duration

Location
Virtual

Get up to speed with the new heat network regulations, your responsibilities as a social housing provider and the actions you need to take over the next 12 months at this practical event.

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    The regulatory landscape for heat networks is changing – and for social housing providers, the implications are significant.

    Join us for a focused, practical briefing designed to help you understand exactly what the new heat network regulations mean for your organisation, your residents and your compliance strategy over the next 12 months.

    A new era of oversight under Ofgem will introduce formal consumer protection for residents connected to heat networks. Widely welcomed by campaigners, the regime promises clearer standards around metering, billing transparency, fair pricing and complaint resolution.

    But alongside these protections come substantial operational, financial and governance challenges – particularly for providers managing large, complex portfolios.

    This event will give housing providers a clear roadmap through the regulatory transition, including what you must do now, what can wait, and how to prepare for the introduction of the Heat Network Technical Assurance Scheme (HNTAS), which will establish minimum performance standards and drive fairer outcomes for residents.

    The scale of impact is considerable:

    • Around 180,000 social housing households are connected to heat networks
    • An estimated 66% of the UK’s 14,000+ existing heat networks are owned or managed by social landlords
    • Since January, all existing networks are deemed temporarily authorised by Ofgem
    • Providers must formally register their networks with Ofgem by January 2027
    • Some large landlords operate portfolios of 200+ individual heat networks.

    This session will ensure you leave with clarity, confidence and a practical action plan.

    What will be covered:

    • The scope and intent of the new regulatory framework
    • Key compliance deadlines and transitional arrangements
    • Registration requirements and what Ofgem will expect
    • Preparing for HNTAS and forthcoming minimum performance standards
    • Governance, risk and accountability implications
    • Data, billing and consumer protection requirements
    • Operational and asset management considerations
    • Practical steps to take in the next 12 months
    • Lessons from early movers and common pitfalls to avoid.

    Who should attend:

    • Asset management/decarbonisation leads
    • Heat network/energy services managers
    • Compliance, building safety and consumer standards leads
    • Repairs and maintenance/M&E managers
    • Customer services, complaints and resident engagement teams
    • Income/billing teams
    • Data, performance and BI colleagues
    • Procurement and commercial teams
    • Finance and risk teams
    • Senior leaders and board/committee members.
  • Our speakers

    Bobbie Hough, HQN Associate
    Bobbie is the lead HQN Associate for the Estates Services Hub and the Housing Management Network as well as an expert in strategic planning and crisis communications.

    Bobbie is also Managing Director of Hough Bellis Communications, where he has worked with some of the UK’s most recognised brands overseeing successful mergers, high-profile media campaigns and managing crisis scenarios. He works with companies to help align communications and business strategies.

    Stephen Knight, Chief Executive, Heat Trust
    Stephen Knight is Chief Executive of Heat Trust, the national consumer protection scheme for district and communal heating systems, which acts as consumer champion in the heat network sector, and which has protected consumers in advance of statutory regulation.  He was formerly the Director of London Trading Standards, the London-wide partnership of Trading Standards services.

     

    Previously, Stephen served as a London Assembly member, chairing the Assembly’s environment committee and its economy committee and for 20 years as a senior councillor in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, including time as deputy leader of the council.

    Rachael Mills, Director, Chirpy Heat
    Rachael Mills is a co-founder and Director of Chirpy Heat, the leading independent specialist supporting housing providers in running reliable and compliant heat networks.   We work with over 160 clients who collectively manage around 28% of the UK’s heat networks, to offer practical, impartial advice on heat network compliance, performance, and governance – helping organisations manage risk, improve outcomes for residents, and move toward affordable, reliable, low-carbon heat.

    In 2024, Rachael received an OBE for services to energy efficiency and diversity and inclusion. Recognising the supportive power of women working together, Rachael co-founded the District Heating Divas in 2019.  Since then, it’s grown to nearly 2000 members with groups across the UK and Europe, bringing women together to network and support each other as well as advocating for the heat network sector to be an attractive career option for a diverse range of people.  The Divas also helped to launch the Heat Exchanger Mentor Programme and hosts the annual ‘Connecting Women in District Heat’ conference.  Rachael also co-founded and is the Secretariat of The Heat Network, a forum for social housing providers to share good practice and influence policy on communal and district heating, through which she participates in numerous Government stakeholder groups.

