The north of England’s gas distributor, Northern Gas Networks (NGN), is celebrating after winning a Gas Industry Award at a ceremony in London on Thursday (14 May).

NGN won the Gas Industry Innovation Award in recognition of its development of the Acoustic Camera in conjunction with Core n Vac technology, a ground-breaking process that is revolutionising the way in which gas leaks are located and repaired.

The Core n Vac technology takes a small, circular ‘core’ from the pavement or road and when combined with the Acoustic Camera, which detects gas leaks, reduces the size and number of holes that need to be dug in the highways and pavement, resulting in faster repair times and minimising disruption for members of the public.

The judges were impressed with the way that NGN cleverly combined a new innovation with existing technology used outside of the gas industry.

Ian Whitehead, regional performance manager, said of the award win: “We are delighted to have won a Gas Industry Award for our ground-breaking use of Acoustic Camera and Core n Vac technology.

“We are the first gas distribution network to bring the two technologies together, helping us to deliver a more efficient and service when repairing gas leaks. It has reduced the time taken to repair gas leaks from days to just hours, minimising disruption to our customers.

“The awards ceremony was a great occasion and winning the Innovation Award made it even better!”

The winners were announced at an event on Thursday 14 May at the Hilton Hotel on Park Lane in London.

NGN delivers gas to 2.7 million homes and businesses across the North of England and provides the region’s rapid response service for customers who smell gas at home or work. The company has won 12 national awards for customer experience and employee engagement in the last 12 months.

For more information go to www.northerngasnetworks.co.uk

Northern Gas Networks is investing over £150,000 to upgrade more than 800m of ageing metallic gas mains in Wakefield.

The project is part of Northern Gas Networks’ ongoing development of infrastructure across the north of England and will involve replacing existing metallic gas main with more durable plastic pipes to ensure the continued safe and reliable supply of gas to our customers in the area for years to come.

The 12 week project will be carried out in two phases, commencing on Batley Road on Monday 18 May for 8 weeks before moving into St Pauls Drive for four weeks.

In order to carry out this work safely and efficiently, it will be necessary to install temporary two way traffic lights on Batley Road for eight weeks and three-way temporary traffic lights on Batley Road at the junction of St Paul’s Drive for approximately two weeks from Tuesday 26 May.

Businesses in the area will remain open as usual and pedestrian access will be maintained at all times.

Warren Iveson, Construction Services Area Manager said, “We are holding a community drop in session at The Crown Public House, Batley Road between 4 – 6pm on Wednesday 13 May where our customer care team will be on hand to answer any questions from members of the public.

“We will also continue to keep customers informed via our website, Twitter and Facebook accounts and the local media.”

Mr Iveson added, “We would like to take this opportunity to apologise in advance for any inconvenience this essential work may cause and thank our customers for their patience and understanding.”

If you have any questions about the work, please don’t hesitate to contact the Customer Care team on 0800 040 7766, option 7.

Northern Gas Networks (NGN), the energy distributer for the North of England has teamed up with National Energy Action (NEA) to help raise £250 for households who are unable to keep warm in their homes, as part of Fuel Poverty Awareness Day.

To mark the day, NGN encouraged employees to come to work wearing their old scarves, hats and gloves and tweet selfies of themselves wrapped up with the hashtag #NationsBiggestHouseWarming. Colleagues across the network have also been donating their garments to NGNs ‘warm up’ boxes, with all clothing being going to St George’s Crypt.

Tom Bell, head of social strategy, Northern Gas Networks, visited St George’s Crypt last month to donate the clothes to the Leeds based homeless shelter.

“It’s great to be able to donate our old hats and gloves to The Crypt, and we hope that these old items will help homeless and vulnerable people across the area keep warm. A big thank you to everyone from NGN who got involved!”

Fuel poverty continues to be a large problem across the North of England, with almost a quarter of houses in the North of England thought to be spending more than 10% of their income on heating their homes.

Maria Wardrobe, NEA’s Director of External Affairs said: “Our charity knows only too well the dreadful plight faced by those who cannot afford to heat their home to the level they need to

stay warm and healthy. The 4.5 million UK households who are fuel poor will be worrying about how they are going to pay their fuel bills and will be continuing to make the stark choices about heating or eating. All money raised will go to projects and initiatives that will help vulnerable people live in a warm home.”

Mr Bell continued: “We are always trying to help people living in fuel poverty across our network. The Nation’s Biggest Housewarming has been another great way for us to raise awareness and money for those struggling to keep warm.

“We hope that as well as raising money for NEA, we have helped to raise awareness of what is a very important issue.”

For more information on the Nation’s Biggest Housewarming or to donate to NEA please visit www.nea.org.uk/housewarming.

If you think you are eligible for a free or discounted gas connection, visit www.northerngasnetworks.co.uk/yourconnections .

