Keeping families warm and feeling safe in multi-occupancy buildings

Published: 9 June 2025

The energy industry faces a unique challenge when supplying gas to buildings with multiple occupants. By their very nature, these buildings house large numbers of people, a broad portfolio of gas assets, complex pipe infrastructures to height, and often restricted accessibility. Multi-occupancy buildings are a tough gig.

Then, add the Grenfell effect. For good reason, every activity related to multi-occupancy buildings is emotionally charged, sensitive, and – ultimately – attracts public and media scrutiny. That means the energy industry must not only take care of these buildings with expertise and professionalism, but also understand that, for their inhabitants, there is a visceral element – our actions must demonstrate and reassure that their home is safe enough to raise children and look after loved ones.

Understanding the challenge

We work with gas networks to deliver exactly this type of project: to survey a portfolio of multi-occupancy buildings, provide the network with an accurate representation of the state of their gas infrastructure, and by doing so, assure the inhabitants that their safety and supply were both being looked after by the network.

Our approach and implementation

There are many crucial steps to projects like this, which – together – build up a clear picture of multi-occupancy building ‘health’.

These are just some of the activities we undertake:

Examine gas pipework location and condition – ensuring the visibility, accessibility, and integrity of pipes.
Verify the correct location of external valves and riser valves (PIVs, SIVs, LIVs, BIVs).
Assess fire-stopping and compartmentation – checking that gas pipes passing through walls and floors are properly sealed to prevent fire spread.
Check ventilation – confirming adequate ventilation for gas appliances and meter cupboards.
Ensure open access to emergency control valves (ECVs) – that these are accessible and clearly marked.
Assess compliance – making sure that all assets and pipework are compliant with current gas safety regulations – including IGEM/UP/2 and IGEM/G/5 guidelines.
Survey meter installations – inspecting the positioning and resistance to fire.
Examine cladding and external materials – assessing fire risk where gas pipes run externally.
Consider building design changes or refurbishments – reviewing the impact on existing gas installations.
Coordinate with responsible persons – supporting liaison with building managers and landlords for safe access and compliance.

In addition, a prime objective is to report our findings accurately to the network and stakeholders, both to identify the state of their portfolio and to inform the planning of future works as required.

Impact and outcomes delivered

Like many of our other projects, the survey phase requires careful communication first – engaging all stakeholders with project timings and deliverables, while arranging permitry and access to the multi-occupancy buildings required. Regular reporting is key – both to maintain project pace and to allow the network to positively manage end-user expectations.

In such an intimately customer-focused environment as multi-occupancy buildings, we are conscious of our conduct and responsibility throughout. One-to-ones with projects leads are central to this, supported by regular progress meetings that examine service levels, lessons learned, and project obstacles throughout. Our people are closely managed and supported by performance review and quality assurance assessments, optimising not only survey value and accuracy but their end-user relations too.

We rate our success not just by delivering expert surveying across an extensive portfolio of multi-occupancy budling infrastructures, but by working alongside a community of families who live out their lives in these buildings. By our efforts as surveyors, and perhaps even more so as people, we’ve hopefully gone some way to assure the multi-occupancy building community that history will never repeat itself.