Calor is a brand of bottled
butane
Butane () is an alkane with the formula C4H10. Butane exists as two isomers, ''n''-butane with connectivity and iso-butane with the formula . Both isomers are highly flammable, colorless, easily liquefied gases that quickly vaporize at ro ...
and
propane
Propane () is a three-carbon chain alkane with the molecular formula . It is a gas at standard temperature and pressure, but becomes liquid when compressed for transportation and storage. A by-product of natural gas processing and petroleum ref ...
which is available in Britain and Ireland. It comes in
cylinders, which have a special gas
regulator.
The company was formed in 1935, and is one of the UK's largest suppliers of
liquefied petroleum gas
Liquefied petroleum gas, also referred to as liquid petroleum gas (LPG or LP gas), is a fuel gas which contains a flammable mixture of hydrocarbon gases, specifically propane, Butane, ''n''-butane and isobutane. It can also contain some ...
(LPG). It is currently servicing around 4 million homes and businesses, supplying LPG to power gas appliances from
central heating
A central heating system provides warmth to a number of spaces within a building from one main source of heat.
A central heating system has a Furnace (central heating), furnace that converts fuel or electricity to heat through processes. The he ...
and hot water, as well as cookers, fires and barbecues. The company predominantly supplies LPG to homes in rural areas where there is no mains natural gas supply. In the United Kingdom, Calor is part of the
SHV Gas Group a private Dutch company. Calor originally dealt only with cooking and heating appliances, but now covers a wider range of products for home, business, and automotive fuels.
Such was the company's ubiquity at one point that the term "Calor Gas" became a
generic term
Trademark distinctiveness is an important concept in the law governing trademarks and service marks. A trademark may be eligible for registration, or registrable, if it performs the essential trademark function, and has distinctive character. Re ...
in the UK for all bottled LPG canisters and LPG-fuelled appliances.
History
In 1934, Ritchie Gill, a Cornishman who had been working in the US, returned to England. He spotted an opportunity for a product successfully used in America – liquefied petroleum gas. Gill coined the name Calor Gas and in January 1935 he set up Modern Gas & Equipment Co. Ltd, based in London.
In August 1935 the trade was transferred to the Calor (Distributing) Co. Limited.
The business expanded as people in rural areas of the UK realised the benefits of this new fuel – LPG. So by 1939 the company had six offices in the UK: a head office in London and five regional offices.
[Calor: History](_blank)
/ref> Calor (Scotland) had been founded and in Ireland, Calor gas was being distributed by Messrs. McMullen Ltd., which was later purchased by Calor.[
In 1947, there was an exceptionally hard winter which led to a major change in the way that Calor was distributed. Up to this point Calor had been relying upon rail transport for the distribution of the LPG. Calor signed a contract with PX (Carriers) Ltd., to deliver cylinders by road.][
The first wholly owned filling plant was built at Saxham, near Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk][ and a further two filling plants were built in the 1950s to give Calor even wider coverage. These two plants were at Millbrook near Southampton (1956) and Port Clarence near Middlesbrough (1959).][ The Millbrook filling plant was closed in 2001; however the sales and service centre remains, selling gas and gas appliances.
The 1950s saw the introduction of the Flavel B500 cooker, which used Calor gas; it became a great success story with caravan owners and smaller households.][
1956 saw the birth of Calor's industrial division and installation of the first "bulk propane" tank at the Meredith & Drew biscuit factory in Newmarket.][
In 1963 Calor Ltd. was formed.][ 1966 saw a new head office being acquired in Slough, which led to over 300 employees moving into this location.][
In 1967, Calor was granted a Royal Warrant for the supply of liquefied petroleum gas to Her Majesty the Queen.][ The company was later granted a second Warrant, this time for supplying Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.
In 1969 the Imperial Continental Gas Association acquired all the shares in the Company that it did not already own.][
From the early 1970s onwards sales of cabinet heaters, and with them sales of butane in cylinders, escalated enormously, beginning with Super Ser which rapidly replaced the paraffin heater as the nation's number one choice for spot heating.][ In a decade, the market for cabinet heaters and the gas they burned grew from nothing to £100 million p.a. This led to increasing demand for storage space, which led to Calor investing in the two largest storage facilities. The first was purchased in 1976: a 30,000 tonne refrigerated storage tank at ]Felixstowe
Felixstowe ( ) is a port town and civil parish in the East Suffolk District, East Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England. The estimated population in 2017 was 24,521. The Port of Felixstowe is the largest Containerization, containe ...
in Suffolk.[ The second was a joint venture with Conoco to excavate a vast cavern on South Humberside, capable of containing some 100,000 tonnes of gas supplied from an adjacent sea terminal. This facility, opened in 1985, gave Calor the ability to overcome short-term supply difficulties and to cope with major changes in demand brought on by extremes of weather.][
During the 1980s, Calor's domestic central heating and industrial markets continued to expand and in 1982 the company's head office moved to a site near Slough.][
Despite great efforts to establish a nationwide network of outlets, Calor Autogas (vehicle ]propane
Propane () is a three-carbon chain alkane with the molecular formula . It is a gas at standard temperature and pressure, but becomes liquid when compressed for transportation and storage. A by-product of natural gas processing and petroleum ref ...