Currently in the UK only 7% of people working in the engineering sector are women. So, an engineer from Hull who became Northern Gas Networks’ (NGN’s) first female network officer has called on more girls to consider apprenticeships within engineering.

Amanda White, who is based in NGN’s Hull depot, joined the company straight from school in 1997, beginning her career in office support before quickly realising her passion lay within the engineering side of the business after applying for the role of a customer liaison officer.

After becoming NGN’s first and only female network engineer Amanda moved steadily upwards through the business and is now a highly skilled Network officer with the dedicated support of NGN.

Launched in 2005, NGN’s apprentice programme has successfully employed more than 100 recruits as part of its inspire Academy.

During the four year programme which mixes both hands-on training and college-based learning with one to one mentoring, NGN aims to encourage talent and growth to transform raw recruits into fully-qualified engineers.

Passionate about promoting the fantastic career opportunities for women within NGN, Amanda has recently held a ‘Women in Industry’ event to engage and inspire female colleagues from other departments, to make the leap to engineering.

Amanda said: “Beginning a career with an established company at a young age is a great start. NGN has always been keen to progress the careers if those people who work hard and I am proof of that. I had no engineering experience when I joined the company, but with the support of on-site training, a dedicated mentor and many courses later, I am gaining all of the experience I need to succeed. To go on a course is great, but to be on-site learning in “real” time is the most beneficial source of training as there is no substitute for experience.

“I think it would be great not only the sector but also for the local region to see more young women in operational and engineering roles. An apprenticeship is the perfect way to do this so you can literally earn while you learn.”

Northern Gas Networks (NGN) operations manager Glen Judge, has been appointed Chairman of the North East and Yorkshire section of IGEM (Institution of Gas Engineers and Managers).

Glen was the regional secretary for IGEM for several years and now takes up the leading position of the organisation for this region for the 2015/2016 financial year.

IGEM is a professional body for people working in the gas industry, both in the UK and around the world, with regional sections across the country.

As part of his new role, Glen will be responsible for managing the numerous networking and social events which take place each year as part of the IGEM calendar including Future Energy on 5^th May, The Next Generation: The Future of the Gas Industry event on 28^th May, Gas Holders, The End of an Era on 17^th June, the Summer BBQ on 11^th August and the Charity Christmas Ball in November.

“It is a real honour to be appointed Chairman this year and I hope to help deliver a great programme which has something for everyone”, said Glen.

“My appointment was made formal at IGEM’s most recent regional innovation and networking event, which took place in Harrogate on 7^th April. This year’s theme was ‘innovation for customer excellence’ where our Head of Customer Experience, Eileen Brown, was speaking on the subject. The event was really well attended as always and it was a great opportunity for guests to hear about the latest technologies and techniques in our industry.”

Innovation has been the overriding theme for the recent IGEM events. In March, Shaun Bosomworth, project supervisor for major projects at NGN, won the Young Person’s Paper Competition for the North East and Yorkshire section. This was for his insightful presentation on overcrossings, which are pipelines which need to pass over obstacles such as rivers or canals.

Shaun will now go on to the national final, to be held at IET Austin Court in Birmingham on 25^th June, where he will compete against fellow engineers from around the world. At stake is the opportunity to go the World Gas Conference in Perth, Australia in 2016.

Shaun said: “I was really pleased to win the regional heat. I chose overcrossings as the topic because I’ve been specialising in these projects for the past 12 months, right across NGN’s network. I am now looking forward to the national final, and intend to practise as much as possible between now and then.”

Glen concluded: “It was great to share such a special event with Shaun who won this fantastic award for innovation. The whole team at NGN is very proud of him and we look forward to seeing how he gets on in the national final.”

NGN delivers gas to 2.7 million homes and businesses across the North of England and provides the region’s rapid response service for customers who smell gas at home or work.

For more information go to www.northerngasnetworks.co.uk

Engineers from Northern Gas Networks (NGN) are carrying out work to divert a gas main on Stamfordham Road, Newcastle, as part of Newcastle City Council’s improvement works to Cowgate Roundabout.

NGN have been working closely with the council to ensure the work is carried out safely and efficiently with minimal disruption to members of the public.

A temporary lane closure has been in place on Stamfordham Road (westbound) while the work is carried out and to minimise disruption engineers have reopened the lane during peak commuting hours.  Regrettably, it is now necessary to close the lane for seven days in order to complete the work safety.

James O’Brien, Site Manager at Northern Gas Networks, said: “Until now we’ve been reopening the lane at rush hour which has helped to ease congestion however it’s now necessary to close it for the next seven days so that the work can be completed safely and efficiently.

“We understand no one likes roadworks and we’re doing everything we can to complete this work as quickly as possible and with minimum disruption.  We’d like to apologise to motorists for any inconvenience caused. If anyone has any questions, they can contact the Customer Care team on 0800 040 7766, option 7.”

