NEWS ARCHIVE
HEAT NETWORK MARKET FRAMEWORK CONSULTATION RESPONSE
OUR RESPONSE TO COVID-19: MARCH 2020
HEAT TRUST CUSTOMER VULNERABILITY CONSULTATION RESPONSE: MARCH 2020
FUTURE HOMES STANDARD CONSULTATION RESPONSE: FEBRUARY 2020
HEAT NETWORK (METERING AND BILLING) REGULATIONS CONSULTATION RESPONSE: JANUARY 2020
BEIS' Heat Network Market Framework consultation proposes ways in which the heat network market could be regulated to protect domestic customers, which we support. In our response we highlight the importance of proportionate regulation and the need for not-for-profit heat network operators to be regulated in a different ways to commercial entities. You can also download a precis of the consultation we wrote for our social housing members.
The Government has asked the ADE to coordinate with industry to communicate our priorities and concerns regarding COVID-19. As a critical utility, the heat networks sector has a duty to protect consumers and continue to supply heating and hot water to consumers throughout the period of the pandemic. In the spirit of all pulling together in these difficult times, The Heat Network members responded to the ADE's call for information and insights.
After four years of operation Heat Trust is reviewing the Scheme Rules to keep them in line with ongoing developments in comparable markets. This first consultation is seeking feedback on areas of the Scheme Rules that Heat Trust should consider updating in relation to customer vulnerability. Although not members of the Heat Trust, we submitted a response both to represent and protect our customers living on Heat Trust schemes, and to help shape the future of heat network customer protection.
The Future Homes Standard Consultation set out government's plans to require new build homes to be future-proofed with low carbon heating and world-leading levels of energy efficiency from 2025, as well as introducing tougher pathway changes to Part L in 2020. We don't think the plans go far enough and in fact will be a retrograde step in some places in the country. We also strongly advocate a Fabric First approach and call on government to use this as an opportunity to also fix the existing heat network stock.
This consultation from BEIS looked at the impact of the re-introduction of the cost-effectiveness tool in order for us assess where individual meters should be retrofitted and thus comply with the Regulations. This is core to the work of our members: our consultation response was our fullest yet.
OFGEM CONSULTATION RESPONSE: AUGUST 2019
HEAT TRUST CONSULTATION RESPONSE: JULY 2019
BEIS CONSULTATION RESPONSE: JANUARY 2019
HEAT TRUST CONSULTATION RESPONSE: APRIL 2018
Regulation is on the way to bring the heat network sector more in-line with the gas and electricity markets, to offer good consumer protection. With this in mind, some members of The Heat Network combined to submit a response to Ofgem's Draft Consumer Vulnerability Strategy, which can be downloaded here.
The Heat Trust launched another consultation in May 2019, this time on the electric heat cost calculator. This was our first response formally as The Heat Network, and you can download it here.
In December 2018, BEIS launched a consultation in response to the CMA Report on Ensuring Sustained Investment and Protecting Customers. A group of housing associations, who were to later go on and become some of the founding members of The Heat Network submitted a response. You can download it here.
In February 2018, the Heat Trust launched a consultation on their plans to open up the scheme to more homes. A group of housing associations, who were to later go on and become some of the founding members of The Heat Network submitted a response. You can download it here.