Northern Ireland Renewable Heat Incentive privacy notice

Publication type:
Guidance
Publication date:
Last updated:
Scheme name:
Northern Ireland NDRHI
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Information requests

Requests relating to personal data in connection with the Northern Ireland Non-Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (NI NDRHI) scheme, including Subject Access Requests (SARs), should be directed to the Department for the Economy.

Contact the Department for the Economy for requests information requests relating to:

Email the Department for the Economy at DPO@economy-ni.gov.uk

Data privacy following the transfer of scheme management to the Northern Ireland Department for the Economy (DfE) 

DfE announced closure of the NI NDRHI scheme as of 8 September 2026. 

Ofgem’s administration of the NI NDRHI scheme ended on 1 September 2026. Ofgem will only undertake limited transitional activities required to complete payments and associated processes relating to quarterly meter reading periods ending on or before 31 August 2026. Ofgem will cease these limited transitional activities relating to the administration of NI NDRHI scheme by 30 November 2026.  

All data held by Ofgem in its role as administrator of the scheme has been transferred to DfE, except bank account details, where only the last 4 digits has been transferred to enable matching and validation by DfE. 

This data was transferred securely using industry standard methods and to the required government standards.  

Ofgem will delete any data no longer required to support DfE in their administration of the scheme, in line with retention policies. 

The remainder of this privacy notice covers the processing of information relating to Ofgem’s previous administration of the NI NDRHI scheme. It tells you why Ofgem collected and processed your personal information and how Ofgem will be processing your personal information in the future. 

It applies to information we processed concerning: 

  • scheme applicants and participants, registered users of the Ofgem NI NDRHI Register, and installations of renewable heating systems 
  • people who contacted Ofgem with a query or information request (e.g. a right of access, environmental information regulations (“EIR”) request or freedom of information request) regarding the NI NDRHI 
  • people who signed up to receive our newsletters 

To find out how we use data we collect outside of the NI NDRHI scheme, and for more information on how Ofgem processes personal data, refer to the Ofgem Privacy Policy. 

To find out how DfE processes personal data in relation to the NI NDRHI scheme, please visit: Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) – Scheme Closure | Department for the Economy  

Controller 

The controller for the processing of any personal information as outlined in this privacy notice is the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority, ("GEMA"). For ease of reference, this privacy notice refers to the administrative office of GEMA, "Ofgem", throughout. 

What personal information did we collect and why did we use it 

We collected and processed personal information necessary to administer the NI NDRHI scheme and carry out our statutory functions in relation to it.  

The personal information we collected may have included: 

  • Identity and contact information, provided in the NI NDRHI application form, including your name, date of birth, address (including grid reference) of the registered and/or accredited installation (which may have included your home address), email address, telephone number, photographic identification, proof of address, and bank account details. 
  • Application, accreditation, and payment information, including information provided as part of your NI NDRHI application, your NI NDRHI reference number, payment information, and records relating to accreditation, registration, and ongoing participation in the scheme. 
  • Installation and technical information, including information relating to renewable heat installations, metering, and grid reference data, technology type, commissioning information, installed capacity, renewable heat generated, and related operational or compliance information. 
  • Supporting evidence and documentation, including certificates (such as the Microgeneration Certificate Scheme (MCS) and Energy Performance Certificates (EPC)), installation and testing records, installer information, planning and building control documentation, agreements, diagrams, and other information supporting eligibility, accreditation, compliance, or payment activities. 
  • Engagement information, where applicable, including information provided when subscribing to newsletters, responding to surveys, or participating in NI NDRHI-related working groups. 

We only collected and processed information (including disclosing it to DfE, our agents, representatives or successors, or to other public bodies or third parties) that we needed to carry out our functions in relation to the NI NDRHI. We used this information to:  

  • Administer and operate the NI NDRHI scheme; 
  • Assess eligibility, accreditation, registration, and tariff entitlement; 
  • Verify renewable heat generation, payments, and compliance with scheme requirements; 
  • Conduct audits, inspections, compliance monitoring, investigations, fraud prevention, and debt recovery activities where necessary; 
  • Communicate with scheme participants about the NI NDRHI, renewable heat matters, related services or consultations; and  
  • Monitor, review, analyse, and improve scheme administration, services, and future policy development.  

In some cases, we used data analytics tools to support validation activities, compliance monitoring, service improvement, and the identification of suspected fraud trends.  

We did not use your information for profiling or automated decision-making relating to NI NDRHI applications, accreditation, registration, or participation in the scheme. 

To inform future policy development of our Environmental and Social Schemes, which included the NI NDRHI, your data may be shared internally within Ofgem. Your information will be used to review and improve our scheme administration. 

When did we collect personal information 

We collected your information, when you: 

  • registered as a user or participant on the Ofgem NI NDRHI Register 
  • applied for accreditation or registration under the NI NDRHI scheme 
  • submitted information and data to us (including via an online portal, e.g. the Ofgem NI NDRHI Register) such as periodic data or declarations as part of your ongoing obligations under this scheme 
  • provided us with documentary evidence in support of your application for accreditation or registration 
  • needed to verify your identity (ID verification) 
  • contacted us with an enquiry relating to the NI NDRHI scheme, or in relation to information requests, complaints and general enquiries 
  • visited our website, to remember you when you make repeat visits. You can find out how we do this using cookies by clicking on the link here 
  • emailed, or telephoned us, or sent information related to the NI NDRHI scheme in paper format 
  • used our services e.g. subscribed to our RSS feeds, social media sites, email alerts or requested a publication from us 
  • otherwise engaged with us when we carried out our statutory and administrative functions 

We may also have received information about you or others indirectly via: 

