This document provides a checklist and advice for setting up a community heating system. It emphasizes selecting the proper heat source and consultant, protecting the design from cost-cutting, ensuring residents understand payments, registering the system with the government, monitoring efficiency, and providing transparent billing. The overall message is to plan thoroughly, maintain high standards, and prioritize customer satisfaction.

1. Community Heating
Project Checklist
Key advice to help you get your scheme up and running
www.switch2.co.uk

2. www.switch2.co.uk
Why use the ENER-G
Switch2 Checklist?

3. www.switch2.co.uk
Creating an efficient and effective community
heating system is a big task.
Why use the ENER-G
Switch2 Checklist?

4. www.switch2.co.uk
Creating an efficient and effective community
heating system is a big task.
Our expert advice will help you plan and build
it with more confidence.
Why use the ENER-G
Switch2 Checklist?

5. www.switch2.co.uk
Where will you get
your heat from?

6. www.switch2.co.uk
Where will you get
your heat from?
?

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Where will you get
your heat from?
?
Search the map provided by the Association for Decentralised
Energy (ADE) or check out DECC’s survey of existing schemes.
If your area is listed, you will be able to save money and
carbon on your scheme.

8. www.switch2.co.uk
Are there planning requirements
from the local authority?

9. www.switch2.co.uk
Are there planning requirements
from the local authority?
Large new schemes in your council might need to meet:

10. www.switch2.co.uk
Are there planning requirements
from the local authority?
Large new schemes in your council might need to meet:
1. A carbon reduction target -
which is the best reason for using biomass on your
development due to the grants. Joining a local
district heat network can also help to reduce carbon.
CO2

11. www.switch2.co.uk
Are there planning requirements
from the local authority?
Large new schemes in your council might need to meet:
1. A carbon reduction target -
which is the best reason for using biomass on your
development due to the grants. Joining a local
district heat network can also help to reduce carbon.
2. The requirement to consider connecting
to a coming district heating network -
such as the emerging Lee Valley Heat Network
scheme in Enfield. Area developers need to come up
with a commercial case for not joining the network.
CO2

12. www.switch2.co.uk
Have you made a
strong financial case?

13. www.switch2.co.uk
The government’s Renewable Heat
Incentive (RHI) pays generators so they
can overcome the higher costs of boilers
and fuel. Producers of solar PV can also
benefit from government funding.
There is a wealth of information online
about the RHI - not least from suppliers
of wood fuel and the boilermakers that
consume it. So make sure someone is
researching it.
Have you made a
strong financial case?

14. www.switch2.co.uk
Why do you need to select
the right consultant?

15. www.switch2.co.uk
Community Heating, especially the
building networks is not as common in
the UK as it is on the Continent and in
Scandinavia, so you need to take care
to select a design consultant who has
sufficient experience and understands
your needs.
Tailoring heat requirements in community
heating is a precise science, and you might
have to find a specialist consultant to find
an engineer with hands-on experience.
Why do you need to select
the right consultant?

16. www.switch2.co.uk
Protect your design and long term
interests against value engineering?
The best-planned community heating scheme is in peril
when contractors try to save money on construction
schemes. Builders are under a lot of pressure from
clients to value engineer schemes.

17. www.switch2.co.uk
Protect your design and long term
interests against value engineering?
To prevent this, clients should exclude community heating from
having costs stripped out during the design and build process.
The best-planned community heating scheme is in peril
when contractors try to save money on construction
schemes. Builders are under a lot of pressure from
clients to value engineer schemes.

18. www.switch2.co.uk
Protect your design and long term
interests against value engineering?
One solution is to put in place a framework for community
heating specification across all your developments.
To prevent this, clients should exclude community heating from
having costs stripped out during the design and build process.
The best-planned community heating scheme is in peril
when contractors try to save money on construction
schemes. Builders are under a lot of pressure from
clients to value engineer schemes.

19. www.switch2.co.uk
Collecting data, web-based billing,
commissioning automatic meters…
The responsibilities of the Heat Supplier are many
and varied. And every link in the chain has to be
kink-free and well-oiled.
Is your metering
system reliable?

20. www.switch2.co.uk
Collecting data, web-based billing,
commissioning automatic meters…
Getting something wrong means incorrect bills, unhappy
customers and missed payments. A pay as you go (PAYG)
system is the obvious answer to these problems.
Is your metering
system reliable?

21. www.switch2.co.uk
Collecting data, web-based billing,
commissioning automatic meters…
A one-stop shop should be considered because it puts
responsibility for customer satisfaction in one place
and will allow issues to be resolved quickly.
Is your metering
system reliable?

