Speakers Q&A: Heat Networks: Ready for Regulation 2025

What can we expect from your contribution at the Utility Week Heat Networks: Ready for Regulation Conference 2025?

Having worked in district heating for over 10 years—operating, expanding, and building some of the UK’s largest heat networks—I bring a unique, end-to-end understanding of the industry. I’ll be offering insights into how regulation impacts various parts of the heat network value chain and highlighting practical considerations from my experience across development, operations, and customer service.

What are you most looking forward to hearing about at the conference?

I’m particularly interested in hearing different perspectives on the impact of regulation across the industry. It will be valuable to identify where there’s alignment and where we need collective action to move forward as a sector.

What are the biggest challenges facing your industry at the moment, in your opinion?

One of the biggest challenges is ensuring that new regulations and policies are aligned and coherent, so they create the right environment for sustainable industry growth while also building customer trust. Additionally, there are many organisations currently operating heat networks that are not yet aware they are subject to regulation. This creates an urgent need for education and support to ensure a smooth transition.

Why is the Utility Week Heat Networks: Ready for Regulation Conference 2025 important to the industry and to you?

This conference is a good platform for industry professionals to gain direct insights from those shaping regulation. It also offers an opportunity to share knowledge, build connections, and collectively prepare for the changes ahead.

What can we expect from your contribution at the Utility Week Heat Networks: Ready for Regulation Conference 2025?

I'll be joining the fireside chat to discuss how the Heat Network Technical Assurance Scheme (HNTAS) and other new regulations will reshape the way our sector approaches quality, accountability, and delivery. I’ll be sharing insights on what “readiness” for regulation looks like in practice, drawing on our experience at FairHeat. Attendees can expect a practical perspective on where the sector is today, what needs to change, and how we can collectively raise standards across the board.

What are you most looking forward to hearing about at the conference?

I’m particularly interested in hearing how others are preparing for regulatory changes, not just from a technical standpoint, but also in terms of operational processes, skills development, and stakeholder alignment.

What are the biggest challenges facing your industry at the moment, in your opinion?

The sector is at a turning point. We know that, if they perform well, heat networks are the lowest cost route to delivering secure, low carbon heat. We also know what we need to do to make networks perform well. To date, there are two things that have blocked us, as an industry, doing what we should do: (a) a misalignment between those building networks and those operating them; and (b) a lack of skills in the industry.

I think that regulations, particularly HNTAS, will deal with the first of these points.

The second point is more of an issue. However, I remain optimistic, as I have seen a sea change in the approach of a number of organisations and individuals over the past decade and I generally think that most people in the industry buy in to the concept of improving performance. As such, provided that the training is there, I think that the industry will lift its game and we will see a rapid improvement in skills within sector.

Why is the Utility Week Heat Networks: Ready for Regulation Conference 2025 important to the industry and to you?

This conference comes at a pivotal time for the sector. There is certainty that the introduction of regulations will result in significant change. Change, in and of itself, tends to create anxiety. That is particularly true where there is an information vacuum.

Having knowledge that change is going to happen but with limited information with regards to what that change is going to be tends to generate a negative reaction. That is a significant risk at the moment.

This situation is unfortunate, as I think that the upcoming regulatory changes will be overwhelmingly positive for most organisations and individuals in the industry.

Events like this help shine a light on what the changes are actually going to be and, hopefully, allow people to see the benefits for them and their organisations. Importantly, having a bit of extra information, together with the dialogue around that, should enable people to think through how they can position themselves to take advantage of all the upside that is undoubtedly coming down the track.

What can we expect from your contribution at the Utility Week Heat Networks: Ready for Regulation Conference 2025?

I’m very keen to represent the heat network consumer perspective at the conference to ensure that industry thinks about the issues affecting heat network consumers.

What are you most looking forward to hearing about at the conference?

I’m keen to hear about how industry is preparing for the introduction of heat network regulation.

What are the biggest challenges facing your industry at the moment, in your opinion?

There are a range of challenges facing heat network consumers at present, I would be keen to hear from industry about how we can address these issues and support better outcomes for heat network consumers.

Why is the Utility Week Heat Networks: Ready for Regulation Conference 2025 important to the industry and to you?

The introduction of regulation is a watershed moment for heat network consumers and the industry as a whole. It will help to raise standards improve outcomes for consumers and consumer confidence in advance of the wider rollout of heat networks across GB.

What can we expect from your contribution at the Utility Week Heat Networks: Ready for Regulation Conference 2025?

My contribution will cover the practical real-life opportunities and challenges facing Enfield in complying to the existing Heat Network Metering and Billing Regulations and the new Ofgem regulatory regime, under the Energy Act 2023.

What are you most looking forward to hearing about at the conference?

To better understand from other organisations how they are planning to comply with the proposed new Ofgem regulations and the sharing of best practice. How, in particular, other housing providers are planning to manage the new consumer protections and Ofgem reporting requirements, including metering and billing operations.

What are the biggest challenges facing your industry at the moment, in your opinion?

The biggest risk is further government policy delay. There has been some delay in government consultations including the Heat Network Technical Assurance Scheme that is critical to understand the requirements before the sector is regulated by Ofgem in 2026.

Why is the Utility Week Heat Networks: Ready for Regulation Conference 2025 important to the industry and to you?

This conference is an important opportunity to discuss this complex policy area before the new regulatory regime starts in 2026.

What can we expect from your contribution at the Utility Week Heat Networks: Ready for Regulation Conference 2025?

'll be giving a heat network developer's perspective on how HNTAS will play out in practice. My focus is on what the new standards mean for delivering efficient, affordable networks, and how we can make sure regulation drives innovation and encourages growth in the sector, rather than adding unintended cost or complexity for customers.

What are you most looking forward to hearing about at the conference?

I’m particularly interested in hearing about the practicalities and early experiences of delivering fifth generation (ambient loop) heat networks, especially outside designated zoning areas. There’s a lot of industry momentum around zoning and regulation, but the most exciting innovations are often happening at the edge of policy or in areas that don’t fit the traditional mould. Understanding how other developers, local authorities, and technology providers are approaching deployment, integration, and financing for these next-generation networks will be hugely valuable.

What are the biggest challenges facing your industry at the moment, in your opinion?

The biggest challenge is ongoing uncertainty over the Future Homes Standard, which makes it difficult for developers and supply chains to plan and invest. Alongside that, the ‘spark gap (the disparity between the price of electricity and gas) remains a major barrier to customer affordability and widespread adoption of heat networks. These issues risk slowing down progress just when we need to accelerate.

Why is the Utility Week Heat Networks: Ready for Regulation Conference 2025 important to the industry and to you?

This conference is a chance for the sector to come together and focus on the reality of new regulation. It is an opportunity to learn, challenge assumptions, and help shape how we deliver on the promise of better, more affordable heat networks for everyone. It's also great to see 5th generation ambient heat networks have their own panel discussion!

HEAR FROM THE SPEAKERS