Residents connected to council-run heat networks say they are being pushed to the brink by unaffordable heating bills, as their energy costs fall outside Ofgem’s regulated price cap.
A BBC investigation found that some leaseholders have considered selling their homes back to the council, while others worry their properties have become unsellable.
About 500,000 homes across the UK are connected to roughly 13,000 communal heat networks.
These schemes supply heating and hot water from a central source, but gas is bought commercially, meaning residents are not protected by the domestic price cap.
Dolly Thomas, a mother of two in north Peckham, has lived in her flat since 2011. Her latest estimated service charge tops £6,600, with more than £3,500 attributed to heating and hot water.
“It’s had a serious impact, it’s not funny,” Ms Thomas told the BBC. “I’ve got to the point where I’ve even asked the council to buy the flat back, but they said they don’t have the money.”
Sharon, another leaseholder in south London, paid £3,369 last year for heating and hot water. “I basically give all my money to Southwark Council and I don’t understand how that can be when I own my own home,” she said. “We don’t have any meters… there is no connection between how much you’re using and the price you pay.”
Freedom of information data gathered by the BBC shows that heat network users in London are now paying around 30% more for gas than households covered by the Ofgem price cap.
Stephen Knight from the Heat Trust said poorly maintained infrastructure and heat loss are major contributors. “We see so many heat networks… with heat losses that is more than the heat delivered to customers,” he said.
The government has promised to make Ofgem the heat network regulator in 2026, aiming to deliver “fairer prices for the energy they use,” said energy consumers minister Miatta Fahnbulleh.
‘I asked the council to buy my flat back’: heat network residents face soaring bills appeared first on Energy Live News.