The Midland Heart Of The Home

Midland Heart is a leading provider of social housing with 33,000 homes across the Midlands region. With so many properties under its management, having a high quality, value-for-money and reliable heating and hot water system for its customers is a high priority.    

Almost 21,500 of the homes managed by Midland Heart are heated by gas and all boilers installed must be dependable and cost-effective to minimise disruption to customers and ensure the housing association does not face a hefty repair or replacement bill should anything go wrong. 

Rob Whalley, Senior Contracts Manager - M&E and Gas Manager at Midland Heart said, “Thousands of customers depend on us to maintain their heating and hot water and ensuring that the boilers we fit stand the test of time is an important part of this process. With a relationship spanning over 10 years, we know that Baxi Heating offer tried, tested and reliable products. We’ve previously used both the Baxi Duotec and Megaflo, so we had positive experience of the quality of Baxi’s offering.”  

Having met with the local Business Development Manager, Leah Felgate, Midland Heart made the decision to begin migrating to the Potterton Assure combi boiler. Designed for the social housing market, the Energy Saving Trust-endorsed Potterton Assure, offers a cost-effective, energy-efficient solution.  

“Leah explained the key features of the boiler such as it having front access to all components and there being no need for special tools or replacement seals when carrying out standard servicing”, explained Rob. 

“This made the Potterton Assure ideally-suited to a role in social housing as it allows for ease of maintenance and repair – a critical time-saving feature for us, particularly as we service almost 21,500 gas boilers every year.”  

Having made the decision to migrate from the Baxi Duotec to the Potterton Assure, Midland Heart has begun installing the first 1,400 boilers in homes throughout the Midlands. 

“We installed the first Potterton Assure boiler a year ago,” added Rob. “The compact size and lightweight frame of the boiler is ideal as we are not restricted by the available space in customers’ homes. 

“Their ease-of-installation makes replacing existing gas boilers in managed homes much simpler. For instance, the built-in, stand-off frame within the boiler casing and pipe spacing bracket makes the process a simple ‘one-in-one-out’. This saves 
engineers time on every job, giving them more time to spend with customers who require a little more care, such as those who are elderly or disabled.” 

The benefits are not restricted to savings on installation times. The combi boiler uses the right amount of fuel to meet the central heating temperatures set and this intelligent efficiency provides tenants with savings on their energy bills. 

Rob said, “We have long sought to remain true to our charitable aims of providing affordable homes. The financial savings that customers can make on their energy bills with the help of the Assure boiler, allows us to meet our commitment to delivering value for money.”

Rob concluded: “Our first year with the Potterton Assure has been a positive one, and our customers and our engineers have warmly welcomed the new addition. With a two-year warranty, we know that Potterton and Baxi customer support will provide any back-up we need to continue providing a first-class service to our customers.” 

To find out more about Potterton Assure range, visit:  https://www.potterton.co.uk/products/gas-boilers