How to register district heat networks with embedded communal heat networks

You can continue to use the current service while we make these improvements. This information explains which organisations are affected and how you can register district heat networks with embedded communal heat networks now.

‘Embedded communal heat network’ is how we refer to a communal heat network that’s connected to a district heat network. A ‘district heat network site’ is how we refer to the district heat network and its embedded communal heat networks together.

Check whether this applies to your organisation

This applies if your organisation is the operator and supplier of a district heat network site and also operates and supplies at least one embedded communal heat network on that site.

The examples below show common situations where this applies.

Example 1: A district heat network site where all customers are on embedded communal heat networks

Your heat network is made up of 4 connected blocks of flats, each with 25 customers, supplied by a single energy centre. The energy centre may be located within one of the blocks of flats.  

This is a district heat network site with 4 embedded communal heat networks. You are the operator and supplier for all five networks.

Example 2: A district heat network site with single buildings and embedded communal heat networks

An organisation has 10 blocks of flats and 100 houses, all connected to one energy centre. The organisation is the operator and supplier for 8 of the blocks of flats and all 100 houses. It is the bulk supplier to the other two blocks of flats, which have a different operator and/or supplier.

This is a district heat network site with 10 embedded communal heat networks.

You would include the 2 blocks you are not responsible for as 2 non-domestic customers when registering your district site.

What you can do now

You can continue to register most district heat network sites, by either:

• combining information from embedded communal heat networks in the same registration
• registering all the heat networks separately

The option you choose determines how you will report data to us in future.  

If you choose to combine the information for your heat networks during registration, you will also combine the data as part of regular data reporting.  

If you register your district and communal heat networks separately, you will have to provide data for each of these heat networks individually as part of regular data reporting.

There are a few exceptions where you cannot yet register and will have to wait for the service updates to go live. These are district heat networks that:

• only have embedded communal heat networks and no energy centre on their district site
• are shared ground loops that only have embedded communal heat networks on their district site

Option 1: Manually combine the registration of a district heat network site and its embedded communal heat networks

What to do now

Submit one registration for a district heat network site, combining information for the district heat network and the embedded communal heat networks you operate and supply. For example, entering the combined number of customers across the entire district heat network site.

You can answer most questions as normal. The instructions below highlight pages where you need to provide specific information or be aware of how the current service works.

What happens later

We will add functionality to link embedded communal heat networks to a registered district heat network site.  

Once we have done this, you can register these embedded communal heat networks separately, with minimal information, such as postcode and name. You cannot do this until we have updated the digital service, as currently, this would lead to you duplicating some of your registration information.    

Instructions for pages where you need to provide specific information

Introduction section

Is the heat network a single communal block? 
Select ‘No, this is not a single communal block’.

How many buildings does the heat network supply? 
Enter the total number of buildings connected to the district heat network site, including any embedded communal heat networks you are responsible for.

Are any of the buildings you are responsible for communal? 
Enter the total number of communal buildings you’re responsible for across the district heat network site.

Does your organisation operate any energy centres on this heat network? 
Enter the total number of energy centres across the district heat network site.

Heat network summary 
This page will tell you to register the communal heat networks separately. Do not do this if you are including them in this district heat network site registration. Combine the relevant information as part of the registration of this district heat network site.

Does your organisation operate all of the distribution pipework on the heat network? 
Confirm that you operate all the pipework connecting the buildings, including connections to embedded communal heat networks.

Is your organisation the only supplier selling to consumers for all single premises responsible buildings on this heat network? 
You must be the only supplier to the buildings.

Technical information section 

Complete this section using details of the district heat network’s primary energy centre.

Customers and metering section 

Enter the combined number of domestic, non-domestic and small or microbusiness customers across the district heat network site, including customers on the embedded communal heat networks.  

You must register any embedded communal heat networks on the district site that you are not the operator and supplier of as a single non-domestic customer each.  

Consumer protection section

Complete this section using information for the whole district heat network site, including customers on the embedded communal heat networks.  

