What Is a Heat Network and Are You On One?
A heat network rules, sometimes called communal or district heating, supplies hot water and heating to multiple homes from one shared source rather than each home having its own boiler. It is common in blocks of flats, some new build estates, and a handful of larger developments with a central energy centre.
If you pay a heat charge to a building management company, a housing association or a specific heat supplier rather than a normal gas and electricity biller, you are very likely on a heat network. Until this year, that arrangement sat largely outside the consumer protection rules that apply to ordinary energy customers.
What Do the New Heat Network Rules Actually Change?
From 27 January 2026, Ofgem became the statutory regulator of heat networks in Great Britain, bringing in new heat network rules on registration, fair pricing, financial resilience, and billing standards. Operators and suppliers must now register with Ofgem and meet standards that are broadly in line with the gas and electricity market.
Fair pricing rules mean heat network customers can expect pricing that is reasonably related to the actual cost of supplying their heat, rather than whatever a building operator decides to charge with no oversight at all. Billing standards require clearer, more consistent bills than many heat network customers have historically received.
A digital registration service for operators and suppliers also opened in spring 2026, giving Ofgem visibility over who is actually running each network. Before these heat network rules existed, there was no central record at all, so a building’s heat supplier could effectively operate with no regulator watching.
Key takeaways
- Ofgem’s new heat network rules came into force on 27 January 2026, covering registration, pricing and billing.
- Heat network customers now have access to the Energy Ombudsman for unresolved disputes, for the first time.
- Operators are expected to treat vulnerable customers fairly, similar to existing gas and electricity rules.
- You typically cannot switch heat supplier the way you can with gas or electricity, since the network is tied to your building.
Can You Now Complain to the Energy Ombudsman About a Heat Network?
Yes, and this is one of the most practical changes in the new heat network rules. Previously, heat network customers with an unresolved complaint had little formal recourse beyond their building’s management company or landlord.
Now, if a heat network operator does not resolve a complaint within eight weeks, or you reach deadlock earlier, you can take it to the Energy Ombudsman, the same free, independent service gas and electricity customers already use. Our guide on the energy ombudsman complaint process covers how that route works in more detail.
What the New Rules Do Not Cover
The rules do not give heat network customers the ability to switch supplier freely, since a heat network is a physical piece of infrastructure tied to a specific building, not a competitive market with multiple providers to choose between. That is a meaningful difference from gas and electricity.
Pricing oversight also does not mean prices are capped in the same way as the domestic energy price cap. Fair pricing rules aim to stop clearly excessive charging, but they are not a guarantee that a heat network bill will be cheaper than a standard gas boiler, since running costs for these systems vary a lot by building and setup.
If you are also on a normal gas or electricity account alongside a heat network charge, for cooking or non communal appliances, our guide on cutting your home energy bills still applies to that separate account.
What Should You Do If You’re On a Heat Network Right Now?
Check whether your operator or supplier is registered with Ofgem, since registration is now the baseline requirement under the new heat network rules. If you are unsure who supplies your heat, your building management company or landlord should be able to confirm it.
If you are in a vulnerable circumstance, such as a health condition affected by heating loss, ask to be added to any priority support arrangements your operator offers. Our guide to the Priority Services Register explains the equivalent protection available to gas and electricity customers, and it is worth asking your heat network operator whether something similar applies to you.
Keep records of your bills and any correspondence about pricing or faults. If a dispute does arise, having a clear paper trail makes the Energy Ombudsman process considerably smoother.
None of this means every heat network problem gets fixed overnight. These heat network rules are still bedding in during 2026, and enforcement will build up as Ofgem works through its new registration data, so patience alongside persistence is still the realistic approach for now.
Frequently Asked Questions About the New Heat Network Rules
- When did the new heat network rules come into force?
- Ofgem became the statutory regulator of heat networks on 27 January 2026, with rules on registration, pricing and billing standards.
- Can I switch away from my heat network supplier?
- Generally no. Heat networks are tied to the physical infrastructure of your building, so switching supplier in the way you would with gas or electricity is not usually possible.
- Who regulates heat networks now?
- Ofgem, the same regulator responsible for gas and electricity, took on statutory responsibility for heat networks from 27 January 2026.
- What can I do if my heat network operator will not resolve a complaint?
- If your complaint is not resolved within 8 weeks, or reaches deadlock sooner, you can now refer it to the Energy Ombudsman free of charge.
- Are heat network prices capped like the energy price cap?
- No. The new rules require fair, cost reflective pricing, but there is no fixed price cap equivalent to the one that applies to standard domestic gas and electricity tariffs.
