Mansfield District Council has approved the decommissioning of communal heating to its properties in Bellamy Road and Bennington Walk to make way for the installation of modern, energy efficient and cost effective gas supplies to each home.

Since 2011, the council has been replacing its coal fired communal district heating with gas fired central heating systems in its tenants’ homes. The National Grid has funded the installation of mains gas pipes to the council’s properties, with the council spending around £2500 on each home to convert the domestic heating and make good any repairs.  Out of a total of 2,200 properties, 1,707 have already been disconnected from communal heating and connected to an individual gas supply.

The 117 properties at Bellamy Road and the 40 properties at Bennington Walk will now benefit from the much-needed upgrade, with new energy efficient boilers providing residents with choice and comfort.

According to the National Grid, an average three bedroom semi-detached home could save up to £200 a year when switching to individual gas from communal heating

Councillor Barry Answer, Portfolio Holder for Housing said:

“The new gas fired central heating will provide our tenants with more control over their own heating and save them money – on average about £200 a year. I have been told that two residents from an earlier upgrade have seen savings of about £600 a year. These are significant savings and will make a real difference.

“We have set aside a budget of £2500 for each property, which enables us to convert each home and make any repairs needed as a result of the work taking place.

“This is part of our continuing programme of work to update the heating systems in all of our properties. The communal heating system was installed about 40 years ago and is coming to the end of its useful life, so it is essential to move over to modern, energy efficient systems.”

Eight private home owners who have bought their properties will not be left out. The council will install the new heating to their homes which they can pay for with a loan, or the cost of the heating upgrade can be paid back to the council when the property is sold.

In addition to providing tenants with more choice over when and how much heating they wish to use and saving them money, the move to gas fired heating will reduce CO2 emissions from the properties, making them more environmentally friendly.

The work to replace the communal heating and install the new systems in Bellamy Road and Bennington Walk will begin in April.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE LOCAL NEWS