Cooking is part of everyday life, but it’s important to remember that it comes with risks. At Cadent, our aim is to help everyone cook safely at home and to raise awareness of the dangers of carbon monoxide (CO) in the kitchen.
CO is a dangerous gas that you cannot see, smell, or taste. That’s why learning how to cook safely is so important. By following simple steps, you can protect yourself and your family while enjoying the food you love.
Our engineers have seen first-hand how certain kitchen practices can create dangerous CO build-up. We urge households to avoid:
Burning charcoal indoors — whether for cooking, shisha pipes or ceremonial purposes such as Bakhoor — is extremely dangerous. These activities should only ever be carried out outdoors in well-ventilated areas. Keeping appliances clean and free from soot or residue is also essential.
We’ve created a Cooking Safely booklet to guide you through safe practices in the kitchen. Inside, you’ll find:
The booklet can be downloaded in multiple languages, so more households can benefit from its guidance.
Cooking Safely Booklet - English
Cooking Safely Booklet - Arabic
Cooking Safely Booklet - Bengali
Cooking Safely Booklet - Punjabi
Cooking Safely Booklet - Romanina
CO poisoning can easily be mistaken for flu, fatigue, or even a hangover. Symptoms often improve when moving into fresh air.
We recommend every household takes these simple steps:
If you think CO may be present:
Cadent is the UK’s largest gas distribution network with a 200-year legacy. We are in a unique position to build on strong foundations whilst encouraging the curiosity to think differently and the courage to embrace change. Day to day we continue to operate, maintain and innovate the UK’s largest gas network, transporting gas safely and protecting people in an emergency. Our skilled engineers and specialists remain committed to the communities we serve, working day and night to ensure gas reaches 11 million homes from Cumbria to North London and the Welsh Borders to East Anglia, to keep your energy flowing.
Here at Cadent we support the Government’s plans to reach Net Zero by 2050. That means we’re backing the introduction of hydrogen as a low carbon alternative to natural gas for the future. We know people love the controllability of gas and, with our network already in place, it makes sense to switch to the lower carbon alternative offered by hydrogen, which we believe can keep homes and businesses warm for generations to come.
Cadent manages the national gas emergency service free phone line on behalf of the gas industry - 0800 111 999*
Cadent Gas Ltd is owned by a consortium of global investors.
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