Looking after gas safety in your home
We want to support you in keeping your home safe. One way we do this is by sharing information about gas safety.
Your Gas Safety Inspection
Gas safety checks must be carried out in your home at least once a year.
Why do we check your gas every year?
If you have gas, oil or solid fuel appliances in your home, we’ll need to check them at least once a year. These safety checks will identify faults which, if left, could lead to an escape of gas, a fire, or a build-up of poisonous carbon monoxide, all of which are dangerous.
To allow the test to be carried out quickly and with minimum disruption to you, please help by making sure:
- You have credit on your gas and electric meter*.
- There’ll be someone over the age of 18 in the property.
- There’s clear access to the gas meter, gas meter control tap, all gas/oil/solid fuel appliances such as the boiler, fire and/or cooker and all smoke, heat and/or carbon monoxide (CO) alarms.
- The engineer has access to every room in the home that has a gas/oil/solid fuel appliance and/or smoke, heat or CO alarm.
- Appliances aren’t used for at least an hour before the appointment (if possible) to ensure they’re not too hot to work with.
- If you have a dog, it’s secured in a separate room or outside.
- You have sufficient time to allow the test to be carried out which is around an hour.
*If there’s no credit on your gas or electric meter, the engineer will still require access but will be unable to carry out the safety check and might have to turn off your gas supply.
During the safety check the engineer will:
- Ask to be shown where the gas meter is and any gas/oil/solid fuel appliances such as your boiler, fire and cooker.
- Test all smoke, heat and/or CO detectors to check they’re working.
- Carry out a gas tightness test at the gas meter – this will confirm there are no faults or gas escaping from the pipework.
- Check the boiler by doing tests to make sure no harmful fumes are being emitted, and that it’s working at peak efficiency.
- If you have a gas fire, the engineer will remove the fire from the wall and carry out a flue test, clean the fire and refit it.
- If you have a gas cooker, the engineer will visually inspect it for correct installation and operation.
If you smell gas in your home
Immediately call the National Gas Emergency Line on 0800 111 999 and then:
- Turn off all gas appliances
- Open all doors and windows to ventilate the area
- If possible, turn off the gas emergency control valve (also called gas emergency shut off valve) at your meter
- Put out all naked flames (including candles and cigarettes)
- Do not operate any electrical switches, including turning lights on or off, because this can ignite escaping gas
- Do not open the fridge or freezer
Signs & symptoms of a carbon monoxide (CO) leak
Carbon monoxide is colourless, odourless and can be fatal.
The most obvious sign of a leak is the smell of gas. Feeling ill can also be a sign and symptoms include:
- Feeling lightheaded
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Headaches
If someone tells you they're suffering from these symptoms and suspect a leak, they should go outside immediately. If they feel better in fresh air, it could be a gas leak.
Signs of leaking CO from your hob/oven…
- Floppy yellow or orange flame on your gas hob or oven, rather than a crisp blue flame.
- Dark, sooty standing on or around the appliance.
- Pilot lights that frequently blow out
- Increased condensation inside windows.
Gas Safety Policy
You can find more information in our Gas Safety Policy