22. www.switch2.co.uk
Do residents know how much
they’ll be paying and what for?

23. www.switch2.co.uk
Do residents know how much
they’ll be paying and what for?

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Homeowners and tenants must have absolutely
no surprises about the costs they will be paying
for their heat utility.
Do residents know how much
they’ll be paying and what for?

25. www.switch2.co.uk
Potentially high standing charges and a locked-in system
mean landlords and scheme operators need to communicate
openly with their potential renters and buyers.
Do residents know how much
they’ll be paying and what for?

26. www.switch2.co.uk
Make sure lease or sale terms and conditions include
heat sale agreements which cover these charges.
Do residents know how much
they’ll be paying and what for?

27. www.switch2.co.uk
Does the Government know about
your plans and financial data?

28. www.switch2.co.uk
Does the Government know about
your plans and financial data?
A duty under the Heat Network Regulations 2014 is that all
schemes must be reported to the National Measurement and
Regulation Office on behalf of the Government. This template
allows you to do this.

29. www.switch2.co.uk
Does the Government know about
your plans and financial data?
A duty under the Heat Network Regulations 2014 is that all
schemes must be reported to the National Measurement and
Regulation Office on behalf of the Government. This template
allows you to do this.
Heat suppliers should also report key information annually,
including price data. This is a matter of public benefit and
supports the growth of the industry – helping everyone.

30. www.switch2.co.uk
Does the Government know about
your plans and financial data?
A duty under the Heat Network Regulations 2014 is that all
schemes must be reported to the National Measurement and
Regulation Office on behalf of the Government. This template
allows you to do this.
Heat suppliers should also report key information annually,
including price data. This is a matter of public benefit and
supports the growth of the industry – helping everyone.

31. www.switch2.co.uk
Do you know how efficient
your system is?

32. www.switch2.co.uk
The development contract must include specifications which
show your scheme is efficient. These should be protected by
a framework agreement (see slide 6).
Do you know how efficient
your system is?

33. www.switch2.co.uk
The development contract must include specifications which
show your scheme is efficient. These should be protected by
a framework agreement (see slide 6).
Efficiency and cost to the residents is becoming a hot
topic and should be addressed in your specification.
You need to make sure your consultant engineers put
measures in place so the system’s efficiency can be
monitored and maintained on an ongoing basis.
Do you know how efficient
your system is?

34. www.switch2.co.uk
Can your customers
have faith in you?
As well as the requirement to register your new heat
network with the Government, consider registering with
the Heat Trust.

35. www.switch2.co.uk
Can your customers
have faith in you?
As well as the requirement to register your new heat
network with the Government, consider registering with
the Heat Trust.
The new organisation calls itself a “voluntary, industry led,
self-regulation initiative that recognises best practice.” It
requires heat providers to provide standardisation and
best-practice in all areas of heat provision.

36. www.switch2.co.uk
Can your customers
have faith in you?
As well as the requirement to register your new heat
network with the Government, consider registering with
the Heat Trust.
The new organisation calls itself a “ voluntary, industry led,
self-regulation initiative that recognises best practice.” It
requires heat providers to provide standardisation and
best-practice in all areas of heat provision.
The aim is to make it “comparable to the quality and
performance standards for regulated utilities.” The more
schemes joining, the less chance of regulation.

37. www.switch2.co.uk
Are your bills transparent?

38. www.switch2.co.uk
Are your bills transparent?
Scheme operators are required to provide billing to residents
by law. But bills can still be confusing and lack clarity.

39. www.switch2.co.uk
Are your bills transparent?
Scheme operators are required to provide billing to residents
by law. But bills can still be confusing and lack clarity.
Make sure that consumers understand what they are paying
for, as well as how the cost of their heat compares with
having a boiler.

40. www.switch2.co.uk
Are your bills transparent?
Scheme operators are required to provide billing to residents
by law. But bills can still be confusing and lack clarity.
Make sure that consumers understand what they are paying
for, as well as how the cost of their heat compares with
having a boiler.

41. www.switch2.co.uk
Takeaways

42. www.switch2.co.uk
Your scheme must be properly funded with the
correct grants to make it stack up.
Takeaways

43. www.switch2.co.uk
Your scheme must be properly funded with the
correct grants to make it stack up.
You need to make sure your consultants specify the
correct equipment and create a system that is and
can remain efficient.
Takeaways

44. www.switch2.co.uk
Your scheme must be properly funded with the
correct grants to make it stack up.
You need to make sure your consultants specify the
correct equipment and create a system that is and
can remain efficient.
The best (and only) way to treat customers is to give
them a good deal, be transparent about what they
paying for and build their trust.
Takeaways

45. www.switch2.co.uk
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