Vulnerability partners toolkit

• Maureen McIntosh, Director of Customer Service
• Kerry Potter, Group Social Impact and Vulnerability Manager
• Linda Spence, Vulnerability Manager
• Dan Edwards, Social Impact Programme Lead
• Margaret Hamilton, Community Partnership Manager
• Janet Duggan, Community Partnership Manager

• SGN manages the network which distributes natural and green gas to approximately six million homes and businesses across Scotland and southern England. Our pipes deliver gas safely, reliably and efficiently to each of these customers.
• Customers are at the heart of what we do. SGN has a bold ambition to help 500,000 vulnerable customers use energy safely, efficiently and affordably between 2021 and 2026.
• Our five-year vulnerability support strategy guides our activity to ensure we’re delivering genuine and valuable impact to those most in need of help to stay safe and warm at home.
• We’ve developed an extensive partnership network to help us deliver a comprehensive range of programmes to support vulnerable households up and down the country.
• We’re extremely proud of the programmes we’ve created and grateful to the expert partners who support us in going above and beyond for vulnerable households.
• Together, we’re keeping our communities safe and warm by providing tailored and targeted support for those who need it most.

Note: we aim to update these figures quarterly.

Updated November 2025:

• 1,012,361 households supported to date
• 170,274 customers signed up to the PSR
• 2,300,122 unique support services provided
• 3,288 fuel poor gas connections
• 456,476 carbon monoxide safety sessions

• The Priority Services Register (PSR) helps utility companies identify customers who need priority support in a gas emergency, power cut or water supply interruption.
• By registering for this free service, you will receive extra help if you’re without your gas supply either in an emergency or because of planned work. We can provide electric heating and cooking appliances or even alternative accommodation where required to keep you safe and warm while you’re without gas.
• The PSR also lets other energy companies like us, including your utility suppliers, tailor our day-to-day services to your individual needs to make sure we're helping you stay safe, warm and well-informed all year round. This includes offering you information in other formats like large print or Braille, nominating someone else to deal with your energy bills on your behalf, and providing advance notice of any planned loss of supply or power cuts or water supply interruptions.

Who can register for the PSR?

You, or your loved ones, could be eligible to join the Priority Services Register if you’re:

• of pensionable age
• have children under five or are pregnant
• have long-term physical or mental health conditions
• have a disability
• have additional language or communication needs

How to register

The PSR is completely free and confidential and it means you’ll always get the help you need, particularly in an emergency. If you’re not registered on the PSR, we can help you join.

• Visit thepsr.co.uk or in Scotland, visit psrscotland.com
• Call our PSR line on 0800 912 1700
• Send an email to customer@sgn.co.uk

Videos

Our information video about the PSR is available in six languages and can be embedded on your website:

• English with subtitles (watch here on YouTube)
• British Sign Language with subtitles (watch here on YouTube)
• Arabic with subtitles (watch here on YouTube)
• Farsi with subtitles (watch here on YouTube)
• Polish with subtitles (watch here on YouTube)
• Spanish with subtitles (watch here on YouTube)

If you require the original video file, please contact your partner at SGN to request a copy.

You can download our leaflet on carbon monoxide and gas safety in a range of languages here.

What is carbon monoxide (CO)?

• CO is a highly poisonous gas that is produced by the incomplete burning of fossil fuels (including gas, oil, wood, petrol and coal).
• You can’t see it, smell it, hear it or taste it – that’s why it’s known as the ‘silent killer’.
• It’s not just appliances in the home that can produce carbon monoxide. Other risk areas include:
  • Camping sites
  • Boats
  • Using BBQs in an enclosed area
  • Portable heaters
  • Holiday accommodation
  • Garages
  • Wood pellet storage areas
• All SGN emergency staff wear personal atmosphere monitors (PAMs) which can provide an early warning of potential danger.

Six steps to CO safety

1. Check the flame
Is it burning lazy and orange? It should be crisp and blue. Other signs to check for:

• Are there black marks on or around the appliance?
• Does the pilot light frequently blow out or is there too much condensation?

2. Check ventilation
Is the flue from the appliance or your chimney blocked? Is there enough ventilation to allow your gas appliances to burn correctly – if they don’t have a sufficient air supply, they could produce carbon monoxide.

3. Check appliances
Make sure all your gas appliances are checked every year. Always use a Gas Safe™  registered engineer to fit, fix and check your appliances.

