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HeatReturn

Ofgem heat network returns for small communal heating, done in minutes each quarter

If your block recovers heating costs through the service charge, you're likely to be treated as a heat supplier by Ofgem. That means quarterly and annual data returns from 2026. HeatReturn tells you exactly which data points apply, what records you need, and when each window opens.

Before you start

You'll get more out of the checker if you already know:

  • whether you're the supplier, the operator, or both, for this network
  • whether heat is billed separately or bundled into rent or the service charge
  • what metering is in place, if any
  • whether you already keep a complaints log or track customers in debt

Don't know some of these? Start anyway — the checker tells you what to find out.

Start the free checker

Free. No account. Nothing leaves your browser unless you ask for the template by email. Or see the deadlines first.

A block of flats with one plant room supplying every flatA four-storey block of twelve flats. In the basement plant room, a single boiler feeds a riser pipe that branches to a radiator in each flat. Together they form one heat network, and each flat pays its share through the service charge.BoilerPlant room12 flats, one heat networkHeat and hotwater piped toevery flatEach flat paysits share throughthe service chargeOne boiler,one operatorOne network: the boiler, the pipes and every flat they serve
One boiler, one set of pipes, every flat it serves: that's a heat network, whether or not anyone gets a heat bill.
Register with Ofgem by
26 January 2027Verified
First quarterly return, once registered
Q2: 1 July 2026 – 30 September 2026Window scheduled to open 1 October 2026 — Ofgem has only committed to "autumn 2026" for the digital service itselfExpected
Collect data from
1 April 2026Backdated once you register — register first, the return followsVerified
Timeline of Ofgem heat network deadlines, October 2026 to July 2027Quarterly submission windows fall in October, January, April and July, each the month after the quarter ends. The annual return is due in the April window, by 30 April. Registration with Ofgem is due by 26 January 2027.OctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJul20262027Q2 return (Jul–Sep)submit 1–31 OctoberQ3 return (Oct–Dec)submit 1–31 JanuaryQ4 return (Jan–Mar)and annual return, 1–30 AprilQ1 return (Apr–Jun)submit 1–31 JulyRegister by 26 January 2027every network, separatelyQuarterly windows: the month after each quarter ends
Window dates are from Ofgem's guidance. Whether the digital service is ready for the October 2026 window is expected, not confirmed. Every deadline, with extensions and financial-data timing.

Who this is for

Managing agents, freeholders, residents' management companies and right-to-manage companies running private blocks with a shared boiler or plant room, where heat is recovered through the service charge or billed separately, and there is no specialist billing company involved.

Not for social landlords, energy service companies, or networks already handled by a billing company — they may already have this covered.

Insulated pipes, red valve wheels and a temperature gauge in a communal plant room
A shared plant room heating more than one flat.

What Ofgem asks for

Every quarter

Complaints by type and how fast they were resolved. Customers in heat debt, disconnections, reconnections, repayment plans. Standing charges, unit rates, other charges, and total charges billed.

Every year

Customer and meter counts, billing frequency, payment methods, Priority Services Register count, bad debt, the 6,000 kWh reference price, fuel, heat generated and delivered, revenue and running costs.

Organisation finance

Once a year, in the quarter your accounts are signed off: profit or loss, income, costs, liquid assets, continuity plan and hedging. Councils and registered social housing providers skip this.

Source: Ofgem, Heat networks: regular data reporting guidance, 10 March 2026. Verified 15 September 2026.

How HeatReturn works

  1. Check: answer 16 questions about the network. Get the exact data points that apply, split into quarterly and annual, in plain English.
  2. Collect: download a CSV template using Ofgem's wording, one row per data point per period, with flags for the records you don't keep yet.
  3. Remember: get an email before each submission window opens and before the registration deadline.
The checker's results page, 'Every quarter (18)': the first two Table 6 data points, customers in debt and self-disconnections, each with Ofgem's name, a plain-English explanation, a 'Needs attention' flag because no debt tracking is kept yet, and the page of the guidance it comes from
The checker's results page for a domestic block with heat in the service charge and no debt tracking yet. Real output, not a mock-up.

The full product, coming for founding customers, keeps the complaints log, debt tracker, tariff register and Priority Services Register count for you, and calculates each quarter's return ready to enter or upload. See a worked example of what that looks like for a real quarter, or read about the founding offer.

The worked example's 'What HeatReturn calculates' section: the first rows of calculated figures, 9 complaints broken down by type, 1 group complaint and 4 resolved by the end of the next working day, each under Ofgem's own data-point name with a link to its table and page in the guidance
Illustrative example: the Ofgem figures for one quarter at a fictional 30-flat block, each linked to Ofgem's own definition. See how they were calculated.

What this is not

HeatReturn is a data preparation and record-keeping tool. It is not legal advice, it does not decide whether the regulations apply to your building, and it does not submit anything to Ofgem for you. Ofgem's digital service is the only place returns are submitted. Where we state a regulatory fact we link to the source and say whether we've verified it. Disclaimer and sources.