With three months until existing heat networks must be registered with Ofgem, housing providers at the Chirpy Heat Conference 2026 heard that the real work is knowing what they operate and showing progress beyond registration.
The conference was held on 15 October 2026 at Cavendish Venues in the City of London. Now in its second year, the free event included a regulatory briefing and panel with Charles Hargreaves, Deputy Director of Heat Network Compliance at Ofgem. Other speakers included Chris Paul, Partner at Trowers & Hamlins; Kevin Garvey, Head of Member Services at the National Housing Federation; Mark Burnett, Head of Asset Management at Onward Homes; Julie Woodfine, Heat Network Manager at Kirklees Council; and Claire Rothrie, Heat Networks Manager at Home Group. They were joined by Chirpy Heat’s Ben Guest, Managing Director; Josh Davis, Director of Delivery; and Millie Hurault, Senior Client Relationships Consultant.
Ofgem began regulating heat networks in Great Britain on 27 January 2026, when the authorisation conditions under the Heat Networks (Market Framework) (Great Britain) Regulations 2025 took effect. Existing operators and suppliers are treated as authorised, but must register each relevant network through Ofgem’s digital service by 26 January 2027. After that, anyone starting to operate or supply a heat network must apply for authorisation first.
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Registration asks for more than a list of networks: organisations must nominate a regulatory contact, their most senior person responsible for heat networks, and provide details of ownership, financial resilience and consumer protection, plus a fit and proper declaration for everyone with significant managerial responsibility or influence (SMRI). Quarterly and annual data reporting follows.
Ofgem’s guidance is explicit that registration “does not replace the need to understand and comply with the regulatory requirements”. It promises an open and supportive dialogue, but more serious action where an organisation does not engage constructively or customers are harmed, and its enforcement guidelines consider whether an organisation is taking timely action to put matters right.
Speaking on the conference’s regulatory panel, Charles Hargreaves said: “Organisations shouldn’t wait until 26 January to start preparing, or assume they won’t hear from us before then. Registering is the first step. Beyond that, we expect organisations to understand their obligations and be ready to explain the progress they are making when we ask. Where organisations aren’t making progress or responding, our engagement will become more formal, and that can lead to compliance or enforcement action. An organisation with a plan, and evidence that it is acting on it, is in a much stronger position than one with neither. We recognise many organisations will need help understanding their heat network information, and the whole sector shares the goal of moving towards compliance.”
For providers at the conference, the challenge was less the portal, which users found straightforward, than knowing what they have. Home Group started with a list of 486 possible heat networks and, after desktop reviews and site visits, confirmed 184. Julie Woodfine told the panel that Kirklees Council has 45 known networks but could need to register around 200, depending on Ofgem’s pending update on embedded communal networks. One provider told a workshop that SMRI sign-off could take a month because it needed board approval.
Wider uncertainty was also raised. Speaking to the “Heat Networks With Chirpy Heat” podcast at the conference, Chris Unsworth, Head of Heat Networks at the Association for Decentralised Energy (ADE), said: “With momentum comes a lot of change. I think some of that change needs to settle over the next year, so there’s crisp clarity around what regulations look like properly, where standards get to, specifically where zoning gets to… I do see change happening in that space and I think clarity will come. It just needs time.”
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Claire Rothrie, whose organisation expects to register in November, said: “If anyone is starting off now, you really need to know your assets and you really need to know your numbers and your responsibilities… If you haven’t started, you need to start straight away.”
Ownership was a recurring theme, with responsibility often split across asset, sustainability, finance and housing teams. Mark Burnett said: “We have 56 heat networks, and Chirpy Heat has been with us at every step. When we first sat down with them, our NetMax plan was a sea of red. Having Chirpy stand shoulder to shoulder with us in front of our executive team was a turning point: it made the whole business see heat networks as an Onward responsibility, not just an asset one. All 56 networks are now registered with Ofgem and we have a clear roadmap. Millie and the team have been a godsend. This can’t be done as a side hustle. It needs to sit with a single controlling mind.”
Ben Guest, Managing Director at Chirpy Heat, said: “This is a pivotal moment for the sector. Ofgem regulation is here, and getting it wrong carries real consequences. The questions keep coming faster than the answers, so the conference was about working out what registration and reporting actually mean for each organisation, and leaving with practical tools rather than another set of slides. Our focus is helping the sector move from compliance to confidence.”
For operators yet to start, the practical steps are to confirm which networks they operate and in which role, begin SMRI sign-off early, register, check which authorisation conditions apply and record a dated plan for the gaps. Chirpy Heat supports housing providers with that work, from checking their heat network information to building a plan that records the steps they are taking. It works for providers, not for the regulator, and compliance decisions rest with Ofgem.
