Heat Cost Tool Information Sheet

DECC has supported the launch of Heat Trust, an industry-led consumer protection scheme. Heat Trust is also setting up a ‘Heat Cost Comparator tool’, which will enable customers to compare their heat charges with the cost of a traditional gas boiler on a like-for-like basis.

The Heat Cost Comparator will be accompanied by a ‘narrative’ to contextualise the complexities of heat network pricing and comparing heat network pricing with the counterfactual on a ‘like for like’ basis (e.g. due to the inclusion of maintenance costs in heat network pricing). This narrative will also explain what the Heat Cost Comparator Tool compares and how consumers can use it.

This project would aim to ‘test’ this narrative with consumers, to ensure clarity.

The Consumer Panel is the correct tool because this is a small scale project that requires access to consumers’ feedback within a short time frame, required to gauge the clarity of communications material (rather than for more robust, thorough research).