Bulk LPG - Cheapest suppliers / supply route?

If the answer is YES, MAYBE, or NO, please read on!

The OFT (Office for Fair Trading) has launched a

call for evidence on markets in remote communities across UK

It's up to you to decide if you live in a "remote community", but the OFT expects to hear from people in "UK islands communities, the Scottish Highlands, mid and West Wales, coastal and western Northern Ireland and in England, much of the South-West, the coastal parts of Lincolnshire and East Anglia and upland areas in Northumberland and Cumbria". They are also running workshops in 7 areas (Devon, Northumberland, Shetland, Highland, Gwynedd, Bridgend and County Tyrone).


One of the markets the OFT will be looking at is ENERGY.

Submissions by April 20.

Several of us sent submissions to the OFT Off-grid energy study - and several have posted that they weren't impressed by how the report dealt with LPG, so here's another opportunity to enlighten the OFT with the problems experienced by all of us forced to use LPG.

More info here: http://www.oft.gov.uk/news-and-updates/press/2012/09-12

I honestly think that LittleVermin deserves a medal for his level of input on this thread - what a man! Or could it be a very peristent woman...... Either way, thank you!!!

They are correct in what they said all properties must have an emergency shut valve at the property, for the reason stated if there was an emergency the fire service/ or heating engineer would go to the shut of valve at the property in the first instance because if you shut it off at the tank there is gas between tank and property in the pipe work.

It does not take much to fix, so I would get in touch with your current provider or ask the chosen new supplier, all you would have to do is expose the pipe work at the house say 1m around and down to existing pipe work and they can put one one on, if you ask the chosen new supplier there maybe some cost for their engineers time.

Hope this helps

!!!!!!-flogas-turpin wrote: »

Hello everyone,

I'm just in the process of trying to change my LPG supplier.

I had a visit today from a prospective company to check all was ok prior to the "tank switch". He informed me that all was not ok as I didn't have an external point were I was able to turn off the gas other than from the tank itself.

I can see his point, but if my house was on fire wouldn't the emergency services just turn the gas supply off from the tank rather than search around for a seperate valve?

Will other potential suppliers also have this as a requirement?

If I do need a seperate emergency turn off valve, shouldn't the current tank owner/supplier have had one of these in place already? I'm just a little miffed really as I thought I was about to get shut of my current extortionist/supplier. Dam!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

No problem, but is this were the gas goes into the property? as the shut off valve really needs to be there, otherwise everything past the shut off valve is your responsibility which may include pipework.

£150.00 is a little expensive, but it does depend on the saving you are making by switching suppliers, it maybe in your interest to pay the new supplier the money to fix it, I would certainly ask them as they are gaining a customer which is in your favor when negotiating the contract with them so may not be as expensive to put right

Or use it as a leverage with Flogas i.e you do the shut off valve and I will sign a new contract with favorable terms, it is in your best interest to get this done as it is a Health & Safety concern.

!!!!!!-flogas-turpin wrote: »

Thanks Crazyz for the information.

I could see the logic behind his request until he said he could mount it on the side of the garage which is all of 10 feet from the tank!
He also said it would cost around £150 to do which I also thought was expensive for what is basically a tap. hardly seems worthwhile changing when it will take most of the year to re-coup the money. Suppose I will have to take it on the chin.

Thanks once again for your advice :beer:

!!!!!!-flogas-turpin wrote: »

I had a visit today from a prospective company to check all was ok prior to the "tank switch". He informed me that all was not ok as I didn't have an external point were I was able to turn off the gas other than from the tank itself.

crazyz wrote: »

everything past the shut off valve is your responsibility which may include pipework.

Two points here:

1) Without the shut-off valve, the installation is not to standards and is not safe, and your supplier has been in serious breach of safety regulations by supplying you;
2) Everything past the shut-off valve is your responsibility, ergo it is your supplier's responsibility to ensure the safety shut-off valve is correctly installed and operational.

£150 is a joke - It this their responsibility to get it sorted, not yours, and anyway, this is all supposed to be covered by your annual maintenance charge. I would get back onto them sharpish and loudly make it very clear that unless they get it sorted within the next 28 days, you will be contacting HSE and Trading Standards regarding the fact that they have been putting you, your family and your property at risk due to their failure to provide and maintain your supply safely. Do NOT let them bully you into signing a new contract before they remedy the situation (although, if they do, the contract would probably be considered to have been signed under duress and would not therefore be enforceable - so make sure you do everything in writing and keep copies!).

I would also consider contacting the OFT to make them aware that this situation is restricting your freedom to change supplier (see recent posts from LittleVermin, especially http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=50997015&postcount=1281 )

If you really want to stir it up, you might also want to go as far as asking them to refund all "annual maintenance charges" that you have paid to-date, as they have quite patently failed to undertake the maintenance and inspection that you have supposedly been paying for!