Heat Trust consults on extending consumer protection scheme as Ofgem timetable for compensation rules slips

Heat Trust – the national consumer champion for people living on heat networks – has launched a consultation on a proposal that could see it extend its consumer protection scheme beyond its current January 2027 end date.

The Heat Trust Scheme is an independent not-for-profit consumer protection scheme for heat network providers that sets minimum guaranteed standards of customer service and consumer protection. This includes the right to compensation for longer supply outages and access to the Energy Ombudsman.

The scheme is currently due to end on 26 January 2027, when full statutory protections for heat network customers had been expected to be in place after Ofgem took over as the regulator for the sector in January 2026.

However, Ofgem’s timetable for introducing Guaranteed Standards of Performance (GSOP) for all heat networks has slipped considerably, meaning that equivalent statutory protections are not likely to be in place by the time the Heat Trust Scheme is due to end.

As a result, the consumer body has warned that almost 100,000 households on registered sites could lose their right to compensation for supply outages if the Scheme ends as planned.

Around 12,000 households in vulnerable circumstances could also lose the protection requiring alternative heating to be provided within 12 hours of an outage.

Stephen Knight, Chief Executive of Heat Trust, said:

“Heat networks have an important role to play in delivering lower-carbon heat, but that transition will only work if consumers have confidence that they are properly protected.

“It is unfortunate that Ofgem’s statutory Guaranteed Standards of Performance won’t be in place for January, as originally intended, but we do not want consumers currently protected by our scheme to lose these key protections because of this delay.

“Our priority is to make sure customers remain protected during this transition. This proposal would give us the flexibility to maintain important protections while Ofgem completes that work.”

Ofgem became the statutory regulator for heat networks in January 2026, beginning a transition from the independent Heat Trust Scheme to statutory regulation.

All heat suppliers are due to be registered with Ofgem by January 2027, with Heat Trust continuing to operate during the transition to help maintain continuity of consumer protections.

As Ofgem plans for Guaranteed Standards of Performance (GSOP) are yet to progress, Heat Trust says a consultation on greater flexibility to extend its Scheme will ensure that nobody will lose out on these key protections that are vital for both consumers and the industry.

The consultation opens on 10 September and closes at 5pm on Thursday 1 October 2026.

Responses are invited from Heat Trust Registered Participants and other interested parties.

The consultation documents can be found at https://heattrust.org/scheme-modifications/consultations  

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