Heat Network Technical Assurance Standards member briefing

Summary

Heat networks are systems in which heating, cooling or hot water is generated at a central source. In the social housing sector, heat networks consist of a centralised large heating appliance (such as a gas boiler) located in the building (e.g. plant room in flats). Ofgem estimates that around 66% of heat networks are owned and managed by social landlords.  
 
The government is developing a range of new regulations for heat networks, related to consumer protection, technical requirements, and zoning. Nearly all heat networks will be subject to new regulatory requirements (except for new build heat networks with under six dwellings, and existing networks with under 11 dwellings, which this consultation proposes will be exempt from the technical requirements). 
 
This briefing gives an overview of the consultation on the Heat Network Technical Assurance Standards. These set out the minimum technical requirements that heat networks will be required to meet. Due to the length and technical nature of the consultation, it has not been possible to summarise all the sections of the consultation in this briefing. The first half of this document gives an overview of what we consider to be the key points of the consultation: 

• What are the Heat Network Technical Assurance Standards? 
• Technical, assessment, and certification requirements. 
• Metering and monitoring requirements. 
• Powers of Entry. 
• End of Life and Pre-Operation networks. 
   

The second half of the briefing sets out a series of questions that we would like housing associations to respond to. These address the main areas that the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has indicated that they would like feedback on from social housing organisations:  

• Likely costs required to improve existing networks. 
• Practical challenges of implementation. 
• Feasibility of the proposed timelines. 
• Implications of increased metering requirements. 
• Housing supply impacts. 

If you want to contribute to the NHF’s response to these key areas of the consultation, please email Kate Atherton, Policy Officer at the NHF, by 20 March 2026 with your response to the questions in this briefing, or get in touch to organise a short call to talk through your feedback. While the NHF is submitting a response to this consultation, we also encourage you to submit your own responses. 
 
Finally, this briefing does not summarise or seek feedback on the technical standards that heat networks will be required to meet. DESNZ is running a separate technical feedback process. If possible, we recommend that organisations with technical expertise in heat networks review the full consultation document alongside the available technical documents, including the draft code documents for the scheme, the draft technical standard (TS1) and the draft metering and monitoring standard and respond directly to DESNZ.