Metering News - July 2024

Welcome to the July edition of Metering News

Innovative hydrogen kitchen powers South Asian Heritage Month celebrations

National Gas’s Warwick Office recently hosted its first South Asian Heritage Month event, drawing over 200 colleagues to celebrate the rich cultural traditions of South Asia.

A standout feature of the event was the delicious array of South Asian dishes, expertly prepared by The Active Wellbeing Society. These culinary delights were cooked in our ground-breaking hydrogen kitchen, the world’s first commercial kitchen prototype powered solely by hydrogen.

Chris Wood, Project Leader of the hydrogen kitchen, shared his enthusiasm: "When we developed the concept for the hydrogen kitchen, we wanted to ensure that supporting community events was at the core of what it delivered. It was a pleasure to see that the kitchen supported this event, providing people with food cooked in a low carbon and sustainable way. Another benefit is that this gave us some great engineering data to help support hydrogen product development for the future."

The event not only showcased the innovative capabilities of the hydrogen kitchen but also highlighted the sustainability and low-carbon benefits of using hydrogen as a fuel source. This aligns with our commitment to environmental stewardship and innovation.

In addition to the culinary experience, the day featured a performance by Punjabi singer-songwriter J Deep, an exploration of South Asian spices, and recipes for colleagues to try at home.

The success of this event underscores the potential of hydrogen technology in everyday applications and its role in supporting vibrant community activities.

Strategic upgrades at key sites to enhance stream management and reliability

We are pleased to announce the successful completion of significant upgrades at three critical sites, identified in our Strategic Asset Management Plan (SAMP) as needing stream upgrades. These proactive upgrades are a testament to our commitment to maintaining and improving our infrastructure to meet current and future demands.

Upgrade Process:

The transition from active/monitor setups to advanced active/slam setups involved several critical steps to ensure a seamless and efficient upgrade:

Site Visits for Design Criteria:

Our team conducted thorough site visits to obtain essential design criteria, including downstream requirements. This comprehensive assessment was crucial to ensure the new setups would meet the specific needs of each location.

Procurement of New Streams:

Based on the detailed design criteria, we procured new streams tailored to our specifications. This step ensured that the upgraded systems would function optimally and efficiently.

Collaboration with customers:

We worked closely with our customers to plan and execute the upgrades with minimal impact on their supply. This proactive approach minimised downtime and ensured continuous service during the transition.

These upgrades not only modernise our infrastructure but also enhance the reliability and efficiency of our stream management systems. By moving to active/slam setups, we are better equipped to handle current demands and future growth, ensuring continued excellence in service delivery.

We are proud of the hard work and dedication of our team in completing these upgrades and look forward to the improved performance and reliability these changes will bring.

Sharing our learnings from the Great Place to Work webinar

Following our accreditation as a Great Place to Work, several colleagues attended a webinar hosted by Great Place to Work, where several organisations shared their experiences of thriving working environments.

All attendees said culture and a solid foundation of trust were important. They also recognised how remote, hybrid and flexible working contributed positively to the culture when managed correctly. We wanted to share some of their insights.

It’s important to have a structure and plan for the week.

Understanding the workload and how and when this will be delivered with effective mechanisms in place to monitor, manage and discuss any issues. This includes involving the right people, which may be across teams.

Connection is important to team performance.

In a hybrid working environment, joining calls with our cameras on and not ‘multi-tasking' shows that we are present, interested, and willing to contribute.

Schedule meetings when needed and make them well-structured and facilitated with time for discussion.

Where meetings are for information sharing only, consider other channels – perhaps a newsletter or video brief. If so, be clear and concise and make content engaging. Everyone then needs to take personal responsibility for tuning in to the information available – with the benefit of accessing it at a time that works best for them.

Even in a remote or hybrid working environment, it's important to have intentional and purposeful time together.

Whether it's dedicated project collaboration time or coming together to fix problems, never underestimate the positive impact of this. However, we should be careful not to jump in to fix a problem until it's fully known or understood to maximise the time available. On that point, organising time effectively is just as important, such as challenging back-to-back meetings and allowing time after meetings for follow-up work that might be needed.?

Working with our customers to support Lyndon Green School

We have been dedicated to enhancing and maintaining the outdoor space at Lyndon Green School.

The MI team initiated this effort on the first day, enjoying excellent weather and engaging conversations with the students while staying active.

On the second day, Ben Barry welcomed Doris Makitalo, Sharon Stone, and Lorie Hollies from e.on.next to join in the activities.

Organising a community day with valued customers not only allows us to contribute to the community but also strengthens our relationships.

Our collaboration with Lyndon Green School will continue in the coming months, as they plan to utilise our allotment for their forest school and eco projects.

Supporting Birmingham and Solihull Women’s Aid

A massive thank you to Matt Mullins and Neville Felton from our amazing team at Pavilion Drive for helping to pack 20 emergency Rucksacks for Birmingham and Solihull Women’s Aid (BSWA).

For over 40 years Birmingham and Solihull Women’s Aid has provided frontline domestic violence and abuse support services to women and children in the Birmingham and Solihull area.?

These emergency rucksacks contain essential items such as food, toiletries and other items that are so important to the women who are going into temporary accommodation.? Our contacts at BSWA were so thrilled when we dropped them off and said “Our women in the refuge will be ecstatic”.

That completes our roundup of news for July. For more information on our products or services, you can visit our website here.