4. Get yourself a CO alarm 
As well as getting your appliances fitted and checked by a Gas Safe™ registered engineer, you should buy and fit a CO alarm that will alert you and complies with BS EN 50291. You can buy carbon monoxide alarms in DIY stores, supermarkets and online. Remember, a smoke alarm is not a carbon monoxide alarm.

5. Check for symptoms
The following are all symptoms of CO poisoning:

• Headaches
• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Breathlessness
• Collapsing
• Loss of consciousness

If these symptoms occur when you’re at home but disappear when you are away from home, go straight to the hospital and get checked for possible CO poisoning.

6. Check your rights and responsibilities
If you are a tenant, by law, your landlord must check your appliances every year. Ask for a copy of the annual gas safety record. Check if your landlord has fitted a CO alarm that will alert you. If you are a landlord, it’s your responsibility to make sure your tenants are safe. You must make sure that gas pipework, flues and appliances are in good condition and checked every year by a Gas Safe™ registered engineer.​​

• Households in fuel poverty are at increased risk of using unsafe appliances or fuels to heat their homes, as well as rationing their energy use which can lead to cold damp homes. These measures all negatively impact household health, safety and wellbeing.
• According to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, the number of households who spend more than 10% of their income (after housing costs) on energy rose in 2023 to 8.91 million. This is 36.4% of households, up from 27.4% or 6.66 million in 2022. (source)
• SGN’s partnerships deliver essential support, not just addressing the immediate needs of households in fuel poverty crisis but also addressing the causes of fuel poverty to build long-term financial resilience. We look to partner with organisations that can provide crisis support, energy efficiency advice and energy bill advocacy to ensure that customers in fuel poverty get the support they need to manage their immediate needs.
• SGN partner with trusted energy advice partners who support customers to access energy efficiency schemes, so households who are struggling to afford to heat their homes get the help they need to improve the energy efficiency of their home in the longer term. Find out more here.

What should I do if I smell gas or suspect a leak?

If you smell gas, call the National Gas Emergency Service immediately on 0800 111 999* or via textphone (minicom) on 0800 371 787. If you're a British Sign Language (BSL) user, you can use SignLive to contact the National Gas Emergency Service free of charge.
(*Calls are recorded)

What should I do if I'm worried about carbon monoxide in my property?

If you suspect there are high levels of carbon monoxide in your property, follow these steps:

• Open all doors and windows
• Move everyone into the fresh air
• Call the Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 or via textphone (minicom) on 0800 371 787. If you're a British Sign Language (BSL) user, you can use SignLive to contact the National Gas Emergency Service free of charge.

If someone has collapsed or is displaying severe symptoms, seek medical help by calling 999 or 112.

I've hit a gas pipe, what do I do?

If you or your builders have hit a gas pipe, call the National Gas Emergency Service 24 hours a day on 0800 111 999. Always know what's below before you start digging.

What happens when I call the National Gas Emergency line?

When you call the National Gas Emergency Service, you'll be put through to an operator who'll log your call. The operator will ask you for details about the gas leak, so be prepared with the following information:

• The address of the gas emergency
• How many people are at the property or within the area
• Where the smell is strongest
• How long the smell has been there
• Whether any neighbours are affected
• Your name and phone number
• Any special circumstances or access information

How long will I have to wait for an emergency gas engineer to arrive?

• If you've been able to turn off the gas supply using the emergency control valve on your meter, we'll be with you within two hours.
• If you're not able to turn off the gas supply at the emergency control valve, our emergency engineer will be with you within one hour. 

To follow.

“We’re delighted to be partnering with [organisation name] to provide this essential energy support and safeguarding service to households across [town/city/county]. [Organisation name] are seeing first hand the impact the cost of living crisis is having on those with families struggling to afford to maintain a safe and warm home. Through their specialist local energy advice team, they’ll support households ahead of winter to use energy safely, efficiently and affordably while building a network of support partners to provide further services to help address fuel poverty and the challenges households face.”

“We’re committed to keeping our communities safe and warm and by partnering with [organisation name], we’re able to reach more households in our gas network area, providing specialist energy advice and support the challenges they face from fuel poverty.”

“By partnering with [organisation name], we’re able to ensure more eligible households are signed up to the Priority Services Register, meaning they’ll be prioritised for support when they have a loss of gas supply, power cut or water supply interruption. [Organisation name] are experts in their community and we’re proud to be working alongside them.”

General

Dan Edwards, Social Impact Programme Lead, said: “One of the major aspects of my role is developing projects and partnerships that raise CO awareness and reduce CO harm. Working alongside [organisation name] means we can reach even more customers within our network area to make sure everyone stays safe and well.”

