There are three main parts to the planned regulations, which collectively make up the government’s heat network market framework.

Authorisation and consumer protection

 

All GB heat suppliers / heat network operators will need to be authorised by Ofgem. Conditions of these authorisations will include compliance with consumer protection standards of conduct. Ofgem will have powers to monitor compliance and take enforcement action for any breaches of the conditions.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and Ofgem recently consulted on their planned consumer protection measures, including authorisation conditions. You can find the consultation here and Heat Trust's response here. This follows a previous 2023 consultation, to which you can also find Heat Trust's response here.

Ofgem has separately consulted on the regulatory activities and processes which will underpin the regulatory framework. You can find the consultation here and Heat Trust's response here.

Further Ofgem consultations will follow during 2025 on more detailed proposals for specific areas of consumer protection (e.g. pricing and Guaranteed Standards of Performance) and for specific regulatory activities (such as compliance monitoring and enforcement).

You can find out more about the progress of Scottish heat networks regulations here.

Heat network zoning

Government will have powers to designate areas as ‘heat network zones’ where heat networks are expected to be the lowest cost solution for decarbonising heat. Certain buildings within zones may be required to connect to heat networks within a specified timeframe. This supports government’s target of supplying 20% of homes through heat networks by 2050.

The specific regulations around zoning will be different in Wales and Scotland to those in England.

DESNZ's consultation on zoning proposals for England closed on 26 February 2024 and its response is expected in 2025. You can find the consultation here and Heat Trust's response here. DESNZ also has a collection of information about zoning here. Scottish regulations on zoning are already being brought in, and you can find details here. The Welsh government's Heat Strategy for Wales includes its approach to zoning and you can find it here.

Technical standards, carbon emissions limits and step-in arrangements

Heat network operators will be required by their Ofgem authorisation conditions to comply with a GB-wide code that sets out minimum technical standards. Under the code, heat networks will need to achieve certification against these standards - which are designed to ensure network performance and efficiency.

The standards will replace the existing Heat Network (Metering and Billing) Regulations, as well as build on current voluntary engineering standards such as the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers' (CIBSE's) Code of Practice 1 (CP1). They are being designed by the Heat Networks Technical Assurance Scheme (HNTAS) Programme, which you can find information about here. A consultation on these standards is expected during 2025, with pilots also taking place throughout 2024-25. The standards are expected to be brought in within 2026, with existing heat networks given a further period in which to achieve compliance within them.

Heat networks are fuel-agnostic in that they can be connected to any fuel source. They’re therefore set to play a key role in government’s net zero objectives. Regulation is expected to include decarbonisation targets for heat networks, with these requirements still to be determined.

Ofgem will also put in place ‘step-in’ arrangements to protect consumers if their heat supplier goes out of business or performs consistently poorly. A further Ofgem consultation on these arrangements is planned during 2025.

Heat Trust has long advocated for statutory regulation of the heat networks sector. We're firmly behind the intent of the planned statutory protections for heat network consumers and believe that they can’t come quickly enough.

Our Heat Trust Scheme rules are the foundations on which the formal regulations will build. Registering with Heat Trust now gives consumers confidence and helps heat suppliers get regulation ready.

Ofgem and DESNZ say: ‘The Heat Trust's established role in setting industry standards provides a strong foundation upon which the new regulation will build and their continued involvement will aid transition, ensuring continuity, and reducing risk of disruption for the sector and its consumers … [We] encourage parties to follow existing good practice, such as that set out by the Heat Trust.’

Between now and the start of full Ofgem regulation in 2027, our continued involvement will help ensure that:

• Consumers remain front and foremost in regulatory design and decision making (by engaging in consultations and regulatory forums, sharing our insight and expertise)

• Heat suppliers are ready for regulation (by registering and auditing as many as possible under our Scheme)

• There is no gap in consumer protections (by continuing our Scheme until the point that all equivalent Ofgem regulations are both in place and enforced, which we expect to be in early 2027)

As the independent consumer champion for heat networks in Great Britain, Heat Trust’s input to regulation won’t be limited purely to matters covered by our Scheme. We’re not a trade association and we don’t lobby on behalf of either our Scheme participants or heat suppliers generally.

While we’ll publicise key regulatory developments through our website and LinkedIn, we can’t urge heat suppliers strongly enough to engage directly in the regulatory consultation process.

We’ll publish all of Heat Trust’s responses to government consultations here. 

You can find out more at the links below:

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/energy-policy-and-regulation/policy-and-regulatory-programmes/heat-networks
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/heat-networks
https://www.gov.scot/policies/renewable-and-low-carbon-energy/heat-networks
https://www.gov.wales/heat-strategy-wales-html 

You can also sign up to receive updates from Ofgem and DESNZ here:

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/energy-policy-and-regulation/policy-and-regulatory-programmes/heat-networks
https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/UKBEIS_HN/subscriber/new?preferences=true#tab1