Executive invests £540k on new heating for homes

The schemes will replace solid fuel, open fires and Economy 7 heating systems with gas if that is available and if not oil fired central heating systems will be installed. The scheme is costing some £540,000.

Commenting on the work, Owen Brady, Housing Executive District Manager said: “This is a major boost for our tenants living in the homes in these areas. The scheme will replace their old, inefficient systems with more efficient gas or oil systems.

“As a responsible landlord and as the Home Energy Conservation Authority for Northern Ireland, the Housing Executive aims to make its homes as comfortable and as energy efficient as possible. Good housing also makes a valuable contribution to sustaining rural communities, a key objective of the Housing Executive’s rural policy, and this work demonstrates our continuing commitment to this goal.

“Our contractor HEAT Ltd has extensive experience in carrying out work of this nature, liaising with individual tenants and the Housing Executive to achieve the high standards set and expected. We anticipate that the scheme will complete by the end of 2012.”

Jimmy Millar, Chairman of Lisburn North Community Association, welcomed the scheme for Ballymacoss and said residents were looking forward to having the new systems installed. “It will ensure that they an efficient and reliable heating system for many years to come” he said.

Local MLA Jonathan Craig also welcomed the scheme.

“This will help many families in the Lisburn area better manage the rising cost of heating their homes and reduce fuel poverty in our City” he said.

”While this is good news for many Housing Executive tenants, I am continuing to lobby the Housing Executive for those tenants who had oil installed prior to the gas network being fully established and as a result of the current 15-year period rule, are not eligible to have gas installed.

Mr Craig added: “Fuel poverty is a scourge on society with many homes contemplating heating their home or putting food on the table. I believe it is imperative that everything that can be done should be done to reduce the ever-increasing fuel bills that many homes in Northern Ireland are facing.”