heating system. Gentoo Group is a Charitable Community Benefit Society, registration number 7302.