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NETWORK / 31 / NOVEMBER 2016 all forms of low carbon heating, the customer must have a good experience. Their heating must to be reliable, their heat supplier trustworthy and any problems addressed swily. Local heat networks are different from individual heating systems, particularly in the way they are structured and operated. In fact, schemes can be different from each other in the way they are operated and the services they provide to customers. Until recently there were no sector-wide standards to reassure procurers and customers of heating networks that the design of the system and the quality of service would be adequate. Recognising the importance of sector-wide consistency, the industry has worked together to develop two independent schemes, the ADE/CIBSE Heat Networks Code of Practice and the Heat Trust. The code of practice provides assurances on the quality of build and the trust provides independent customer protection for residential and micro-business customers served by local heat networks. It sets out minimum standards for reliability of supply, transparency for customer billing, support for vulnerable customers and, vitally, free access for customers to the Energy Ombudsman so problems can be resolved fairly. The Heat Trust does not just look out for the interests of the customer. To ensure a secure future for local heat networks, it is in the interest of the entire sector that customers have confidence in their heating supply. The trust enables those who use it to demonstrate that they are leading the way in ensuring that district heating is part of a customer-centric, low carbon future. It builds trust within the sector and with government. Only last month the Heat Trust was specified as part of the pre- qualification selection criteria of the £320 million Heat Networks Investment Project for schemes that receive public funding. The trust has only been established for a year. When it launched in November 2015, it covered 34 heat networks and 15,000 customers. Over the year it has grown and now protects customers in more than 26,000 households across 45 networks, from well-known London networks such as the Olympic Park and King's Cross redevelopment to Wyndford Estate in Scotland and Cranbrook in Exeter. With more private heat networks in the process of applying to the trust, the positive up-take from industry has been encouraging. Initially the Heat Trust focused on the part of the sector most in need of attention, the private sector, where there was no independent complaint- resolution service. But a key objective for the trust is to be available to all heat customers. So, in the coming year it will expand its coverage to ensure that customer service standards can be implemented across the sector, particularly in those networks where heat supply agreements are not the norm. An important driver for the Heat Trust is the improvement of transparency in the sector and increasing the quality of information given to customers. Last month Heat Trust launched the Heat Cost Calculator – the first publicly available calculator for district heating customers. In its second year of operation Heat Trust will look to expand the tool to include a comparison with electric heating. Much of the decarbonisation debate is focused on the technologies and data that are necessary to meet 2050 targets. All of this is important, but policymakers and industry must both be aware that the mandate for change comes from customers. This means that the experience of decarbonised heat has to be better than the current system, giving customers better value and a better experience. The Heat Trust is a part of that drive, to ensure that district heating is welcomed by consumers as a better way of heating their homes. N Bindi Patel, head of scheme, Heat Trust London's latest Heat Trust member The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford has become the latest member of the Heat Trust in the London area. The former athletes' village for the 2012 Olympic games has become the East Village, home to more than 2,800 customers. The park covers 230 hectares, with 16km of heating pipes and 2km of cooling pipes. The park's energy centres also supply Stratford's Westfield shopping centre. By 2030, the number of householdes in the new E20 postcode is expected to grow by more than 10,000. On joining the trust the heat network's owner East London Energy, and its parent company ENGIE, said: "We are committed to offering a high standard of care and customer service, which is why we are delighted our Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Heat Network has joined the Heat Trust Scheme. "Our membership with the Heat Trust is an important part of providing continued improvements for our East London Energy customers, giving them the confidence that we will provide good standards of quality and consumer protection." THe TrusT's firsT year • Launched in November 2015, covering 34 networks and 15,000 customers, with three members • It has grown to five members with 26,000 homes in 45 networks • Most networks are in London, but they stretch from Glasgow to Exeter • Most networks covered are supplied with gas, although the Olympic Park is supplied by a biomass boiler • Membership to the trust was recently included as a criterion to get funding through the Heat Networks Investment Project