The Heat Network (Metering and Billing) Regulations 2014

Billing

9.—(1) Subject to paragraphs (2) and (4), where meters or heat cost allocators to which these Regulations apply are installed, the heat supplier must ensure that bills and billing information for the consumption of heating, cooling or hot water by a final customer are—

(a) accurate;

(b) based on actual consumption; and

(c) compliant with the requirements in Schedule 2.

(2) A heat supplier need not comply with paragraph (1) unless it is technically possible and economically justified to do so.

(3) A determination of what is technically possible and economically justified under paragraph (2) must be made by the heat supplier in accordance with Schedule 2.

(4) Where bills or billing information are based on meter readings to be provided by a final customer but that customer has not provided a meter reading, a bill may be based on an estimate of consumption.

(5) The heat supplier must not make a specific charge to a final customer for the provision of a bill or billing information other than in respect of the supply of additional copies of that bill or that billing information.

(6) Where bills and billing information relate to the consumption of heating, cooling or hot water by final customers in a building occupied by more than one final customer—

(a) the heat supplier’s costs of providing such bills and billing information may be passed on to those final customers provided that no profit is made from such charges, or

(b) where the heat supplier has assigned the task of providing bills or billing information to a third party the reasonable costs of providing them may be passed on to those final customers.

(7) Heat suppliers must—

(a) supply a final customer’s billing information to an energy services provider at the request of that final customer;

(b) provide electronic billing and billing information at the request of a final customer;

(c) provide a clear explanation of the information contained in a bill, including how the bill was calculated and specifying fixed and variable charges; and

(d) ensure that information and estimates of energy costs are provided to a final customer promptly where requested, and in a format which enables customers to compare the charges of different energy suppliers.

(8) In paragraph (7)(a), “energy services provider” means a person who supplies energy efficiency services.