Heat network zoning timeline: every date that matters, 2023–2030

Heat network zoning has been talked about for years, and the dates are easy to muddle. Some things have happened and are law. Some are government policy waiting for regulations. Some are expected but have no fixed date at all. This page walks through every date we track, in order, so you can see exactly where things stand.

If you'd rather filter the dates to your own role, use our interactive timeline. It draws on the same facts as this page.

How to read this timeline

Every date here comes from our facts file, and each one links to its official source. The boxes carry a status label, which matters more than the date itself:

• In force means it's law and applies now.
• Proposed means it's government policy waiting for regulations. It could still change.
• Announced means the government has published or committed to it, such as a programme, plan or funding.
• Not yet means it's expected but hasn't started.

A useful rule of thumb: almost everything about who must connect to a district heating network, and when, is still pending. Almost everything about how existing heat networks are regulated by Ofgem is already in force. People often mix the two up.

2022: the pilot

Zoning didn't start with the law. The government had already consulted on the idea, and before any legislation it worked with councils to test how zones might be drawn in practice. Our timeline starts on 12 May 2022 with the Heat Network Zoning Pilot.

The pilot places produced zone opportunity reports, which map where heat networks look like the cheapest low-carbon option. Being on the pilot list tells you zoning work has been done locally. It doesn't mean your building is in a zone. Our zone checker shows whether you're near one of these places.

2023: the law arrives

Two things happened at the end of 2023. First, Parliament passed the legal powers.

This is the foundation for everything else. The Act lets the government create zones in England, appoint the bodies that run them and require certain buildings to connect. But the Act alone does nothing on the ground. Most of the detail has to be set out in regulations made under it, and those regulations are the missing piece today.

Second, the government consulted on how heat network zoning should work.

This consultation covered the big design questions: which buildings would be required to connect, the 100 MWh a year[source] heat demand threshold for large non-domestic buildings, the exemption grounds, penalties and the roles of each body. Its outcome took just over two years to arrive.

2024: the first places

In October 2024 the government named the first places to develop zones: Leeds, Plymouth, Bristol, Stockport, Sheffield and two schemes in London, including Old Oak and Park Royal[source].

These aren't designated zones. They are places where councils and partners were funded to move from planning towards delivery, so that real networks could be ready once the law catches up. If your building is in one of these areas, you may hear from a council or developer well before any statutory heat network connection notice could be issued. Those early conversations are voluntary.

2025: consumer protection begins

The first heat network rules to apply directly to customers came into effect in 2025, separate from zoning.

This matters most to people who already get their heat from a network, such as residents in blocks with communal heating and businesses on existing schemes. It gave heat network customers somewhere independent to go for advice and complaints, as gas and electricity customers have had for years. Landlords should read our guide for landlords and leaseholders on how this affects them.

2026: policy, money and a regulator

2026 is the busiest year so far. Three dates fell within a week of each other in January.

The government's response to the 2023 consultation was published 21 January 2026[source]. This is the document that sets out today's policy: the building categories, an agreement phase of at least 6 months from receiving the notice[source], the exemption grounds and the proposed penalties. All of it is pending until regulations are made.

The Warm Homes Plan came out on the same day. It was published 21 January 2026, including £1bn for heat networks this Parliament[source]. The plan commits to introducing heat network zoning in 2026 and creates the Warm Homes Agency. The national Heat Network Zoning Authority sits within DESNZ at first, then moves to the Warm Homes Agency once that is set up[source].

Six days later Ofgem took on its new role.

On the same date the older metering and billing rules were trimmed.

At the end of March 2026 the government asked councils to put forward more areas for zoning.

That deadline has now passed. We'll add any newly named areas to our zone checker as they're published.

The date everyone is waiting for is the zoning regulations.

The January response hoped regulations would be laid in spring 2026. That hasn't happened. The Warm Homes Plan's commitment to introduce zoning in 2026 leaves less than two months, as of our last check. It is possible regulations are laid before the end of the year, but even then they would need time to pass through Parliament and come into force. Treat 2026 to 2027 as a realistic range rather than a firm date.

2027: registration and technical assurance

Two dates are set for 2027, and both are about heat network regulation rather than zoning.

This is the nearest hard deadline on this page. If you run a heat network today, including a communal boiler serving flats or a campus system, check now whether it needs registering. Our guide to Ofgem regulation and HNTAS explains who it applies to.

Later in the year, the technical standards regime is due to begin.

HNTAS will set technical standards for how networks are designed, built and run. For building owners it matters indirectly: it should mean the network you might one day connect to meets a recognised standard. For developers, operators and consultants it matters directly, and the detail is still emerging.

The other milestone that could arrive around this time is the first formal designation of zones.

Designation can only follow the regulations. Once a zone is designated and a zone developer appointed, connection notices could start. A notice would give you at least 6 months to agree a connection date or apply for a temporary exemption, with a connection window at least 12 months long[source]. Our notice countdown works out those deadlines from the date on a notice.

2028 to 2030: no fixed dates yet

We don't have any confirmed dates for 2028, 2029 or 2030, and we won't invent them. What we can say is how the process would unfold once it starts.

If regulations come into force in 2026 or 2027, the early zones, likely including the first six places, would be designated first. Zone developers would then ask coordination bodies to issue notices to the buildings they want to serve, probably in phases as the network grows street by street. With a 6-month agreement phase and a connection window of at least 12 months, the first buildings to connect under zoning rules might do so towards the end of this period. That's our reading of the process, not a government timetable.

For planning purposes, if your boilers are due for replacement between now and 2030 and your building is in or near an early zoning area, that replacement decision deserves more thought than usual. Our guide comparing a heat network with your own heat pump can help.

2035 and 2050: the long-term targets

The point of all this is growth. Heat networks supply about 3% of UK heat demand[source] today. The government's ambition is 7% of England's heat (27 TWh) by 2035[source] and it expects networks to provide about a fifth of all heat by 2050[source]. Zoning is the main tool for getting there, because it gives developers the certainty of knowing which buildings will connect.

What we don't know yet

Several important questions have no answer or date yet.

When the regulations will be made. This is the big one. Until they're laid, we can't say when zoning starts, and the policy in the January 2026 response could change during that process.

When the first zones will be designated. That depends on the regulations, and then on each place completing its own formal steps, including appointing a zone developer. Zone developers will be appointed through competition, with exclusive rights to develop a heat network in the zone delivery area[source].

The final detail of the rules. Exemption evidence, how heat demand is measured where metered data is missing, fixed penalty amounts and the exact definition of who is responsible in a let building are all for the regulations.

HNTAS detail. We know HNTAS is planned for 2027 and will be phased in. We don't yet know exactly which networks it applies to first or what certification will involve in practice.

Which new areas will be added. The 2026 call for zone opportunity areas may lead to more places being announced. We don't know when.

How we keep this page up to date

Every date on this page is pulled from a single facts file, which records the status, source and date we last checked each fact. When something changes, such as regulations being laid, a zone being designated or HNTAS launching, we update the fact and this page and the interactive timeline change with it.

We check the official sources regularly, and the "last verified" date at the top of this page tells you when we last did. If you spot a date that's wrong or out of date, please tell us and we'll correct it. If you need help planning around these dates for your own building, our directory lists zoning compliance consultants, and our guide to choosing a consultant explains how to pick one.