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What is a heat network?

Your home is connected to a heat network. A heat network (also known as a communal or district heating system), provides heating and hot water to each home in a building from a single, central source - such as a large boiler in a basement plant room.

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Your heat provider or building owner manages the energy supply to this plant room (such as gas). The heat generated from the plant room is then supplied to multiple homes in your building through a network of pipes – so there’s no need to have a boiler in each home.


Instead of having an individual boiler, each home is fitted with an HIU (Heat Interface Unit). This HIU transfers the heat from the building’s pipe network into your home.

Heat networks are becoming increasingly popular, because it is more energy efficient to have one central source of heat than each home in a building having its own boiler or heater.

Heat networks can also be operated by renewable or low carbon technology, which helps heat providers reduce the amount of carbon emitted in providing heating & hot water to homes.

UK Building Regulations also now call for buildings to be built to very high standards of energy efficiency. Heat networks are a great way of reducing the environmental impact of any new homes and provide an efficient and cost-effective way to provide heating and hot water to your home.

Accreditations & Partners

Insite Energy, Studio 4 Stuart House, St John’s Street, Peterborough, PE1 5DD

Insite Energy is registered by the FCA for anti-money laundering.