Enniskillen resident hails ‘unbelievable convenience’ of gas upgrade

One of Enniskillen's newest gas users has been blown away by its convenience after upgrading her heating system and is encouraging others in the community to “one hundred percent get it in”. 

 

Local resident Danielle Carrothers claims her neighbours’ decision to have gas installed, coupled with the fact that her son in Belfast uses it, prompted her to contact her local gas network operator, Evolve, and commence the switching process. 

 

Having had gas installed in her home for three months now, Danielle is already seeing the improved energy efficiency and cost effectiveness of the switch. She said: “We find we’re not going through an awful lot, so it’s not really costing us as much. You get a fill of oil, it's costing you four, five, six hundred pounds in one go. Whereas with gas I just use the wee top-up card. You can top up from as little as £5 so it’s a lot more manageable.” 

 

Danielle felt oil to be a cumbersome means of heating water, adding: “Anytime you switched on for hot water, the heating was also coming on. In the midst of the summer, you were absolutely sweating with the heat going on as well.” Gas, on the other hand, is a very different matter: “Now it's literally turn the tap…and you've got instant hot water. You can set your thermostat upstairs, you can set the temperature of the water, you can do all that. The convenience is just unbelievable.” 

 

Danielle found the installation process to be quick and seamless, taking little more than half a day. She explains: “I took myself off to the nearest shop and just said, ‘you know what, you guys just work away and I’ll come back’.” Upgrading to gas also means that old space-consuming oil tanks can be removed, and Danielle is excited to avail of the additional space: “In the attic once the water tank came out, we had free reign to floor the attic and get it a bit tidier. We're starting to see the added benefits of all the extra space now.” 

 

Connecting to the gas network instantly reduces carbon emissions by up to 48%, and Danielle now feels she is “doing the right thing for the environment”. This also aligns with targets set out in the Northern Ireland Executive’s Path to Net Zero Energy Strategy, which recommends connecting to gas to take advantage of plans to decarbonise the entire network. 

 

Evolve’s decarbonisation process is already underway, with the first ever injection on the island of Ireland of biomethane, a fully renewable energy source, taking place within the company’s network late last year. 

 

Residents interested in switching to gas like Danielle can also avail of the recently launched Carbon Reduction Grant to receive £500 towards the installation. 

 

Further details about upgrading to gas, including other financial incentives, can be found by completing the handy postcode checker on the Evolve website: www.evolvenetwork.co.uk