Fire and Rescue Services

Dan Edwards, Social Impact Programme Lead, said: “One of the major aspects of my role is developing projects and partnerships that raise CO awareness and reduce CO harm. Working alongside [organisation name] means we can reach even more customers within our network area to make sure everyone stays safe and well. Partnering with vital emergency services to help us spread the word on the dangers of CO will help us to meet our top priority of keeping our customers safe and well all year round.”

Disabilities

“We’re committed to keeping our communities safe and warm and we know people with a learning disability or autism are uniquely impacted by higher than average energy costs. By working in a joined-up way with [organisation name], we’re able to reach those who are really struggling and provide much needed energy advice. Through building strong connections we can help vulnerable households get much-needed help.”

Health conditions

“We’re committed to keeping our communities safe and warm and we know people with health conditions are uniquely impacted by higher than average energy costs. By working in a joined-up way with [organisation name], we’re able to reach those who are really struggling and provide much needed energy advice. Through building strong connections we can help vulnerable households get much needed help.”

Partnership expansion

“We’re delighted to be expanding our partnership with [organisation name] to provide this essential energy support and safeguarding service to households across [town/city/county]. [Organisation name] are seeing first hand the impact the cost of living crisis is having on those with families struggling to afford to maintain a safe and warm home. Through their specialist local energy advice team, they’ll support households ahead of winter to use energy safely, efficiently and affordably while building a network of support partners to provide further services to help address fuel poverty and the challenges households face.”

“We’re committed to keeping our communities safe and warm and by working in a joined-up way with [organisation name], we’re able to tap into their community expertise to reach those who are really struggling and provide much needed energy advice. Through building strong connections we can help vulnerable households get much needed help.”

Scottish families

“We’re proud to be supporting [organisation name] in their ambition to make sure every Scottish child can live safe and well in their homes. Helping them to fund more expert advisers means families in Scotland are able to benefit from their knowledge and guidance, allowing more children to stay safe and warm.”

Regional families

“We’re proud to be supporting [organisation name] in their ambition to make sure every child in [location] can live safe and well in their homes. Helping them to fund more expert advisers means families in [location] are able to benefit from their knowledge and guidance, allowing more children to stay safe and warm.”

How you can keep safe and warm this winter

• Keep an eye on the forecast and watch out for weather warnings from the Met Office.
• If cold weather comes, follow NHS advice to wear layers to keep warm and regularly have hot drinks. Try to check on your neighbours, especially if they could be particularly vulnerable in cold weather.
• Save the free emergency numbers to your phone – call 0800 111 999 in a gas emergency or call 105 in a power cut.
• Find out about the Priority Services Register. This is a free service that helps us identify customers who need priority support, and will make sure you receive extra help if you’re without your gas supply.
• Make sure you get your gas boiler and appliances serviced annually by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
• Fit a carbon monoxide alarm – regularly test it and check its expiry date.

What to do if your boiler stops working in cold weather

• If your boiler has stopped working in the cold, check if your boiler’s condensate pipe has frozen. Cold weather can freeze the condensate pipe, which is the external pipe that takes condensation from your boiler to your drain outside. If you think your condensate pipe has frozen, watch this short video to find out how to safely thaw the pipe.
• If your boiler still doesn’t fire up after trying to thaw the condensate pipe, contact your gas supplier if you have home or boiler care cover. Alternatively, you can contact a Gas Safe registered engineer for assistance. You can find an engineer near you on the Gas Safe Register website. The National Gas Emergency Service won't be able to help with boiler or appliance issues.

How can I stay warm in winter months without increasing my energy bills?

Here are a few simple ideas to keep your heating costs down and help you stay healthy during the winter months:

• Wear warm clothes in layers.
• Turn radiators off in unused rooms and close internal doors to keep the heat in.
• Think about installing thermostatic valves on radiators in rooms you use the most.
• Moving furniture away from radiators allows heat to circulate better.
• Closing your curtains keeps the heat in and draughts out.
• Ask about any benefits or grants you might be entitled to such as winter fuel payments and insulation costs.
• Have a hot drink regularly and have a flask handy if you find moving about difficult. Eat small amounts regularly throughout the day.
• Keep a list of useful/emergency contacts and local organisations which support people like you by your phone.
• Keep torches, a battery-powered radio and spare batteries where they’re easy to find in the dark in case of power cuts.