We set customer service standards that build on the service standards in the gas and electricity market. We also provide an independent dispute resolution service through an agreement with the Energy Ombudsman. We have a stakeholder committee that agrees and reviews the customer standards set by Heat Trust.
The Heat Trust Scheme is governed by a Board and an independent stakeholder Committee. The Board of Heat Customer Protection Limited is responsible for the activities of the company. Board members are required by law to act in the interests of Heat Customer Protection Ltd and not the company of their employment.
The stakeholder Committee is in charge of overseeing the Heat Trust Scheme Rules, which set the standards we require heat suppliers that join the Heat Trust Scheme to abide by.
The Committee has the role of ensuring that the service standards contained in the Heat Trust Scheme are robust. The Committee can make recommendations to the Board to amend the service standards to help ensure the Heat Trust Scheme is fulfilling its objectives.
EPCs provide a generic assessment of the cost of heating a property, based on an estimate of energy costs for a particular property size. They do not provide a specific, bespoke analysis of each customer’s property. This means that the figures they provide should be seen a broad guideline, rather than a bespoke assessment.
EPCs also do not typically include repair and maintenance costs for heating a property, which heat bills generally include, often as part of the standing charge. This means that additional costs, such as repair and maintenance costs which are included within in heat bill, are not factored into an EPC.
In our first annual report, we have suggested that an EPC should include an explanation on the costs that are included in its assessment and those that are not.
Both Scottish and UK governments are developing further regulation for the heat networks industry. Customer protection is not devolved to Scotland, so this will be within the UK Government’s regulations. It is anticipated this will take shape over the next couple of years. Please see our news section for further updates. Comprehensive regulation is vital to building customer trust in heat networks that will allow the market to continue to grow and deliver the benefits of sustainable heat supply more widely. This is particularly important in a market of natural monopolies where customers often have little choice. Please see our Resources page for more information.
We believe that all heat networks should be required to meet the standards set by Heat Trust in the interim before regulation is in place. We are working with both Governments and our Registered Participants to support the transition to regulation.
The Heat Trust Scheme is managed by Heat Customer Protection Ltd (HCPL), a not-for-profit company that is owned by the Association for Decentralised Energy (a trade association). The two organisations are separate legal entities with separate Boards which ensures independence.
In the Articles of Association for Heat Customer Protection Ltd the objectives are:
• To establish, develop, maintain and administer consumer assurance schemes for district heating and cooling networks; and
• To do anything which may be incidental or conducive to these objects.
We do not advocate or lobby on behalf of the Registered Participants of the Heat Trust Scheme.
The established trade association for the district heating sector is the Association for Decentralised Energy (ADE).