Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what data her Department holds on the average energy costs paid by consumers who (a) received heating from a heat network and (b) did not receive heating from a heat network and whose bill was subject to the energy price cap in 2023.

The Department currently does not routinely collect heat network customer tariffs. However, we did collect tariff information under our Heat Network Consumer and Operator Survey 2022. This survey found that heat network customers reported paying on average less than those not on heat networks. The energy price cap for the period 1 October to 31 December 2023 is £1,834 a year for a typical household who use gas and electricity and pay by Direct Debit, for non-heat network consumers who were eligible.