3 ways the proposed heat network technical standards should help consumers

Heat networks are poised to be a cornerstone of the UK’s energy transition, expected to meet 20% of our heating demand by 2050. This could unlock billions in investment and create tens of thousands of jobs. Done right, heat networks can deliver lower bills, greener energy and more efficient heating systems.

But right now, many consumers aren’t feeling those benefits. That’s why the proposed Heat Network Technical Assurance Scheme (HNTAS) matters so much. Mandatory standards will make heat networks more efficient. In turn, this should lead to less wasted heat and lower bills.

Why technical standards need to be mandatory

Citizens Advice is the statutory advocate for heat network consumers in England and Wales. On 1 April 2025 we launched a new advice service, offering tailored support for heat network consumers via a specialist team in our Consumer Service.

Our experience helping heat network consumers highlights a stark reality: the current voluntary approach has failed consumers. Only a small handful of heat networks have been part of a voluntary standards scheme and less than half were fully compliant. Without mandatory standards, poor performance continues, and consumers end up paying the price.

3 areas where the new standards will help consumers

1. Unreliable heating: Issues relating to the physical infrastructure of heat networks account for 13% of cases handled by our specialist consumer service — 10 times higher than equivalent issues in the mains gas and electricity sector. HNTAS will set the first ever mandatory standards on things like unplanned outages — which we know has left some vulnerable consumers without heat and hot water in the coldest months.
2. Higher costs from inefficiencies: Poor network efficiency directly translates into higher prices for consumers. High heat loss leads to high prices, imposing unfair costs on households. The costs of inefficiencies are often spread across all of the residents on a network. The HNTAS standards on metering and efficiency will address this.
3. Billing inaccuracies and unfairness: One of the biggest sources of consumer frustration is billing. Billing error is the single most common type of problem our advisers helped people with over the last year. Half (52%) of the cases advisers have dealt with have been related to billing errors, compared to a third (32%) for mains gas and electricity customers. Many households on heat networks receive infrequent or delayed bills, are charged based on estimates rather than actual usage and face high, unexpected costs that can cause financial hardship. The rollout of metering will mean that more heat network consumers will be billed on their actual usage.

In conclusion

Heat networks are a vital part of the UK’s energy future, but they’re not working well enough for many consumers today. HNTAS offers a real opportunity to fix that. HNTAS must be viewed as a large-scale upgrade of national infrastructure, a necessary investment to secure a reliable, affordable heating future. To get it right, policymakers need to:

• introduce strong, mandatory standards
• prioritise efficiency, accurate billing and metering
• ensure costs are shared fairly, not pushed onto those already struggling

If those pieces fall into place, heat networks can deliver on their promise: cleaner, cheaper, and more reliable heating for millions of consumers.

We’re here to help when heat network consumers face problems

The heat networks advice service will give us more data on the issues consumers need help with. We’ll continue to use this frontline insight to make the case for protections which meet consumers’ needs.

If you live on a heat network and need help with back-billing, disconnection, heating outages or anything else, call an adviser on 0808 223 1133 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) or visit our website. Consumers in Scotland can access similar support from Advice Direct Scotland.