Eighty Four Per Cent Of Developers Undeterred By Off-Main Land

A national survey carried out by Calor, the UK’s leading supplier of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) has revealed that 84 per cent of developers actively purchase land in off-mains gas areas because they are confident fuel will not cause a problem.

Rural fuels specialist, Calor spoke to over 200 UK developers in its first ever fuels survey. The company is using the results to get closer to customers.

Sabrina Jackson, Calor’s commercial market manager, said the company was continuing to make excellent strives into the housing market but wanted to get closer to developers so that they can continue to meet the changing needs of the industry. She said: “As the number one supplier of LPG in the UK, we are continually investing in technology and know that LPG is the best solution for developments in off-mains gas areas. The survey is helping us to gauge knowledge within the industry so that we can determine how best to attack the market.”

The survey revealed that 88 per cent of developers make fuel decisions in-house with only 12 per cent using an external supplier. Fifty four per cent confirm that price still affects fuel choice decisions and 30 per cent are non-risk takers preferring to stick with a previous, tried and tested fuel type.

One surprising outcome was that 36 per cent of developers still say oil is their first choice for fuel above LPG and electricity. Sabrina said: “We’ve found that the demand for LPG in off-mains areas continues to soar thanks to the fluctuating cost of oil and customers demanding gas for both cooking and heating.

Newton-Abbot-based developer Millwood Homes is currently building a 63-home development in Hatherleigh, Devon and all the homes will be fuelled by LPG. Construction Director, John Mount said: “LPG is definitely more acceptable to purchasers in this area, more so we would say than oil or electricity, the latter of which is often perceived as being expensive. There’s nothing complex about it, it’s a solid choice environmentally and financially and above all the fuel is completely fit for purpose across all applications from central heating and real flame fires to cooking.”

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Issued on behalf of Calor by Connect PR, The Chubb Buildings, Fryer Street, Wolverhampton WV1 1HT. Telephone: 01902 714957. Email: hazel@connect-group.com

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Released: November 2006