In May 2020, several ADE members signed an Agreement to ensure that heat network customers were protected and supported during the Covid-19 pandemic.  Heat Trust, as the independent, not for profit, customer champion for those who live and work on heat networks agreed to provide independent monitoring of signatories’ compliance with this Agreement. 

Our first report covering the period July to September 2020 has now been published. This report, and the accompanying qualitative statements from signatories highlight both reasons for optimism and examples of good practice, but also areas of concern the ADE must now move to address. Specifically:

• Reported levels of customer debt fell over the period; and  
• Evidence of innovative and proactive customer engagement; yet
• Ongoing customer disconnections;
• Patchy levels of support; and
• Incomplete or late submissions prevented full scrutiny.

These areas are expanded on in our response, published here.