Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps she is taking to help ensure all eligible heat network consumers receive financial support via the Energy Bills Discount Scheme.

The Energy Bills Discount Scheme (EBDS) regulations placed a legal duty on heat network suppliers with at least one domestic customer to apply for EBDS Heat Network support, and to pass through any benefit received to the end consumer.

The Department has conducted extensive engagement to maximise applications from eligible heat networks, to try and reach as many customers as possible. This included extensive stakeholder communications campaigns and reaching out to all known heat networks on government databases. We also wrote to Members of Parliament who have qualifying heat networks in their constituency, asking them to reach out to the heat network suppliers to inform them of their requirement to apply for the scheme.

We have also streamlined the application process to make it easier for heat networks to apply and worked closely with the Office for Product Safety and Standards to initiate enforcement action against known heat networks who have failed to apply.