South Hills Housing Development

South Hills Housing Development: Energy from Gas as key enabler for this Housing Development

Introduction:

Nestled in the vibrant city of Johannesburg, a remarkable mixed housing development has emerged in the neighbourhood of South Hills. This innovative project, spearheaded by the City of Johannesburg and Calgro M3, aims to provide affordable housing solutions with energy efficiency as a key enabler of the development. The utilisation of gas for cooking and water heating reduced the electricity demand for each housing unit from 3,5kVA to 1.5kVA thus enabling the development to be completed in a constrained electricity supply environment.

Recognising the need for sustainable and cost-effective energy solutions, the planners of this housing development have embraced the utilisation of gas as one of the primary energy sources. Gas installations, ranging from prepaid gas meters, gas hobs and gas geysers, are seamlessly integrated into each home, offering a myriad of benefits to the residents.

Scope of the Project – Ayogas:

Ayogas provided a turnkey gas solution and design for the complete South Hills development. The solution included the supply and installation of bulk LPG vessels, vaporizers, a HDPE gas reticulation, non-propriety prepaid gas meters and internal gas piping to the respective gas appliances. Ayogas designed, built and now operates this integrated gas system. Ayogas also provided backup support and maintenance to the various body corporates, home owners and tenants.

The impressive gas infrastructure consists of:

>2300 Housing units
Gas Hobs, Gas Water Geysers & Non propriety Gas Prepaid meters for all units
4 x BULK LPG Vessels
>10km of buried HDPE electrofused gas lines ranging from 200mm to 32mm in size
Adherence to SANS 10087-1 & 3; Pressure Equipment Regulations & OHS Act
AIA (Authorised Inspection Authority) & Professional Engineering Sign-off
Testing and commissioning
MHI (Major Hazard Installation Risk Assessment)
Fire Department Approval & Hazardous Storage Permit
As-built drawings
Non propriety third party gas vending with a 24hr 7 days a week call centre
After hour standby and call outs
Annual and routine maintenance on gas infrastructure

The outcome:

The use of gas for cooking and water heating significantly reduced the max demand and size of electricity infrastructure required for the South Hills Development. Whilst the home-owners and tenants of the South Hills development are able to enjoy improved quality of life due to a reliable, sustainable and cost effective energy source.