to Alex over Gas Regs

Dear Alex and team

SUMMARY over what I think needs to be done:

Gas regulations must be changed when, in future, gas users have their gas meters officially and professionally removed and then sealed to prevent leaks, as was the case in our home in November 2023.

MORE DETAIL:

To complete the modernisation of our home, to make it compliant with your government's insistence that there is a Climate Emergency which demands change by each of us, my wife and I completed our transition to Climate compliance by having the gas meter removed on the 30 November 2023.

Since 2024, I have received a number of letters from Cadent demanding access.  I have been unwilling to oblige so they have got on with the job, anyway.  Hence, for the first time in 2024, Cadent dug up the pavement twice to switch off the gas at the mains.  On the last occasion, two separate holes were dug out of the pavement.  This was in December 2025.  When that work was finally completed, I thought they must now - surely - have succeeded.  However, ...

Yesterday, two men arrived at my home, did a test to confirm that there was old gas left in the pipe (surprise, surprise; and professionally sealed where the old meter was, of course!), said the Gas Regulations demand every cubic gram of gas must be removed and intimated that my new £8,000 resin bound drive and steps, laid in October 2025 (last year!) to replace a decades old tarmac drive in poor shape, may need to be dug up to comply with the gas regs.

Even before the drive is dug up, this is costing incompetent Cadent thousands of pounds in visits to my home and in digging deep holes in the pavement at the bottom of the drive.  I may yet receive a bill for all this totally unnecessary work.  It is important that every one of your constituents begin the transition out of gas into renewable electricity from mainly the solar panels on the roof of their homes, with battery storage, as we have done.

Within ten years my wife and I are likely to be dead.  In less than ten years, the next occupants of the house may well want the gas restored to 28 Hunnington Crescent.  Hence, things should now be left as they are with no more expense for Cadent and me.

 

Please will you help, Alex and team, to get the gas regulations modified to be more sensible, reasonable and to comply with urgent Climate and finite Resource imperatives?

Thanks so much.    Tim   (Weller  28 Hunnington Cres  Halesowen)

FROM MY BLOG:

Saturday, 2 December 2023

Getting out of gas is complete with the meter taken out on 30 Nov '23

Our transition from gas to 100% electricity is now complete.  We had our gas meter removed, for free by Octopus, yesterday.  Now on 100% solar power and cheap grid electricity in winter, only, to help balance the grid.

The almost zero carbon home

Just seen, over last 12 months:- 2.6kWh/day of electricity imported from world oil, gas reserves. Our legacy is this low cost, energy efficient, solar powered home for a descendant to live in!

Last 12 months has seen gas used for water heating throughout the year and some for cooking. Next 12 months will be electricity for everything, so will be higher than 2.6 kWh per day (now, between 3 and 4 kWh/day). In the summer this house is a MAJOR mini power station.

Every building should be like this.