Housing associations risk non-compliance with Heat Network regulations
PRESS RELEASE
New billing requirements are being overlooked; impact of legislation is not filtering down to the important operational level
Many housing associations are already failing to comply with new Heat Network (Metering and Billing) Regulations 2014, says Insite Energy, a provider of metering, billing and payment services to more than 80 communal and district heat networks and 8,000 end-customers across the UK.
The legislation requires housing associations, where they have a role as a heat supplier for communal heating systems, to install heat energy meters in individual properties and provide residents with access to accurate price and energy consumption data. This applies to new developments commissioned since 18thDecember 2014 and by 31stDecember 2016 for existing housing stock.
Since December 2014, housing associations are also obliged to provide residents of individually metered properties with actual price and energy consumption data, including comparisons with previous periods, alongside contact information for organisations providing advice on energy saving. In most cases, housing associations must provide this information at least every six months, or every three months if requested by the customer. Customers now have the right to receive their billing information in an electronic format.
Insite Energy’s managing director, Peter Westwood, says: “The new Heat Network Regulations apply to hundreds of thousands of domestic and commercial buildings throughout the UK with the aim of empowering end users of communal heating systems to better manage their energy use. Not only are we seeing current and planned construction projects that fail to comply with the new metering requirements, a large proportion of our housing association customers managing existing housing stock – many of whom have been somewhat ahead of the game by fitting individual property meters – are unaware that the data provided by their current meters and reported to customers is insufficient. In particular, managers are uninformed of the necessary frequency of reporting and the fact that residents now have the right to receive their billing information in an electronic format.
“While this is a topic discussed at senior management level, the details are not always filtering down to operational level and time is ticking. The regulations are here to stay and should not be seen just as a burden,” says Westwood. “The provision of clear, accurate consumption data helps housing associations to run their networks more efficiently, identifying sources of loss or inefficient operating practices. There’s increasing evidence to show that such data can influence the behaviour of end-customers, reducing consumption. The latest generation of meters also allow us to help our local authority customers manage and clear historic heat debt, by resident or development, and they can help to identify vulnerable residents.”
To maximise the potential benefits of the new regulations, and minimise the cost and disruption of meeting them, Insite Energy advises heat suppliers to consider outsourcing the installation of meters and the management of billing arrangements to a specialist company that can ensure practices are compliant.
Westwood says: “Heat providers need to ensure that the service company they appoint has the technical and regulatory experience to manage installations and operations in a fully compliant way, to a high standard, and with the analytical capabilities to use the data for improving network performance.”
Another key deadline is the 31st December 2015, by which time all heat suppliers must complete a notification and data collection exercise for DECC, for the networks they operate. Insite Energy can also ensure compliant notifications are produced and submitted on behalf of Heat Suppliers.
Media contacts
Beth Osborne, account manager Claire Dumbreck, managing director
beth@propel-technology.com claire@propel-technology.com
Tel: 01295 771645 / Mob: 07885 472516 Tel: 01295 771640 / Mob: 07768 773857
About Insite Energy
London-based Insite Energy is a specialist in providing metering, billing and payment services to customers connected to communal and district heating networks, providing end-to-end services across the life of housing and commercial developments.
Insite’s energy analysts and metering specialists can help heat providers to ensure they comply with all relevant legislations and regulations, and that they maximise the payback on their metering and billing investments. Services include; debt management, tariff setting, reviews and benchmarking, fuel procurement, metering best practice advice, advice on measuring energy efficiency, as well as resident communications.
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