It’s good to talk - North London team use Valve Trak trial to start conversations

North London’s customer team and multi-occupancy builds (MOBs) team have used the opportunity whilst trialling the installation of Valve Trak units, to also talk to customers in high-rise buildings about our ‘Services beyond the meter’.

The North London team are leading the way with the installation of Valve Trak units onto its existing gas valves - an on off valve to us laypeople; around high-rise buildings in July this year; with an ambition to install around 1,000 units in phase 1 and engage with as many residents as possible. This technology enables us to easily find our valve locations, and in an emergency quickly turn off the valve to isolate the gas supply to the building.

Why combine the two projects?

Two areas in the North London network were selected for the Valve Trak trial, Newham and Tower Hamlets. These areas were chosen due to the sheer number of tower blocks and a high level of fuel poverty in the area too.

Amber Greensmith, Head of Customer Experience said, “It made sense to combine our work as we would be installing the Valve Trak units around the high-rise buildings, so why not also take the opportunity to engage with the residents of the building?

“We find people living in high-rise buildings don’t always get the best customer service but with our services beyond the meter conversations, carbon monoxide education and energy advice we believe we can make a big difference to them and their lives.”

This trial has been funded through the VCMA fund and so far, has seen, as of December, an impressive social return on investment of £40 for every £1 spent.

Amber continues, “It’s not always easy to have a conversation with a customer when we aren’t doing any work in the area or visiting because of a gas emergency. So, we knew this could be a challenge.

“Customers think we are selling something but have been pleasantly surprised when we explain we are there to help, complete a safety check, if necessary, give advice about energy efficiency, increase carbon monoxide awareness and refer them to other organisations such as NEA, if we are not able to help them directly.

“We have been delighted by the results. To date, we have spoken with over 2000 residents on the doorstep, an access rate of 36% and posted information through the letterbox of an additional 4000 properties.

“I believe the success rate has been so good because we have invested in our people, using two local people who speak several different languages, that has helped break through some of the language and cultural barriers. In addition to this we have utilised a text messaging service in advance of our visits to alert the customer that they may see us soon!”

“We are helping to save lives”

Michael Greene, MOBs Customer Manager retells one example from his team, “One of our engineers was able to help an elderly lady following a ‘Services beyond the meter’ conversation and welfare check, as they discovered an issue with her gas cooker. With a referral to the National Energy Association (NEA) it was identified that she was eligible to have her cooker replaced for free so that she could continue to have a safe and reliable cooking source and ensure she had a hot meal each day.

“This proactive, customer first approach helps everybody, explained the engineer, “From my welfare conversation we have prevented her gas supply being cut off or an emergency call, but primarily, we’ve helped a customer.

“The customer was so impressed with the engineers work and how we went ‘above and beyond’ that we were referred to another customer who needed our help in Hackney and we were more than happy to assist them too.

What is Valve Trak?

Valve Trak is a device created by the company UIS, that helps us to pinpoint underground assets 24/7 from anywhere within our network. It’s a unit which we are retrofitting into an existing valve chamber, or can be installed into new locations, to allow us to quickly locate valves and other underground assets.

This enables us to maintain accurate records and information whilst providing faster access for each valve on our high-rise buildings where we supply gas. In emergency situations, time is of the essence!

Matt Cornwell, Head of MOBs for North London said, “This has been a significant investment of around £1million in this trial. It has enabled us to enhance the safety measures we can put in place for high-rise buildings but also improve the customer experience of those living in high-rise buildings too.”

“Engineers often face issues of inaccessibility and time-consuming searches and in an emergency, when swift action is paramount, the inability to promptly pinpoint the precise location of a gas valve could lead to critical delays in isolating the supply.”

Traditional methods of locating valves relies solely on manual inspection and outdated locating techniques and often prove inadequate, especially in complex setting like high rise buildings.

Valve Trak not only addresses these challenges but revolutionises the process by providing continuous, real-time monitoring and a reliable means of identifying and isolating gas valves promptly, ensuring a swift and effective response in critical situations.

Matt continues, “This is only our first phase of work. We hope to continue this joint work over the coming years and into our RIIO-3 period too.”