  • credit-checking agencies (e.g. GBG, Experian, Equifax and TransUnion) who verify the information you provided 
  • the MCS Service Company Limited and the MCS Charitable Foundation: we received information relating to MCS certificates that are relevant to your application and / or accreditation 
  • we contacted local authorities to view planning applications and building usage 
  • DfE, and other third parties in relation to your scheme application, accreditation or registration, including (but not limited to): public grants funding and audit information 
  • a third party whom we contracted to undertake auditing work on our behalf – in some cases this information provided may include further documentary evidence relating to the installation, including photographs 
  • third party public bodies or organisations involved in the prevention and detection of crime 
  • third party IT systems which provide support for the NI NDRHI Registers where applicant / participant information is submitted to us 
  • third parties you may have nominated to provide us with information 
  • third parties we believe may be able to independently verify information provided to us on your application, or as part of your accreditation 

How and when we processed and disclosed your information 

We collected information that we needed to effectively administer the NI NDRHI scheme in line with the requirements under legislation.  

We may have disclosed your personal information in the following circumstances: 

  • where the disclosure is required by law, statutory direction, court orders, or is necessary for the purposes of the administration or development of the NI NDRHI scheme 
  • where you give us explicit permission to disclose it 
  • for the processing and sharing of relevant information during audits 
  • to enable the transfer of the scheme to DfE and to provide ongoing support for their administration of the scheme 

We may have processed (including sharing and receiving) your information with the following organisations or official bodies: 

  • DfE, who are responsible for the NDRHI policy and legislation in Northern Ireland, for the purposes of its functions in relation to the NI NDRHI scheme, for statistical purposes, and for wider purposes connected with the monitoring, evaluation and development of the scheme and policies. DfE may also have shared your data for these purposes. We may have also processed your data to enable to the transfer of the scheme to DfE and to provide ongoing support for their administration of the scheme  
  • third-party auditors who audit the information provided to us by you. We process and share relevant information during audits and will require such third parties to agree to treat the information in accordance with this privacy notice and the wider Ofgem Privacy Policy 
  • third party suppliers, appointed by us in connection with our scheme administration. This may include research companies or agencies appointed to conduct customer satisfaction or wider organisation performance surveys on our behalf 
  • the police in Northern Ireland (and other public bodies or organisations involved in the prevention and detection of crime) when we or they have found instances of suspected fraud or other criminal offences, or otherwise in connection with criminal proceedings 
  • the Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman in the event of a complaint escalating to them 
  • third-party IT organisations who provide IT and development support for the scheme Registers, / Customer Relationship Management (“CRM”) and other systems used for scheme management. 
    • for the CRM: this was a two-way exchange of information between the Ofgem owned register, and the Cantata housed CRM. In addition, data was shared with a third-party organisation who house a copy of the Cantata CRM data (taken as a snapshot-in-time) to mitigate against loss of CRM capability or Cantata going out of business 
  • third-party credit checking agencies, GBG, Experian, Equifax and TransUnion, to verify information you provided to us, including your name, date of birth, and bank account details 

We would not be able to fulfil our legal obligations as the administrator/former administrator of the NI NDRHI scheme without collecting and using your information. We collect and process your personal information under the ‘Public Task’ legal basis for processing as part of our remit as the NI NDRHI administrator (UK GDPR, Article 6(1)(e)). We previously processed your data under the Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012, which have now been replaced by the Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme (Closure) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2026.   

Your rights 

Ofgem’s administration of the NI NDRHI scheme ended on 1 September 2026 and DfE announced closure of the scheme on 8 September 2026.  

Requests relating to personal data held and processed by DfE in connection with the NI NDRHI scheme should be directed to DfE using the following contact details: 

Department for the Economy 
Adelaide House 
39 - 49 Adelaide Street 
Belfast 
BT2 8FD 

Email: NDRHImanagement@economy-ni.gov.uk   

Telephone: 028 9025 7571 

Web: Renewable Heat Incentive (NDRHI) – Scheme Closure | Department for the Economy  

If we hold information about you, you have the right to: 

  • be informed about the data we hold about you 
  • access the information we hold about you 
  • have your personal information corrected if it is incomplete or inaccurate 
  • ask us to restrict how we process your information 
  • object to certain ways we use your information 
  • in some circumstances, you may have a right to object to Ofgem processing your information 

To see the full suite of new consumer rights available to you under GDPR, please refer to the Ofgem Privacy Policy or the ICO website. The Ofgem privacy policy also provides information on how Ofgem processes personal data. 

How to contact us 

If you would like to: 

  • make an FOI or EIR request please refer to the Freedom of Information section  
  • make a complaint about Ofgem please refer to the Complaints about Ofgem section 
  • make a Subject Access Request please refer to the Subject Access Request section 
  • exercise any of your rights and/or request information about Ofgem privacy policy please contact our Data Protection Officer by email on dpo@ofgem.gov.uk or alternatively write to us at:  

The Data Protection Officer 

Ofgem 

10 South Colonnade 

Canary Wharf 

London 

E14 4PU 

Complaints to the Information Commissioner 

You have a right to complain to the Information Commissioner. If you want to raise a concern about how we have handled your information, you can report it directly to the Information Commissioner’s Office at the following address: 

Information Commissioner's Office 

Wycliffe House 

Water Lane 

Wilmslow 

Cheshire 

SK9 5AF 

Telephone: 0303 123 1113 

Online: Live chat 

 Changes to this privacy notice 

We keep our privacy policy under regular review. This privacy policy was last updated on 16 September 2026. 

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All updates

This privacy notice has been updated to reflect closure of the scheme on 8 September 2026.