FAQs
Design & consultancy
What stage can Heatiliti get involved at?
Heatiliti can support projects at any stage, from early feasibility and option appraisal through to RIBA Stage 7 handover review, or by carrying out technical health checks on existing operational networks.
Is Heatiliti an independent consultant?
Heatiliti provides objective, technically informed, whole-life advice. Because our team also designs, delivers and operates heat networks, our recommendations are grounded in practical, operational experience rather than a purely advisory perspective.
Can Heatiliti help with funding applications?
Yes. We support clients with Heat Network Efficiency Scheme (HNES), Heat Network Technical Assurance Scheme (HNTAS) readiness assessments, and Green Heat Network Fund (GHNF) applications, together with the technical evidence required to support successful submissions.
Do you review Energy Performance Contracts and ESCo agreements we already have in place?
Yes. We provide independent contract review and optimisation support for existing EPC and ESCo arrangements, even where Heatiliti was not involved as the original contracting party.
Operation & maintenance
Which HIU and CIU brands can you service?
All makes and models, both electronic and hydraulic.
What’s included in every plan?
Labour, administration and 24/7 helpdesk access are included across all six plans. Parts are included in the Full HIU/CIU Package, the Full HIU/CIU & Tertiary System Package, and the Total Asset Cover Package; other parts requirements are quoted transparently, scheme by scheme.
How quickly will you respond to a breakdown?
Emergencies such as leaks are targeted at under four hours’ attendance. Loss of heating and hot water is targeted at under twelve hours where vulnerability is identified and under 24 hours otherwise. Routine call-outs are targeted within three working days.
Can you cover the whole network, not just individual HIUs?
Yes. Our Energy Centre / Substation & Secondary Network Care Package and Total Asset Cover Package extend planned maintenance to substations, secondary networks and energy centres.
How is pricing worked out?
Every scheme is surveyed and quoted individually, based on asset condition, installed HIU model, system complexity and network size - there’s no generic price list.
Metering & billing
Can you take over from our existing billing provider?
Yes. We manage the migration of resident accounts, balances, tariffs and meter data, and carry out a metering review at the start so that any data or hardware issues are identified before the first bill is issued.
Do you work with existing meters, or do they need replacing?
We work with existing metering systems wherever they are reliable. Where meters are faulty, obsolete or not communicating, we survey the installation and recommend targeted repairs or replacement rather than wholesale change.
Do you offer prepayment as well as credit billing?
Yes. We can provide credit billing, prepayment or a mix of both across a portfolio, with prepayment meters and control valves supplied and installed where required.
Can you help us comply with Ofgem heat network regulation?
Yes. We carry out compliance reviews, metering and billing audits, process reviews and Ofgem registration support, and help you prepare the evidence needed to show compliance.
Can metering and billing be combined with your other services?
Yes. Metering and billing can be provided on its own, or combined with our Operation & Maintenance plans, BMS monitoring, Energy Performance Contracts or as part of a full ESCo arrangement.
Building Management Systems (BMS)
Is Heatiliti an accredited Delta Controls partner?
Yes, Heatiliti is a Delta Controls partner, working across the full range of Delta platforms and products.
Does your BMS work cover heat pumps as well as gas and communal plant?
Yes. Our controls integrate heat pumps, boilers, thermal stores, HIUs, meters, pumps and variable-speed drives within a single operating strategy.
Can you upgrade or migrate an existing BMS rather than replace it?
Yes. We carry out BMS upgrades and migrations where the existing infrastructure can be retained or extended, alongside full new installations.
Do you provide ongoing support after commissioning?
Yes, through agreed service-level agreements covering remote monitoring, alarm response and system support.
Mechanical & electrical (M&E)
What types of heat network project does Heatiliti deliver M&E for?
Everything from single energy centres and substations serving a small number of homes to large, multi-plot district heating schemes - there are no project-size or sector limits.
Do you handle civils and buried pipework directly?
We coordinate civils, trenching, pre-insulated buried pipework and reinstatement packages as part of the overall delivery, working alongside specialist civils contractors.
Can Heatiliti design and install low-carbon generation, such as heat pumps?
Yes. Our M&E scope includes low-carbon plant and heat pumps alongside conventional energy-centre equipment.
Do you carry out remedial works on existing, already-installed systems?
Yes, alongside new-build delivery, we undertake refurbishment, retrofit and remedial M&E works on live heat networks.
Energy Performance Contracts (EPC)
What is the main performance measure under a Heatiliti EPC?
The core measure is seasonal or system efficiency: the relationship between energy or fuel input and the heat sold or delivered through the network. The agreed baseline and measurement method are specific to each project.
Does Heatiliti guarantee savings?
Where agreed in the contract, Heatiliti can guarantee efficiency improvements that translate into energy, carbon and financial savings, alongside defined plant and network KPIs. Guarantees, exclusions, baselines and verification arrangements are project-specific.
What happens if the agreed performance is not achieved?
The remedy is agreed in the EPC. Depending on the circumstances, it may involve remedial works at Heatiliti’s cost or a repayment/credit mechanism.
Can Heatiliti fund the improvement works?
Yes. Heatiliti can arrange funding through an infrastructure funding partner, subject to technical and commercial due diligence and investment approval.
Is an EPC only suitable for existing networks?
No. EPCs can be applied to underperforming live assets and can also be used for new-build schemes where long-term performance accountability is required.
ESCo Light
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.
Energy Services Company (ESCo)
What types of network does Heatiliti acquire or adopt?
We consider new-build communal and district heat networks, established operational assets and underperforming or distressed networks that require investment and a long-term operating solution.
Will Heatiliti acquire a small network?
Each opportunity is considered on its technical condition, customer base, investment requirement, commercial structure and long-term operating potential. Contact us with the details of the asset for an initial discussion.
Can Heatiliti take over metering, billing and customer care?
Yes. We can take responsibility for metering, billing, customer-account management, service communications, tariff governance and customer care as part of the ESCo model.
Can Heatiliti invest in network improvement?
Yes. Heatiliti can arrange investment through an infrastructure funding partner, subject to full due diligence and investment approval. The investment programme may include plant, controls, hydraulic improvement, distribution infrastructure, metering, HIUs and decarbonisation measures.
Does Heatiliti only provide ESCo solutions for new-build developments?
No. We support both new-build adoption and the acquisition, renovation and long-term operation of existing heat networks.
What if we want to keep ownership of our network?
Our ESCo Light service lets you keep ownership and your Ofgem registration while Heatiliti takes on all day-to-day operation, maintenance, metering, billing, energy procurement, tariff setting and regulatory reporting. It can later move to a full ESCo arrangement if your priorities change.
Need a clear route forward for your heat network?
020 3432 0595
hello@heatiliti.com
Our hours of operation are Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm