Shenzhen Gas: Extended services to guarantee gas safety in usage

Company profile
 
Shenzhen Gas Corporation LTD (Shenzhen Gas) is a large gas enterprise focusing on the business of pipeline gas supply, wholesale of liquefied petroleum gas, retail sales of bottled LPG gas and gas investment. founded in 1982, The company was officially listed in Shanghai Stock Exchange on December 25, 2009.   by adhering to the “going out” development strategy, the company realized the realized the strategic layout of "Shenzhen Gas" brand in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Shandong, Inner Mongolia, and many other provinces.
 
Shenzhen Gas has the franchise rights of natural gas pipelines in 29 cities, 50,000-ton port wharf, and the low temperature normal pressure storage tank of liquefied petroleum gas with a capacity of 160000 cubic meters has the flow capacity of 1 million tons. By the end of 2015, the company has total assets of 15.268 billion yuan, net assets of 7.128 billion yuan and the annual sales income is 7.967 billion yuan with more than 5300 kilometers operating line and 2.2054 million households with pipeline gas.
 
Challenges
 
Natural gas is inherently inflammable and explosive. Any improper operations, such as incorrect gas appliances installation and poorly monitoring on hidden risks, may result in severe gas accidents. According to incomplete nationwide statistics, 350 gas accidents were reported in 2015, causing 712 injured and 127 dead. The annual economic losses caused by gas accidents amount to billions on average. Therefore, it is of great significance for natural gas suppliers to guarantee safe urban gas usage in terms of fulfilling social responsibility, strengthening safety management and promoting safe gas usage in the whole society.
 
Solutions
 
Shenzhen Gas puts gas safety in use as priority. Taking responsibility for pipe construction and distribution, it is devoted to extending its consumer services, taking multiple measures to guarantee gas safety.
 
Conducting check for safe use of gas  
 
Over the years, Shenzhen Gas has gradually established and improved the customer data files on gas safety check, and insists in providing indoor safety inspection services regularly. The screener have to receive related certificates, which is also one of the safety assessment to improve the quality of household check so that to check the hidden trouble of gas safety and to ensure the use safety of gas.
 
Launching gas safety usage campaign
 
Shenzhen Gas has been consistently engaged in promotion of safe gas usage. On the one hand, it voluntarily explains know-hows on the use of natural gas to consumers. On the other hand, it organizes a series of activities to promote safe natural gas consumption on campus and in communities through interactions with residents and students. At the same time, it further strengthens publicity effect by using paper bills and bulletin board to enhance consumers’ awareness of safe gas usage and their emergency response capacities.
 
Providing gas safety training
 
In order to provide strong support for gas safety in usage, Shenzhen Gas organized various gas safety training. All senior staff have got the qualified certificate on safety training for persons-in-charge of the production and business operation entities in Guangdong province. On June 12, 2015, Baoan branch office carried out a training program on gas safety for 140 administrative staff of a house rental agency under Xinan Street Administrative Office. The staff learned how to conduct safety check on natural gas appliances in rental apartments and supervise illegal modification of rental houses and apartments.
 
In addition, Shenzhen Gas assisted Shenzhen Natural Gas Association for gas appliance installment and maintenance training. It invested in a specialized program to build a 500-square-meter training site for Shenzhen Natural Gas Association College, carrying out training on well-qualified installation and maintenance personnel to guarantee safe gas usage for all consumers.
 
Refining smart metering management
 
Shenzhen Gas continuously innovates metering technologies. The automatic metering technology----a combination of computer technology, communication technology, energy use technology and metrological technology----primarily overcomes disadvantages of traditional manual metering by relieving workload of meter reading personnel and reducing manual meter reading errors as well as energy use costs. It protects consumers’ privacy, but also monitors gas usage conditions.
 
Besides, the intelligent mobile meter reading information system significantly enhances efficiency on meter reading and safety check. The system is highly expansible, as it can now be used in safety check works. Once a hidden risk is detected, the system immediately takes picture for evidence and sends request for police on duty with consumer’s electronic signature. It is also highly synchronized. When the information of a new consumer is filed in the system, it will automatically be updated in the next month, which means that meter reading personnel need not filing the information once again and saves the time for manual meter reading preparation and safety check.  
 
Offering safe gas appliance
 
In order to eliminate potential risks in gas appliance purchase, Shenzhen Gas cooperated with Towngas Bauhinia to launch gas appliance products that are safe, eco-friendly and reliable. It extended essential notion of gas safety to consumer side, providing consulting services in gas appliance selection, helping training consumers for safe appliances usage, and offering delivery, installation, safety check services for consumers. 
 
Achievements
 
Social benefit
 
Consumers’ safety awareness has been steadily enhanced. On the one hand, consumers are less bothered by home gas check due to the adoption of smart metering technology and the intelligent mobile meter reading information system. The efficiency of home gas check is therefore significantly improved, and there are less complaints from consumers as well. On the other hand, consumers become aware of the importance of gas safety and learn how to do meter reading by themselves through public training activities. In 2015, Shenzhen Gas carried out 344 promotional activities on campus and in communities, handed out 44870 booklets in total. The amount of gas safety check (conducted both by the intelligent mobile meter reading information system and by personnel) was added up to 1688520, among which 1239757 were home check by meter reading personnel. All serious security risks were rectified, which greatly reduced probability of gas accident. In addition, over 30000 promotional fliers, 27000 booklets and 100 gas vouchers were given out in a series of public promotional activities. All these efforts to promote gas safety won nationwide hailings.  
 
Economic benefit
 
Consumer satisfaction increases year by year. Since the new metering technology has greatly improved metering reading and safety check efficiency, consumers actively participate in metering reading and measuring work, getting a deeper understanding of gas work. As a result, the consumer satisfaction index was 89 in 2015, and 97.43% of consumers were satisfied with gas services provided by Shenzhen Gas.
 
The value-added gas appliance sales revenue is considerable. The gas appliance sales cooperation with Town gas Bauhinia has been gradually pulled on a right track. The test run of the sales cooperation was started on November 17, 2015. Over 110 gas appliances were sold in the first month, and the sales services and products earned satisfaction from consumers.
 
Prospect
 
Gas safety involves a wide range of integrated and coordinated work in a long term. Shenzhen Gas Corporation is determined to strengthen its responsibilities and enhance its capabilities in gas pipe construction, potential risks checking and emergency responding.  When ensuring the gas safety check and related campaign, the company will conduct more interaction and communication with the government, suppliers, users, media and other stakeholders to jointly enhance the customers’ consciousness on the safe use of gas and promote the safety measures from passive to active. More gas safety campaign and training activities will be held to make gas safety familiar with every household.