) never quite reached expectations, due largely to the Government's inability to recognise its considerable environmental advantages by reducing duty. However, the fuel did become very popular for fork lift trucks, helped greatly by the launch, in 1989, of Calor's exhaust purification system, EPS2000, which enabled vehicles to be used both indoors and outside.[
In 1986 the company's parent, Imperial Continental Gas Association plc, rejected a bid from Gulf Resources & Chemical Corporation, a company controlled by the Barclay brothers. Instead in 1987 Imperial Continental Gas Association broke itself up into Calor Group and Contibel (now owned by Tractebel).
In 1988 the privately owned Dutch company, SHV became a significant ]shareholder
A shareholder (in the United States often referred to as stockholder) of corporate stock refers to an individual or legal entity (such as another corporation, a body politic, a trust or partnership) that is registered by the corporation as the ...
, acquiring 40% of Calor Group's equity.[
In 1991, a joint venture company involving Calor, SHV and Primagaz (in which SHV holds a 50% stake) had been started in both Poland and Slovakia. This was then followed by Hungary in 1992.][ In 1997 SHV acquired the rest of Calor's shares.][
In 2002 Calor opened 12 Customer Operations Centres at ]Grangemouth
Grangemouth (; , ) is a town in the Falkirk (council area), Falkirk council area in the central belt of Scotland. Historically part of the Counties of Scotland, county of Stirlingshire, the town lies in the Forth Valley, on the banks of the Firt ...
, Port Clarence, Stoney Stanton, Elland, Ellesmere Port
Ellesmere Port ( ) is a port town in the Cheshire West and Chester borough in Cheshire, England. Ellesmere Port is on the south-eastern edge of the Wirral Peninsula, north of Chester, on the bank of the Manchester Ship Canal. In the 2021 Unite ...
, Coryton, Cranbrook, Saxham, Fawley, Neath
Neath (; ) is a market town and Community (Wales), community situated in the Neath Port Talbot, Neath Port Talbot County Borough, Wales. The town had a population of 50,658 in 2011. The community of the parish of Neath had a population of 19,2 ...
, and Newbury.[
In December 2005 The Canvey LNG project was announced which commenced with a feasibility study into the development of a strategic LPG import and regasification facility at the existing Calor LNG terminal at ]Canvey Island
Canvey Island is a town, civil parish and reclaimed island in the Thames Estuary, near Southend-on-Sea, in the Castle Point district, in the county of Essex, England. It has an area of and a population of 38,170.Office for National Statistics. ...
, Essex UK. The project is led by Calor Gas and also includes LNG Japan Corporation, (Joint Venture of Sumitomo Corporation
is one of the largest worldwide '' sōgō shōsha'' general trading companies, and is a diversified corporation. The company was incorporated in 1919 and is a member company of the Sumitomo Group.
It is listed on three Japanese stock exchange ...
and Sojitz Corporation). Following this study Centrica has now been selected as a gas supply partner and would hold equity in the facility, together with capacity rights enabling it to deliver supplies to their British Gas customers from a range of international sources. A full scale planning application and project plan is now being developed.
On 16 of February 2023 Calor announced workforce reduction of 114 positions in Commercial, Operations and Central Functions departments.
Products
Calor provide gas both for use in bulk tanks (which may be stored above or below ground) and in smaller gas cylinders.
Bulk tanks
Calor can provide a variety of sizes in both above- and below-ground formats. Tanks are available with a monitor, which automatically inform Calor when stocks are low so that the gas can then be refuelled without intervention by the tank's owner.
Gas cylinders
Calor's largest cylinder (47 kg) can be used in packs (4 x 47 kg gas cylinders) which are able to supply central heating systems of up to 60 kW as well as cookers and fires. When one pair runs low the valve automatically switches to the second pair so that the supply is continuous.
For leisure use such as caravanning and barbecuing, Calor retail butane
Butane () is an alkane with the formula C4H10. Butane exists as two isomers, ''n''-butane with connectivity and iso-butane with the formula . Both isomers are highly flammable, colorless, easily liquefied gases that quickly vaporize at ro ...
, propane
Propane () is a three-carbon chain alkane with the molecular formula . It is a gas at standard temperature and pressure, but becomes liquid when compressed for transportation and storage. A by-product of natural gas processing and petroleum ref ...
and Patio Gas (an alternative brand name for propane) cylinders, all of which come in a number of sizes. A new Calor Lite cylinder, produced from lightweight steel, released in 2008, was targeted at the caravan market but has now been withdrawn due to production issues.
Calor also provides LPG for business customers.
Calor Village of the Year
Calor fund and organise the Calor Village of the Year competition in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which over 1,000 villages enter every year.
Calor is a member of the Business in the Community 'PerCent Club' allegedly investing more than 1% of its pre-tax profit in community projects.
The first Calor UK Village of the Year 2008 was announced on 2 December 2008 as the Isle of Barra in the Western Isles
The Outer Hebrides ( ) or Western Isles ( , or ), sometimes known as the Long Isle or Long Island (), is an island chain off the west coast of mainland Scotland.
It is the longest archipelago in the British Isles. The islands form part ...
of Scotland.
References
External links
Calor Homepage
Calor Ireland Homepage
{{Authority control
Fuel gas
British brands
Non-renewable resource companies established in 1935
Companies based in Warwick
Natural gas companies of the United Kingdom
1935 establishments in the United Kingdom
Energy companies established in 1935