Housing association bottles fuel (3)
I believe the answer is:
gas
'fuel' is the definition.
(gas is a kind of fuel)
'housing association bottles' is the wordplay.
'bottles' says the answer is hidden in the clue (bottling is a kind of containing).
'GAS' is hidden in the letters of 'housing association'.
(Other definitions for gas that I've seen before include "THIRD PART OF 23" , "Something delightful" , "Domestic fuel" , "Fuel; idle talk" , "Nitrogen maybe" .)