Industry-first heat customer protection scheme launched

The energy industry has launched an independent protection scheme to improve performance, reliability and customer service for heat customers.

The Heat Trust scheme was announced at a London conference today, with Eon, SSE Heat Networks and Metropolitan King’s Cross named as its first members.

The Energy Ombudsman will provide the independent complaints handling service to ensure “fair treatment of customers”.

Head of scheme Bindi Patel said the launch was a “key milestone” for the district heating sector, demonstrating its “commitment to giving customers peace of mind in their heating and hot water supply”.

“I look forward to working with industry, government and consumer bodies to ensure Heat Trust provides effective protection to as many customers as possible,” she added.

Energy minister Lord Bourne said: “My priorities are keeping energy bills as low as possible for hard-working families and businesses and ensuring everyone has access to reliable and low carbon energy.

“Heat networks play an important role in these priorities but they need to do so in a way that focuses on consumers, I am therefore happy to support the launch of the Heat Trust as the UK’s first independent consumer protection scheme for heat networks.”

Heat networks supply heat generated at a central source to a number of buildings through a system of insulated pipes. The Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) claims heat production at this communal, rather than individual scale, will help solve the energy trilemma because it is “more energy efficient, delivers carbon savings, and can reduce consumer bills”.

Decc has said the pipeline of 280 UK heat infrastructure projects currently in development will require up to £2 billion of capital investment over the next 10 years.