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Eight projects across the country receive a share of £68 million from the Green Heat Network Fund
The funding will enable public and private sector bodies to harness waste heat from rivers, data centres and sewage works. It includes, the Tyseley heat network in Birmingham, pictured above, which will recover heat from a local data centre to power a network heating schools, commercial and industrial buildings in the city. The Stockport district heat network will use heat pumps to recover heat from a local sewer system to supply schools, colleges, NHS estates and other public buildings - supporting the regeneration of Stockport town centre. Further information on these and the other projects is available here.
Image of Tyseley heat network courtesy of Hemiko
Heat Network Efficiency Scheme (HNES) – Round 11 open for applications
HNES provides funding to public, private and third sector applicants in England and Wales, to support improvements to existing district heating or communal heating projects for customers and operators. Round 11 of funding is open for applications until Friday 6th February. Updated guidance for applicants has also been published and includes updates to the Heat Network Metering and Billing Regulations (HNMBR) requirements and new references to the Ofgem digital service. A HNES Application Seminar and Q&A for Round 11 will be held on Tuesday 13th January – please register your attendance here.
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Capital Scheme Evaluations Published
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The Heat Network Efficiency Scheme (HNES) and Green Heat Network Fund (GHNF) interim evaluations have now been published.
These evaluations aim to assess how HNES is helping improve heat network performance, and to what extent GHNF is enabling the development of new low- and zero-carbon networks.
Each report has a corresponding policy response which reflects on the evaluation findings and outlines how the schemes have improved in light of them.
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Changes to Heat Supplier reporting from 27 January 2026
Heat suppliers in Great Britain (excluding Northern Island) will no longer need to submit Heat Network (Metering & Billing) (HNMBR) notifications to the Office of Product Safety and Standards from 27 January 2026. They will instead need to submit registration and compliance data to Ofgem once Ofgem’s digital service launches, which is planned for Spring 2026. This is because as Ofgem’s authorisation regime commences parts of the Heat Network (Metering & Billing) Regulations 2014 (as amended) will be revoked. Meter installation and accuracy obligations remain in place for Heat Suppliers, unless exempt, until the Heat Network Technical Assurance Scheme is in effect.
As Northern Ireland has its own legislation process, Heat suppliers in Northern Ireland will continue to be regulated by the HNMBR while their regulatory framework is developed. Further guidance on these changes will be published soon.
Image courtesy of Bring Energy / Simon Jarratt
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Technical Assurance Scheme details of technical support contractor confirmed
The procurement for Interim Technical Support to the Heat Network Technical Assurance Scheme (HNTAS) is complete. We can confirm that Fairheat, subcontracting Gemserv, has been appointed to provide this support for the final stages of development leading up to scheme launch. More details on the work of the technical support team will follow in the coming weeks.
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Opportunity for businesses on a heat network to inform Ofgem’s approach to regulation
From January 2026, Ofgem will begin regulating heat networks. Ahead of this, Ofgem have commissioned Thinks Insight & Strategy, an independent research agency, to conduct research into the experiences of businesses supplied by a heat network.
Thinks Insight & Strategy would like to invite businesses that purchase heat from any type of heat network, to take part in a 60-minute telephone or video interview during December 2025 or January 2026 and to complete a short, written pre-task ahead of the interview. If you would like to take part, please register your interest by filing out a short form. For those that take part, we are offering an incentive payment of £150.
For more details, please contact Thinks on ofgem-hn-research@thinksinsight.com or call 020 7845 5880.
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Call for research proposals on heat networks
The International Energy Agency’s Technology Collaboration Programme on District Heating and Cooling (IEA DHC) has launched a call for research proposals relating to heat networks, with successful projects to receive a share of the call's $1.65 million budget.
The call for proposals invites international teams of at least two countries to submit a two-page research proposal by Saturday 28 February 2026. Chosen projects are eligible for IEA DHC funding within the range of $150,000-300,000, although smaller or larger projects may be considered. Proposals should be based on one or more of the priority themes set out in this summary document.
If you are interested in this opportunity and would like to find out more, you can reach out to the UK's Alternate Delegate to the IEA DHC, Lorenzo Wong, at lorenzo.wong@engage-consulting.co.uk.
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