ESCo Light
The complete managed service for heat networks.
ESCo Light hands the day-to-day running of your heat network to Heatiliti, while you keep ownership and ultimate control. We take on operation and maintenance, metering and billing, energy procurement, efficiency management, tariff setting and Ofgem reporting, all within one accountable service.
Heat network owners, housing providers, freeholders and managing agents are now responsible for a regulated utility. Running one well means managing plant, suppliers, residents, finances and compliance at the same time. ESCo Light gives you a specialist team that does all of this every day, backed by 50 years of combined experience in heat-network design, delivery and operation.
You stay the owner and retain the key decisions. We do the work.
What ESCo Light includes
ESCo Light brings together every service needed to run a heat network day to day:
Operation and maintenance: Total Asset Cover as standard, from HIUs and tertiary systems to substations, secondary networks and energy centres
Metering and billing: meter data collection, credit and prepayment billing, payment collection, arrears management and resident accounts
Energy procurement: buying and managing fuel and electricity contracts, validating supplier invoices and paying suppliers on time
Efficiency management: continuous monitoring through the BMS, agreed performance KPIs, fault detection and ongoing optimisation
Tariff setting: cost-reflective tariff calculation, recommendations and an annual tariff and efficiency review
Ofgem compliance and reporting: day-to-day management of your regulatory obligations, including preparing and submitting returns
Customer service: a single point of contact for residents, complaint handling and support for vulnerable customers
Financial management: each network run as its own cost centre, with income reconciliation, spend monitoring and deficit management
Lifecycle planning: asset registers, sinking-fund planning and capital works programmes
Who is responsible for what
ESCo Light makes Heatiliti the operator of your network in everything but name. Responsibilities are clearly divided:
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You keep your regulatory status and ownership, and we take on the workload that comes with them.
Energy procurement & financial management
Energy is usually the largest cost on a heat network. We buy and manage fuel and electricity contracts in the owner’s name, check every supplier invoice and pay suppliers directly so supply is never put at risk.
Resident payments are collected into a separate account for each scheme. Each network is run as its own cost centre, with income reconciled, spend monitored and any gap between costs and recovery identified early and managed. Arrears are handled through a fair, structured process, with particular care for residents in vulnerable circumstances.
Tariff setting
Fair tariffs start with accurate costs. We work out cost-reflective tariffs and standing charges from actual energy, maintenance and operating costs, and recommend them to the owner for approval. Every year we carry out a formal tariff and efficiency review, including a financial reconciliation, so that charges stay fair to residents and costs are fully recovered.
Our approach follows Ofgem’s fair pricing and cost allocation guidance, giving owners a clear, evidence-based position to share with residents and the regulator.
Efficiency management
A heat network that loses heat is one where residents pay for energy they never receive. Using BMS and metering data, we monitor network performance continuously against agreed KPIs, including heat losses, return temperatures, plant efficiency and availability. Faults are picked up early and the network is tuned over time.
Where larger improvements are justified, we can develop a costed investment case. If you want those improvements backed by guaranteed outcomes, ESCo Light can move to an Energy Performance Contract.
Ofgem compliance & reporting
Ofgem has regulated heat networks in Great Britain since 27 January 2026. Operators and suppliers must submit data to Ofgem every quarter and every year, and all heat networks must join the Energy Ombudsman scheme.
Under ESCo Light, Heatiliti takes on day-to-day responsibility for these obligations. We prepare and submit reporting for the owner’s sign-off and keep the records and evidence needed to show compliance. This covers:
Ofgem registration and notifications of change
Quarterly and annual data returns
Standards of Conduct, billing and price transparency evidence
Complaint handling, including referrals to the Energy Ombudsman
A priority services register and support for vulnerable residents
Guaranteed Standards of Performance as they are introduced
Heat Trust registration support where required
How ESCo Light works
1. Survey & health check
Every scheme starts with a site survey and network health check covering plant, HIUs, metering, controls, contracts, tariffs and compliance.
2. Mobilise
We put right any essential issues, such as non-communicating meters or the inability to isolate supply at the property. Any remedial works are quoted separately. We then transfer resident accounts, supplier contracts and records.
3. Operate
We take on day-to-day management of the network, with a single point of contact for the owner and residents.
4. Report & improve
You receive regular reporting on performance, finances, risks and compliance, with an annual tariff and efficiency review and a rolling lifecycle plan.
A stepping stone to a full ESCo
ESCo Light suits owners who want to keep their heat network but hand over its day-to-day running. If your priorities change, the service can develop with you, whether into an Energy Performance Contract with guaranteed outcomes or a full ESCo arrangement in which Heatiliti adopts or acquires the network.
Why Heatiliti
Most managed-service providers began as billing companies. Heatiliti began with the network itself. Our team designs, installs, controls, maintains and optimises heat networks, so we manage the plant, the data, the finances and the residents as one connected system. Terms are flexible and tailored to each network, with no generic contract lengths.
Consumer protection, built in
ESCo Light is designed around the people who rely on the network. Residents benefit from actual-reading bills, cost-reflective tariffs, clear communication, responsive support, fair treatment of arrears and particular care for vulnerable customers. Owners get the evidence to show that their network is run fairly, transparently and in line with Ofgem’s rules.
FAQs
What is the difference between ESCo Light and a full ESCo?
With ESCo Light, you keep ownership of the network and remain the Ofgem-registered operator and supplier, while Heatiliti manages everything day to day. With a full ESCo, Heatiliti adopts or acquires the network and takes on long-term ownership, investment and regulatory responsibility.
Who is responsible to Ofgem?
The owner remains the registered operator and supplier and keeps ultimate responsibility. Heatiliti takes on day-to-day compliance, prepares and submits reporting for the owner’s sign-off, and maintains the records needed to show compliance.
Who sets the tariffs?
Heatiliti calculates cost-reflective tariffs and recommends them to the owner, who approves them. Tariffs are formally reviewed every year alongside a financial reconciliation.
Who bears the cost of unpaid bills?
The owner. Heatiliti manages arrears through a fair, structured process and actively manages any deficit, but recovery of resident debt is not guaranteed.
Does my network need to be in good condition to start?
No. Every scheme starts with a survey and health check. Where meters, controls or plant need attention before we take over, we identify the issues and quote any remedial works separately.
How long is the contract?
Terms are flexible and agreed for each network, taking account of its size, condition and the scope of services required.
Need a clearer route forward for your heat network?
020 3432 0595
hello@heatiliti.com
Our hours of operation are Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm