Assisted ConnectionsFuel Poverty Funding

Insaf Ahamed

19 March 2014

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• Formed in 2005

• Owned by 3 shareholders

SSE plc (50%), Borealis Infrastructure Management Inc (25%),

Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board (25%)

• Operates two of the UK’s largest gas networks through

74,000km of gas mains & services

• Second largest gas distribution company in the UK

• 5.8 million customers

• Scotland is served by Scotland Gas Networks

• Southern Gas Networks encompasses the south and south-east of England

Scotia Gas Networks

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Scotia Gas Networks Structure

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Scotia Gas Networks

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Southern Gas Networks

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Assisted ConnectionsFree Gas Connections?

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• Up to £2,423.83 funding per eligible connection

• Open to all domestic properties

• First time gas connections

• Qualifying criteria- Living in one of the top 20% most deprived areas

within our gas network areas- In receipt of certain income related benefits - Living in fuel poverty based on the current

Government definition (Low income, High cost)- Aged 70 years or over

• Intension of connecting a central heating system

Assisted Connections

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• 5.2m households in UK live in fuel poverty (FP) in 2010

• 376,000 properties off gas within the South /

South East England

• 55,543 properties off gas and within the top

20% deprived areas in South / South East England

Fuel Poverty

Country No. of households % of households Total households

England 3,900,000 18.0% 21,600,000

Scotland 684,000 28.9% 2,368,000

Wales 332,000 26.2% 1,268,000

Northern Ireland 294,000 42.0% 701,500

United Kingdom 5,218,000 20.1% 25,937,500

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Southern Gas Networks IMD

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What have we achieved?

2009 - 2013

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• We targeted 10,000 Fuel Poor customers (8,000 in Scotland & 2,000 in the South/South East)

• Over 17,300 fuel poor customers connected

Success rate throughout the last regulatory period

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Fuel Poor: 2013-21 RIIO

• Scotland target 11,000 over 8 years

Scotland completed 4,514

• Southern target 9,000 over 8 years

Southern completed 781

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Case Studies

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Kingfisher Mobile Home Park, Bournemouth

• 12 Park Homes Connected

• Over £29,000 Assisted Connections funding

• Joint trenching

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• Total 203 domestic properties, 98 council owned and105 privately owned / occupied

• Proposed £240,000 fuel poverty funding via the Assisted Connections Scheme for Council properties

• Further consideration of how we can allocate System Extension Funds to support the cost of in-house measures for owner/occupiers.

Test Road, Sompting – Adur District Council

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Questions?