New regulations arrive for communal heating (heat networks)

New regulations are being introduced to improve how heat networks are managed across England. These new rules, from Ofgem and the Energy Act 2023, will bring regulatory protections to people across the country who receive their heating and hot water from a communal heat network. 

Ofgem will be finalising the regulations and rolling them out in phases between now and early 2027. 

What is a heat network? 

A heat network uses a communal boiler and a network of pipes to deliver heating and hot water to multiple homes and buildings. Around a third of Anchor’s locations provide heating and hot water in this way. It’s an efficient way to deliver reliable heating and hot water.   

What’s changing? 

The new regulations make Anchor, as well as many other social landlords, a ‘heat supplier’.  
The regulations are designed to provide residents on heat networks, the same protections as you would expect from Ofgem-regulated electricity or gas suppliers. The new rules are designed to ensure that heat suppliers across the country offer fair prices for their services, provide a reliable supply of heating, support vulnerable residents, and ensure that bills and service charge statements are clear and easy to understand. The regulations will also set technical standards for heat network design and performance and encourage heat suppliers to make plans to move away from gas and support carbon-emission reduction.

At Anchor we strive to keep our heat supply services good value for money and respond quickly to any outages or heating concerns.  As the regulations are finalised, we will make sure your heating service meets the new standards and keep you informed, including escalation to the Energy Ombudsman.