diff --git a/NEED/analyse-NEED-EULF-2014-models-v2.0.do b/NEED/analyse-NEED-EULF-2014-models-v2.0.do
index 488a72f720a9c0af94131ad9fbd5f3319e968da0..76c7b5f6651e8facc9aa828676466bb7c898c9cd 100644
--- a/NEED/analyse-NEED-EULF-2014-models-v2.0.do
+++ b/NEED/analyse-NEED-EULF-2014-models-v2.0.do
@@ -131,19 +131,6 @@ egen Allcons2012_dec = cut(Allcons2012), group(10)
 gen ba_imd = IMD_ENG
 replace ba_imd = IMD_WALES if ba_imd == .
 
-* must use as category variables!!
-* set unkown to be 10 -> adds to end of contrasts so can see effect
-replace LOFT_DEPTH = 10 if LOFT_DEPTH == .
-
-* set unkown to be 2020 -> adds to end of contrasts so can see effect
-replace BOILER_YEAR = 2020 if BOILER_YEAR == .
-replace CWI_YEAR = 2020 if CWI_YEAR == .
-replace LI_YEAR  = 2020 if LI_YEAR  == .
-
-* 0 = no
-destring BOILER, force replace
-replace BOILER = 0 if BOILER == .
-
 * household level vars
 * for models
 local generic_hvars "i.BOILER_YEAR i.MAIN_HEAT_FUEL i.LI_YEAR i.LOFT_DEPTH i.FLOOR_AREA_BAND WALL_CONS i.CWI_YEAR i.PROP_TYPE i.PROP_AGE i.EE_BAND"
diff --git a/NEED/process-NEED-EULF-2014.do b/NEED/process-NEED-EULF-2014.do
index ca5cf026f23a028039a6084f87ab41be6786c7a5..851dcff882c8221a5b1af483357f3c0bd41c958d 100644
--- a/NEED/process-NEED-EULF-2014.do
+++ b/NEED/process-NEED-EULF-2014.do
@@ -137,13 +137,15 @@ foreach s of local sample {
 			
 			* turn '99' into missing - ideally missing should be -99 to aid re-coding and avoid unpleasant surprises in naive analysis!
 			* recode category vars into strings to avoid confusion & enable 'unknown' to be retained in models etc (might matter)
-			tostring LOFT_DEPTH FP_ENG LI_YEAR BOILER_YEAR CWI_YEAR, force replace
-			replace FP_ENG = "Unknown" if FP_ENG  == "99"
-			replace LOFT_DEPTH = "Unknown" if LOFT_DEPTH  == "99"
+			
+			replace FP_ENG = -99 if FP_ENG  == 99
+			replace LOFT_DEPTH = -99 if LOFT_DEPTH  == 99
 			* comes in as missing?
-			replace LI_YEAR = "Unknown" if LI_YEAR == "."
-			replace BOILER_YEAR = "Unknown" if BOILER_YEAR == "."
-			replace CWI_YEAR = "Unknown" if CWI_YEAR == "."
+			replace LI_YEAR = -99 if LI_YEAR == .
+			replace BOILER_YEAR = -99 if BOILER_YEAR == .
+			replace CWI_YEAR = -99 if CWI_YEAR == .
+			
+			lab val 
 					
 			* what do G, L, M mean in the gas 'valid' variables - presumably 0 = off gas & V = valid?