IGEM has released a new guidance document that gives clarity to both upstream and downstream gas professionals on the requirements of supply capacity and operating pressures at the outlet of the meter for domestic properties.
Trevor Smallpeice, Chair of IGEM’s Low Pressure Supply Working Group, said: “The industry has listened to the concerns of registered gas engineers and has worked with them to find a consistent approach to deal with low pressure supply. The Institution of Gas Engineers & Managers (IGEM) has brought together representatives from across the gas industry to agree on new working procedures.
“This whole process is about working together to resolve the issues so the customer can use their gas supply and appliances safely and efficiently.”
In July this year, IGEM published Communication 1830: Recommendation for changes to working practice, which is free to download from the IGEM website. Since then, work has been underway to prepare training material to disseminate across the industry and enable the recommended changes to working practice to be implemented.
The requirements for those changes to working practice are set out in IGEM/G/13 Domestic supply capacity and operating pressure at the outlet of the meter, which is free to download from the IGEM website.
IGEM/G/13 covers industry agreed changes to working practice set out in IGEM Communication 1830 and includes:
- limit on the nominal gas load for domestic premises in kW
- harmonise procedures for installing appliances covering pre-commissioning; commissioning; and post commissioning.
- conditions for reporting low pressure supply
- method of testing for low pressure on the installation
This is the outcome following complaints by Registered Gas Engineers (RGEs) concerning reports of low pressure to domestic premises. A gas industry working group was put together and consisted of representation from the networks (GDNs), emergency service providers, metering equipment managers and approved meter installers, RGEs and appliance manufacturers through the Heating and Hotwater Industry Council (HHIC).
IGEM/G/13 is free to download here
