Protecting heat customers (and how SE² helped)

This week, one of our longest standing clients – the Combined Heat and Power Association – announced the launch of the new Independent Heat Customer Protection Scheme (IHCPS).

The scheme has been developed in response to the March 2013 policy paper ‘The Future of Heating: Meeting the Challenge’ outlining the Government’s vision to increase heat networks across UK in order to contribute to the UK’s decarbonisation targets in a secure and affordable way.  The paper recognises the importance of customer protection in building customer confidence and its role in making heat networks more attractive to investors and developers.

Developed over the last year, the IHPCS proposes a common standard in the quality and level of protection for household consumers and micro businesses on heat networks. 

SE² played a role in the development of the scheme too, facilitating an industry workshop to discuss an early draft of the Scheme in February 2013.  Representatives from heat network operators, consumer interest groups and government tackled the principles behind vulnerable customers, debt recovery, interruptions and emergency heat provision, metering and price comparators, and came away from the day with a strong sense of collective commitment to the scheme.

A steering committee has now been established and the intention is that, subject to funding, the IHCPS will be launched in 2014.  Views on the proposed scheme are now being sought, to feed into the final scheme design.  To respond, visit www.heatcustomerprotection.co.uk/index.php/how-to-respond.