Heat network zoning for residents and tenants: what changes for you

Heat network zoning is about buildings, not people. The rules decide which buildings in a zone could be required to connect to a shared heat network. Whether that affects you depends on the kind of home you live in, how it is heated, and whether your area becomes a zone.

The starting point is that nothing has changed yet. The zoning regulations have this status: Not yet laid before Parliament[source]. The number of zones designated so far: None yet[source]. Everything below describes how the system is expected to work once the regulations are in force, based on the government's published policy.

If you live in a house with your own boiler

The government's policy is clear on this point. Existing individually heated homes are not required to connect[source]. That covers most houses in England, whether you own them or rent them.

You may still see change in your area. Streets can be dug up to lay pipes, and a heat network may be offered to homes along its route. Connecting would be a choice, not a requirement, unless the rules change in future.

If you live in a block of flats with shared heating

This is the group most likely to be affected. One of the categories of building that could be required to connect is: Existing buildings with communal heating, both domestic and non-domestic[source].

A communal system usually means one boiler room or plant room heating every flat in the building, with each home paying through a service charge or a heat bill. In a zone, the building as a whole could be asked to connect to the wider network. The obligation would fall on the building's owner or the person responsible for the heating system, not on individual residents.

Even then, connection is not automatic. The policy sets a condition on when a building can be required to connect: Only when the zone developer asks for it and the zone coordination body is confident the building can be connected in time[source]. If a notice is issued, the building has a set period to agree a connection date or apply for an exemption: At least 6 months from receiving the notice[source]. The connection window that follows must be At least 12 months long[source].

In practice this means residents in a block would usually hear about plans well before any work starts, through their landlord, freeholder or managing agent.

If you are moving into a new home

New buildings are treated differently. Another category that could be required to connect is: New buildings that receive planning permission after the zone is designated[source].

If you buy or rent a home in a new development inside a designated zone, it may be built to connect to the heat network from the start. You would then be a heat network customer, paying the network's supplier for heat rather than buying gas.

What a heat network customer pays for

On a heat network, you buy heat, not fuel. There is usually a standing charge and a charge for the heat you use, measured by a meter or estimated where there is none. Homes have a heat interface unit in place of a boiler, which passes heat from the network into the home's radiators and hot water.

Until recently, heat network customers had fewer protections than gas and electricity customers. That changed in 2025 and 2026, as described below.

Protections you already have

Heat network customers in England, Scotland and Wales have gained new rights since 2025. These apply whether or not you live in a zone, and they already cover homes on existing networks.

• Advice and advocacy. The statutory advocate is Citizens Advice, for heat network consumers in England and Wales[source]. Its heat network guidance explains what to do if something goes wrong. This role began on 1 April 2025[source].
• Complaints. The Energy Ombudsman accepts heat network disputes, usually after 8 weeks with the supplier[source]. The ombudsman can investigate disputes your supplier has not resolved.
• Regulation. Ofgem became the regulator for heat networks on 27 January 2026[source]. Suppliers must now meet conditions on fair pricing, clear bills and support for customers in vulnerable circumstances. More detail is on our Ofgem page.

One protection is still to come. Guaranteed standards of performance would set service levels, such as how quickly heat must be restored after an outage, with automatic compensation when they are missed. Their status: In development; no start date confirmed[source].

Tenants and leaseholders

If you rent, decisions about connecting a building sit with your landlord. If you are a leaseholder in a block, they usually sit with the freeholder or the management company, and costs may pass through the service charge under the terms of your lease.

Zoning policy recognises that leases can make connection difficult. Legal or contractual barriers, including lease terms, are one of the grounds on which a building could seek an exemption. How that would apply to any particular building will depend on the final regulations.

If you are unsure who is responsible for your heating, your tenancy agreement or lease is the place to start. Citizens Advice can also help.

How to find out whether your area is involved

Our places tracker lists every town and city taking part in zoning so far, with the stage each has reached. Some councils have already run public consultations on proposed zone boundaries, including Plymouth, Liverpool and the City of London. These consultations are preparatory. They do not create a zone, but they show where councils expect zones to be.

You can also sign up on any place page for an email when that place moves to a new stage.

What will not change

Zoning does not mean your gas supply will be cut off, and it does not require you to change your heating at home if you live in a house with your own system. It does not change your rights as a tenant or leaseholder. It is a way of planning where shared heat networks go, so that the buildings best suited to them connect first.

For the wider picture of how a zone is created, see how a zone gets designated. For the bodies involved, see who runs heat network zoning.