Delivering high-quality heat networks and driving up standards is essential for achieving government objectives on reducing carbon and cutting heating bills, addressing fuel poverty and ensuring a good return on government investment.

Comprehensive regulation is vital to building consumer trust in heat networks. Satisfied consumers are the fuel for future growth – a key enabler for the government’s target of supplying 20% of homes through heat networks by 2050. This is particularly important because heat networks are natural monopolies whose consumers cannot switch supplier.

Strong foundations

Heat Trust is widely recognised as the national consumer champion for heat networks in Great Britain, whose standards have a positive impact on consumer outcomes.

We have unsurpassed collective knowledge of this complex, diverse and growing sector. We have been putting in place the foundations of robust regulations that will protect consumers while allowing the market to flourish in the future.

Unique perspective

As experts in consumer protection, we are uniquely qualified to bring an objective consumer perspective to the conversation between government, Ofgem and industry about impending regulation.

Heat Trust is the only heat network code of conduct that is consistent with gas and electricity market standards, has an independent committee to oversee industry standards, uses independent audits to check compliance and publishes performance data each year on complaints and outages.

Proven approach

Our Registered Participants and Registered Sites are increasingly diverse in size, ownership and technology (fuel type). They include:

• Heat networks that range in size from tens to thousands of consumers
• Sites for all energy service companies (ESCOs), as well as heat networks run by local authorities and housing associations
• Heat networks powered by gas, Combined Heat and Power (gas or biomass) and heat pumps.

We also provide the first and only publicly available Heat Cost Calculator, a critical instrument for government and consumers in assessing value in the market.