    Yanik Croston, Business Support Manager, Switch2 Energy
    Yanik is a Business Support Manager who is responsible for overseeing the governance of regulation and consumer policy. He works closely with several key regulatory organisations, including DESNZ (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero), Heat Trust, local MPs, Energy Ombudsman, and Ofgem, to ensure that Switch2’s operations comply with the latest regulations and policies.

    With extensive experience in the energy sector, Yanik has previously worked in the domestic energy market, where he successfully increased awareness of the priority services register to ensure that vulnerable customers were aware of the support available to them. He has also led Switch2’s customer service and debt teams, where he gained first-hand experience in dealing with the challenges that residents face, especially during the unprecedented energy crisis and rising costs.

    Yanik’s experiences have enabled him to understand the genuine everyday challenges that residents face. He is passionate about highlighting the support needed across the private and social sectors in the energy industry, and how changes in the industry must provide real benefits to people who need them the most.

    Dr Cathy Olphin, Sustainability Manager, Switch2 Energy
    Dr Cathy Olphin is Sustainability Manager at Switch2, where she leads Optimise – a data-driven programme designed to improve the performance of heat networks through targeted, evidence-based interventions. She is currently leading Switch2’s participation in the ARMS data pilot, one of a small group of organisations selected by DESNZ to test how operational and metering data is submitted, reviewed and validated through the HNTAS portal ahead of new technical standards expected to come into force from 2027. She also led Switch2’s consultation response on the draft HNTAS requirements, giving her a practical, operator-level perspective on what regulation means for the sector in practice.

    She is passionate about the role heat networks can play in the UK’s net zero transition and about making sure the shift to statutory regulation delivers real improvements for residents.

    Mary Harvey, Heat Charges Manager, London Borough of Camden

    Mary Harvey works full-time at the London Borough of Camden as Heat Charges Manager. She is a member of the Association of Accounting Technicians (MAAT), following her AAT qualification. Over the years, she has built a strong and varied career, spending 28 years in the private sector before moving into the public sector, where she has proudly worked with Camden for the past nine years.

    Mary gained her AAT qualification at a Chartered Accountants, where she worked as an AAT Trainee, Credit Controller and VAT Senior, before becoming a Billing Manager and Billing Co-Ordinator. It was the skills learnt in the roles as Billing Manager and Billing Co-ordinator that led her to her current role as Heat Charges Manager. In this role, she manages a team and is responsible for the metered and non-metered heat charges for circa 15,000 residents connected to 270 Camden District Heat Networks and Camden’s Bulk Gas Networks.

    Through both her personal and professional experiences, Mary is committed to giving back, supporting her community, and contributing positively to charitable causes.

  • Programme

    10:00am Welcome and introductions

    Bobbie Hough, HQN Associate

    10:10am Heat network regulation overview

    Rachael Mills, Director, Chirpy Heat
    • The three pillars: consumer protection, technical standards and zoning
    • What it means for housing providers
    • Key timetable and milestones.

    10:35am Consumer protection

    Stephen Knight, Chief Executive, Heat Trust
    • Why consumer protection is important for heat network customers
    • Ofgem registration and reporting
    • What landlords need to understand now.

    10:55am Consumer protection in action

    Yanik Croston, Business Support Manager, Switch2 Energy
    • Where to start
    • Debt management and tariffs
    • Practical considerations for providers.

    11:15am Break

    11:30am Technical standards in action

    Dr Cathy Olphin, Sustainability Manager, Switch2 Energy
    • Where to start and no-regrets actions
    • Metering and gas AMR
    • HNES.

    11:50am Case study – how we’re preparing at Camden

    Mary Harvey, Heat Charges Manager, London Borough of Camden
    • What Camden has done so far
    • What still needs to happen
    • Lessons learned for other providers.

    12:10pm Wider discussion and key takeaways

    Bobbie Hough, HQN Associate, with all speakers

    12:45pm Close

  • Cancellations and substitutions

    If you are unable to attend an event or public training course, please let us know in writing (email is fine) at least 48 hours before. Please email [email protected]

    Otherwise, a cancellation fee of £60 plus VAT will be chargeable.

    If you are using a package place to attend and do not inform us within the agreed time frame, then a place will be taken to cover your non-attendance.

    Cancellations must be made in writing and will be acknowledged by HQN Limited.

  • Price and booking

    Bookings are closed for this event.

    If you experience any issues when submitting your booking, please email [email protected] with the name and date of the session along with the delegate name(s), email address(es) and job title(s) and we'll process the booking for you.

Dates



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