Billing section

Complete this section using the billing arrangements for the whole district heat network site, including the embedded communal heat networks.

Other suppliers section

You will not see this section, because to use this registration option, you must be the only supplier for the district heat network site you are registering.  

Any embedded communal heat networks, even if on the same district heat network site, with a different operator or supplier must be registered separately. You must not include them in this district site registration.  

Option 2: Register each heat network separately

What to do now

Submit separate registrations for the district heat network and each embedded communal heat network.

What happens later

You will not need to register any communal heat networks later, as they are already registered.

Example 1: A district heat network where all customers are on embedded communal heat networks

Your organisation is the operator and supplier of a district heat network site that consists of 4 embedded communal heat networks. You are the operator and supplier for all 4 communal heat networks.  

You will need to complete one district heat network registration and 4 communal heat network registrations.

District heat network registration

Register the district heat network first. Complete the introduction and technical information sections as normal. You will also need to complete the customers and metering section and the billing section.

In the customers and metering section, treat each embedded communal heat network as a single non-domestic customer. You should only answer 'yes' to the non-domestic customers question and enter the number of embedded communal heat networks as the number of non-domestic customers. In this example, it would be 4 non-domestic customers.

You must complete the 4 questions in the billing section before you can submit the registration. For the purposes of this interim registration approach, the embedded communal heat networks are being treated as non-domestic customers, so answer the billing questions on that basis.

Embedded communal heat network registrations

After submitting the district heat network site registration, the service will tell you to register the communal heat networks separately.  

Follow these instructions to register each of the 4 embedded communal heat networks:

• in the introduction section, confirm that it is a single communal block
• if the communal heat network has its own energy centre, provide details in the technical information section
• complete the customers and metering section using information for the customers in that embedded communal heat network only
• complete the consumer protection section using information for that embedded communal heat network only
• complete the billing section using the billing arrangements for that embedded communal heat network only  

Example 2: District heat network with single buildings and embedded communal heat networks

The district heat network has 10 blocks of flats and 100 houses connected to one energy centre. You are the operator and supplier for 8 blocks and all 100 houses. Your registration would be a district heat network and 8 embedded communal heat networks.  

The remaining 2 embedded communal heat networks will be registered separately by the operator and supplier of those embedded communal heat networks.

You will need to complete 9 registrations:

• one district heat network registration
• eight embedded communal heat network registrations

District heat network registration

Register the district heat network first. Complete the introduction and technical information sections as normal.

Complete the remaining sections but only include information about the 100 houses that are directly supplied by the district heat network.

Customers and metering section

Enter 100 domestic customers and provide metering information for the houses only. The 2 embedded communal heat networks that you are not the operator and supplier of must be recorded as 2 non-domestic customers.

Consumer protection section

Provide information about customers in the houses only.

Billing section

Answer the questions using the billing arrangements for the houses only.  

Do not include customers or information from the embedded communal heat networks in the district heat network registration.

Embedded communal heat network registrations

After submitting the district heat network registration, the service will tell you to register the communal heat networks separately.  

Register each of the 8 blocks that you are the operator and supplier for, following the embedded communal heat network instructions in example 1.

The remaining 2 blocks have a different operator or supplier and must be registered separately by the relevant organisation.

This site will have 11 registrations in total once the remaining 2 blocks have also been registered.

What will change in the digital service

We expect to update the service in 2 phases to make it simpler to combine registration information for district heat network sites.

The first thing we will do is make minor improvements to the district heat network registration journey. We’ll then add functionality to allow organisations to link their embedded communal heat networks to the district heat network site.  

Once these updates are made, there will be a new question in the service, asking you to choose between the 2 registration options set out on this page. The choice you make will also determine how you submit data to us as part of regular data reporting.

Any existing registrations remain valid. We will contact registered organisations if they need to provide any further information.  

We will update this information as the service changes. If you want us to notify you when we update our web pages, you can also sign up for Ofgem’s daily update.

Contact us

If you are unsure about whether this impacts your organisation, or have any other questions, you can email heatnetworks.enquiries@ofgem.gov.uk.