A few weeks after the Chirpy Heat Conference 2025, we’ve taken time to reflect on the feedback and interactions from 50+ delegates, captured through live polling, audience discussions, and workshops throughout the day. The conference offered a unique opportunity to listen to housing providers, regulators, and sector experts, providing a clear snapshot of the sector’s readiness for Heat Network regulation, the challenges organisations face, and how confidence evolved over the course of the event.

Regulation Readiness: From Uncertainty to Reassurance

At the start of the day, delegates rated their compliance readiness at an average of 3.0/6, indicating moderate preparation. By the end of the conference, this rose to 3.9/6, showing increased confidence and understanding. However, the data also highlighted the ongoing need for guidance and support to fully navigate the regulatory landscape, particularly around heat network compliance and consumer protection.

Key Heat Network Compliance Challenges

Delegates identified several pressing challenges their organisations face in the first year of full regulation:

• Billing transparency: 34%
• Supporting vulnerable consumers: 34%
• Back-billing: 15%
• Heat supply contracts: 10%

Speakers such as Tricia Quinn from Ofgem emphasised that billing clarity and protection of vulnerable consumers are central to regulatory compliance and essential for achieving positive consumer outcomes.

Energy Ombudsman Insights

A striking insight from the conference was that 57% of housing providers did not realise they were already required to be members of the Energy Ombudsman scheme when supplying energy directly (e.g., via heat networks). Delegates cited barriers to registration including:

• Complex processes and deed poll sign-off
• Limited capacity and resources
• Data gaps
• Unclear accountability, particularly for managing agents handling multiple clients

Dave Bowker from the Energy Ombudsman stressed that while administrative challenges are common, they can be overcome through structured processes, clear responsibilities, and collaborative support networks.

Lessons from the Day

The Chirpy Heat Conference reinforced several important lessons for housing providers and sector professionals:

• Clarity and accountability matter: Teams must understand the regulations fully and know who is responsible.
• Data and people are critical: Accurate performance data and engaged staff are essential to deliver compliance efficiently.
• Collaboration accelerates readiness: Sharing knowledge and solutions helps tackle common challenges faster.
• Consumer focus is non-negotiable: Transparency, protection of vulnerable residents, and high service standards are vital.

Turning Insight into Action

Workshops and panels during the conference, led by Chirpy Heat directors and industry experts, provided practical guidance on:

• Cost recovery and budgeting
• Decarbonisation planning
• Developing compliance plans
• Overcoming organisational barriers

As Josh Davis, Director of Operations at Chirpy Heat, noted:

“A whole fleet is sailing toward compliance island – and the real opportunity lies in navigating together.”

The event underscored that no provider is alone in the journey to compliance; collaboration, peer learning, and sharing best practice are key to success.

Ready to Start Your Compliance Journey?

Contact our friendly Client Relationships Team at [email protected]

Join the Chirpy Heat Insight Group

Join the Chirpy Heat Insight Group – your essential hub for staying informed, equipped, and connected on the road to heat network compliance. This free, exclusive community, brought to you by our heat networks consultancy, helps housing providers stay ahead in managing communal and district heating.

Members gain access to the latest regulatory news, communal heating systems advice, practical tools for strategic planning, insights on decarbonising heat networks, and guidance from Chirpy Heat’s experts and peers. You’ll also benefit from priority access to webinars and events aimed at supporting and guiding housing providers in sustainable heating solutions.

Sign up today and receive a free Chirpy Bird for your desk – don’t worry, it’s not a real bird, just a cheerful companion while you manage your heat networks stress-free!

SIGN UP NOW