Help and Support

A heat network is where we own and operate the communal heating and hot water network. We have a metering and billing contractor who administer your payments for your heat and hot water. The heat tariff is the cost you pay for your heating and hot water when you make a payment.

We set the heat tariff to recover the costs incurred in the delivery of the heat and hot water to each property. The components of the heat tariff are:

• The cost of the gas that supplies the communal heating system (unit cost & standing charge)

• Metering & Billing charges (Service Charge)

• Network heat losses

The heat tariff is set to cover the costs we incur to supply heat and hot water to customers. Currently your tariff does not cover these costs. We don’t make a profit from operating the communal heating system and we don’t charge for the costs of staff time through the tariffs.

The costs that make up the heat tariffs sometimes change. For example, we renew our gas contract every year which mean gas prices change.  
We will review these costs on a regular basis and pass any changes on to our customers. 
We will also conduct regular evaluations of the network heat losses to make sure these are accurately passed on to your gas contract every year which mean gas prices change.  
We will review these costs on a regular basis and pass any changes on to our customers. 
We will also conduct regular evaluations of the network heat losses to make sure these are accurately passed on to you.

We review our heat tariffs regularly to ensure they fairly reflect the costs of providing heat and hot water to your home. We consider the costs of gas and gas meter, and the costs of the metering and billing services.

We do not make a profit from supplying heat and hot water.  The charges recover the costs of our gas supplier and metering and billing services that heat your home.

Communal heating is a cost effective, lower carbon way for us to provide hot water and heating to your home. The gas supplied to the communal heating system is procured annually. This means each year we are provided with new pricing for all its communal gas supplies. We use an expert energy broker to ensure the lowest possible price is achieved.

The metering and billing contract is also reviewed on a regular basis, as well as having an internal procurement team to ensure the best value is being provided to our customers.

We've committed to reviewing the tariff every year. We'll always give you a month’s notice of any changes.

The daily standing charge and service fee cover fixed costs associated with supplying your services, including utility meter gas standing charges and the metering and billing services. It applies each day, regardless of how much heat and hot water. 

This means the charge will still apply if you're away from home or do not use any heating or hot water.

The unit charge is the amount you pay for each kilowatt hour (kWh) of heat energy recorded by your meter. The amount you pay will depend on how much heating and hot water you use.

For questions about your bill, meter readings or account balance, please contact your metering and billing provider. You'll find their contact information on your last bill. 

If you're worried about paying your energy bills, please contact us. We'll talk through your circumstances and explain what support may be available.
Alternatively you could also speak to:

• Energy Saving Trust - Free independent advice for energy saving and reducing energy bills. Visit energysavingtrust.org.uk 

• Citizens Advice – Free impartial help and advice surrounding energy efficiency, energy bills and heating charges. Visit citizensadvice.org.uk or call 0808 223 1133
   

If you're worried and will struggle with the increase, please check out the Better Off calculator or get in touch and we can look at support with our financial inclsuon team.