If there’s a problem with your heat network

The most common problems with heat networks are where:

• the heating has stopped working for everyone on the same heat network - this is called an ‘outage’

• there’s a problem with your meter or Heat Interface Unit (HIU)

If you’re not sure if your home is on a heat network

Heat networks are a way of heating blocks of flats or groups of homes. Heat networks are sometimes called 'district heating' or 'communal heating’. 

If you’re on a heat network, heat is pumped into your home. This supplies your heating and it might also supply your hot water. 

If your home has an HIU, you use it to control how much heat from the network enters your home. HIUs don’t produce heat. Some HIUs look like a gas boiler but they aren’t connected to mains gas and they don’t have a flue. A flue is a pipe that carries exhaust gases from a boiler to the outside of your home.

If you’re not sure if you’re on a heat network, ask your landlord or property management company.

Contacting someone about the problem

Start by checking who you pay your heating bill to.

If you pay heating bills to your landlord as part of your rent, tell your landlord if you think there’s a problem. They should contact the heat network supplier and resolve the problem.

If you’re worried about your landlord evicting you, talk to an adviser.

If you pay heating bills to anyone else, you should contact your heat network supplier. This applies if you pay your bills to the heat network supplier, a management company or freeholder. You can get their contact details from their website or from a recent letter or bill.

Talking to your landlord or heat network supplier

When you contact your landlord or heat network supplier, tell them what’s happening, and what you want them to do. They might be able to solve your problem while you’re talking to them.

Write down the date and time you talk to them, and what you talk about. If you speak to them on webchat, ask for the transcript. This means you'll have a record of the conversation.

If you write to them, include your account number and any case reference numbers, if you have them. This makes it quicker and easier to sort out your problem.

If your heating or hot water stopped working

This might be an outage if it’s also affecting other homes on the same heat network. 

Your heat network supplier should contact you or your landlord about an outage within 24 hours. 

If they contact your landlord, your landlord might: 

• pass on information from the heat network supplier to you 

• ask you to contact the heat network supplier yourself

Ask your landlord what the heat network supplier is going to do to fix the problem, and how long it will take. 

You can also ask if the heat network supplier can:

• give you emergency heating like a portable heater

• pay you compensation

• give you a refund on your heat bills

They don’t have to do these things, but it’s worth asking.

Staying warm while your heat network has an outage

If you’re cold, you can:

• wear extra layers of clothing - especially socks and slippers

• use hot water bottles, heated throws or electric blankets if you have them

• move around and gently exercise, if you can

• use a portable electric heater - although these can be expensive to use

It’s also important to eat regularly and have at least one hot meal a day.

You can also ask family or friends if you can stay with them while your heating is fixed. 

If there’s a problem with your meter or HIU

Your heat network supplier is responsible for making sure your meter and Heat Interface Unit (HIU) work properly.

Contact your landlord or heat network supplier if you think there’s a problem. Ask them to:

• find out what the problem is

• fix the problem 

• confirm everything in writing, including what they’ve done to investigate the problem, what they’ll do to fix it and how long it will take

If your heat network supplier can’t fix your meter, they should write to you and explain how they will calculate your bill. For example they might:

• estimate how much heat you’re using - this is called an ‘assumed basis’

• work out the amount of energy used by all homes on the heat network and divide the cost between those homes - this is called a ‘pooled supply’

Make a complaint

It's worth making a complaint to your heat network supplier if:

• they don't reply when you report the problem

• they don't fix the problem in a reasonable amount of time

It's best to follow your heat network supplier's complaints procedure - you can usually find this on their website. 

Start by gathering any supporting evidence. What you’ll need depends on your issue - for example you could gather:

• photos of a faulty meter

• copies of bills

• notes of conversations 

• emails from your supplier about the problem

You’ll also need your account number. You can find this on a recent bill.

When you’re ready, you can complain to your heat network supplier by phone or in writing, for example by email, webchat or posting a letter.

If you need more help, a trained adviser can give you advice over the phone. They might be able to help you reach an agreement with your heat network supplier or support you when making a complaint. Contact the Citizens Advice consumer service.

If you live in a council or housing association home 

If you’ve reported repairs to your landlord and they haven’t done anything, make a complaint to your landlord using their complaints procedure. 

If complaining doesn’t solve your problem, you can ask the Housing Ombudsman to look at your complaint. 

Check how to complain about your landlord's failure to make repairs.

If you live in a private rented home

If you’ve reported repairs to your landlord and they haven’t done anything, it’s best to talk to them first to solve your problem. 

If talking to your landlord doesn’t help, there are other steps you can take to complain.

Check how to complain about your private landlord.

If complaining doesn't solve your problem

You might be able to make a complaint to the Energy Ombudsman to help resolve your problem. The rules about complaints depend on when the problem started.

If you need extra support

If you find it hard to deal with your energy supply you might be able to get extra help from your heat network supplier. 

Contact your heat network supplier and ask what support they can give you. For example, you can ask them to:

• make your call a priority when you contact them

• send someone to check your meter regularly

• send you bills in large print or braille, or to another person - for example, a family member or carer 

If your heat network supplier treats you unfairly or harasses you because you need more help, this might be ‘unlawful discrimination’. This means it’s against the law. Check if you've experienced discrimination.

If you pay for electricity separately to heat 

You can apply to be added to your electricity network’s priority support register to get priority support for electricity.

Check if you can get extra support from your electricity supplier.