Ballynahinch resident, John McCoy, recently became the first customer to connect to the Phoenix Energy network in the town as part of a major £60 million extension project to bring natural gas to 13 towns across County Down.
Having constructed the natural gas pipeline throughout the town centre over recent months, Phoenix Energy has now completed the distribution build programme in over 78% of the town, with 1,240 properties now able to connect to the natural gas network.
Speaking about his experience since installing natural gas, John McCoy said, “When I saw that Phoenix Energy was coming to Ballynahinch, I knew it was the perfect time to upgrade my home heating system. My oil boiler was 18 years old and was performing poorly and became expensive to run. It was something that I was just living with, but I knew that by upgrading to natural gas I could install a more efficient combi boiler and enjoy a better performing heating system.
“After contacting Phoenix Energy I was delighted to learn that the whole connection and installation process would take around two days to complete. I contacted my local qualified gas installer to complete the installation work and I was delighted at how straightforward the whole process was, with a quick and tidy job finished to a high standard.”
“Since installing natural gas, we can have hot, powerful showers in the morning and a bath whenever we want. We also had an intelligent controller fitted with the boiler which ensures that the house is the temperature we want at any time of the day, no matter how cold it is outside. I will certainly be recommending Phoenix Energy to my family, friends and neighbours.”
Jane Kilpatrick, Energy Advisor at Phoenix Energy said, “I am delighted that customers in Ballynahinch are now able to connect to the natural gas network and I congratulate John on being the first customer to install natural gas in his home.
“For the past year we have been engaging the Ballynahinch community and communicating the many benefits of upgrading to natural gas. With natural gas now available to half of properties in Ballynahinch, I look forward to connecting even more customers over the coming months. It’s great to see that people here are switched on to the benefits of natural gas and enjoying warmer, cosier homes this winter.”
Ballynahinch is the fourth town to have natural gas available for homes and businesses in the area as part of the expansion project, with the towns of Anahilt, Ballygowan and Hillsborough now connected to the network. Additional towns set to benefit from natural gas include Castlewellan, Crossgar, Downpatrick, Dromore, Drumaness, Dundrum, Newcastle, Saintfield and Spa.
For more information on the benefits of natural gas visit www.phoenixnaturalgas.com.