Council tenants have received free heating for a year

An investigation has been launched into a ‘Super Boiler’ which has been providing hundreds of tower block residents with free heating for nearly a year. City chiefs are demanding a report into the incident which has seen  costs for the 2.1 million project soar, leaving housing officials stumped to explain what went wrong with up to £30,000 being spent heating the high rises.

The department have failed as of yet to identify when the 170 Wauchope and Greendykes House tenants will be paying their own bills. The tenants have been availing of free heating since Easy Systems installed a huge communal boilerlast December.

Officials have claimed that the project has been stalled because 4 properties have yet to be connected to the district heating system, due to them failing to gain access to the council houses. Bosses at Easyheat Systems have been asked by the City Council to remove their online testimonial, which have quoted the cost of installation at up to £4million.

 Housing chiefs have denied this figure admitting they do not know what the final cost will be. A housing spokesman for the Edinburgh Conservatives, CouncillorJason Rust, welcomed the NES of a full detailed report into the handling of the ‘super boiler’ project and mentioned that management faced ‘serious questions’.

“Answers are urgently required as to how this long-running situation came about and what the costs to the council have been. It seems that there are serious questions as to project management and we will be closely scrutinising the report next month,” he adds.

All 172 flats have received a letter explaining that they will be expected to pay for heating in the new year. A spokeswoman for the Edinburgh City Council said: “The new heating systemhas been installed in most homes. Subject to tenant agreement, the remaining homes will be connected as soon as possible.”

A full report will be discussed at the next social care, health care and housing committee, on January 28, 2014.