Anyone who smells gas should contact the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 immediately.  Calls will be answered at any time of day or night and an engineer will be sent out to assess the situation promptly.

The north of England’s gas distributor, Northern Gas Networks (NGN) is raising awareness of the dangers of Carbon Monoxide (CO) poisoning through a new trial scheme in Kirklees, West Yorkshire.

Working alongside Local Authorities in the area, NGN is funding the installation of 150 innovative carbon monoxide detectors in social housing as part of the trial. So far 80 devices have been installed in the Kirklees area.

Carbon monoxide is often referred to as the ‘silent killer’ as it has no smell, colour or taste making it difficult to detect. Inhaling CO prevents oxygen from being carried around the body. This can be fatal and results in 50 deaths in the UK each year as well as approximately 4,000 people needing medical treatment.

Scottish company, Smart Compliance Ltd developed the new CO detectors used in the trial scheme. When carbon monoxide is detected, the device issues SMS notifications to a nominated mobile phone, whether that be to the home owner, a close friend or family member. This ensures vulnerable people in particular can be kept safer at home.

Weekly reports are also issued by the detectors to confirm that they are fully functional and to alert owners when the batteries need replacing. During the trial period, the local councils involved in the scheme will receive all notifications from devices.

Tom Bell, Head of Social Strategy at NGN, said of the trial scheme: “Raising awareness of the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning is an issue we take extremely seriously, as is the health and safety of all our customers.

“Other gas distribution networks across the country are also taking part in the scheme and we hope that together we will be able to make significant progress in informing people of the risks associated with exposure to CO”.

Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing is one of the organisations taking part in the pilot. The company, which manages 23,000 homes on behalf of Kirklees Council, works with NGN and gas safety campaigner Stacey Rodgers, as part of the Kirklees Carbon Monoxide Awareness Group, and so was keen to take part in the pilot.

Paul Goodwin, who manages KNH’s Gas & Electric Team, said, “Keeping our tenants safe is a fundamental part of our role as a social landlord, so we carry out annual gas servicing and safety checks on all the properties we manage. As an additional precaution, we also fit carbon monoxide detectors in the homes of our more vulnerable tenants, so we’re looking forward to seeing how the new smart detectors can help us keep those tenants even safer.”

Smart Compliance Director Scott Wallace said, “We’re delighted to be involved in this pilot project and to see large utility companies such as Northern Gas, embracing innovative technology which is changing the way we detect and protect against deadly carbon monoxide. We are committed to raising awareness, saving lives and promoting people’s health.”

National Grid and Wales & West Utilities are also involved in the initiative which is supported by the Energy Innovation Centre which will see 600 of the new smart detectors fitted in homes around the UK.

NGN delivers gas to 2.7 million homes and businesses across the North of England and provides the region’s rapid response service for customers who smell gas at home or work.

For more information go to www.northerngasnetworks.co.uk

Supplies have been restored to the vast majority of customers in Haworth following engineering complications during a mains replacement job on Friday 24 April.

Just under 160 properties were originally affected on West Lane, Hobb Lane and Lumfoot. Northern Gas Networks’ engineers worked through the night and all but a handful of properties had their supplies restored the next day (Saturday 25 April).

A spokesperson from Northern Gas Networks said: “We’d like to thank customers for their patience while we’ve been working to resolve this supply issue. Gas has now been restored to all but a handful of remaining properties where we haven’t yet been able to gain access in order to reconnect them. We have left calling cards for these customers, and will get their gas back on as soon as they get in touch.”
Customers can call NGN’s Customer Care Team on 0800 040 7766 (option 7).

Anyone who smells gas should call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999.

Supplies have now been restored to the vast majority of customers in Haworth, following engineering complications during a mains replacement job yesterday (April 24).

Just under 160 properties were originally affected on West Lane, Hobb Lane and Lumfoot, and all but a handful of these have now had supplies restored.

A spokesperson from Northern Gas Networks said: “We’d like to thank customers for their patience while we’ve been working to resolve this supply issue. Gas has now been restored to the vast majority of customers. There are a handful of remaining properties where we haven’t yet been able to gain access in order to reconnect them. We have left calling cards for these customers, and will get their gas back on as soon as they get in touch.”

Customers can call NGN’s Customer Care Team on 0800 040 7766 (option 7).

Anyone who smells gas should call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999.

Gas supplies are being restored this evening (Friday April 24) to properties on West Lane, Hobb Lane and Lumfoot in Haworth.

Approximately 160 properties were affected earlier today, due to engineering complications during mains replacement work in the area.

A spokesperson from Northern Gas Networks said: “Our apologies to customers who have been inconvenienced today. We’re now restoring supplies, and aim to have all occupied properties back on gas this evening.”