Changes to communal heating

Can you tell me more about when my communal heating will be on?

We have reduced the heating season by six weeks – heating will go on four weeks later than previously and go off two weeks earlier. 

The heating season for 2024/25 is 13th October 2024 – 10th May 2025.

We are closely monitoring weather conditions and temperatures in your buildings. 

If you are unsure about the hours of heating you will receive, please call the Communal Heating Team, Project Liaison Officer on 020 7527 8239.

Why have some blocks got their heating on now when mine is off?

Some sites have slightly different arrangements because they have different heating distribution systems and their heating is directly linked to their hot water.  

What can I do to help keep bills down for myself and other residents?

Whatever the type of communal system, the less heat we all use the lower the bills will be overall.

If everyone only has radiators on in rooms when you need them, the overall cost will be lower. If the systems use less gas than predicted, that saving will be passed on to residents. 

If your radiator’s valves are not working properly, please call 0800 694 3344 or report the repair online to arrange to have them checked.

What if I need more or less heat?

If you are a resident who doesn’t need heating during the day, the best thing you can do is turn your radiators down when you don’t need them. This will help to reduce the cost of the service for everyone, as boilers won’t have to work so hard.

If you need more heat than most other residents, you may want to use a temporary electric heater to top up your heating when you need it, in the part of your home you need it most. You will pay for any energy you use as part of your electricity bill. Some electric heaters are cheaper to run than others. It is important you understand the costs of electric heating as it can be costly to run – that's why we recommend only using it when and where necessary.

Tips to manage how much you spend on topping up with electric heating

• If you have to use electric heaters, oil-filled heaters with a thermostat are usually the best choice as they still give out heat even when they are switched off after use and you can control the temperature of the room to prevent over-heating and wasting money.
• Put on additional layers of clothing to reduce the need for using an electric heater as much.
• Use hot water bottles or electric blankets to reduce the need for using the electric heater as much.
• The use of timer plugs can help to control your usage of electric heaters, especially those that don’t have a thermostatic control. You can decide to have it on between 1-3pm and then 5-7pm for example and know that you have spent about £4 in doing so.
• Only use electric heaters in the room that you are using and close doors to keep the heat in that room.
• Use a thermometer to make sure you are not heating the room above the desired temperature (18C for those that don’t have a health vulnerability made worse by the cold and up to 21C for those that do).
• If you are buying an electric heater, check the wattage of the appliance - 1000Ws or 1KW will cost about 45p an hour to run.

Will there be a change to my heating service charge?

Yes, we are revising the charges set for leaseholders with communal heating to take the government cap and heating service reduction into account. We will write to the leaseholders about this by the end of November.

Bills will still be significantly higher than in previous years, as the cost of gas at the government cap is still about four times higher than costs in the previous financial year (2021–22).

If you pay by direct debit, this will be adjusted to reflect the amended charge. If you pay your instalments by any other method, you will need to adjust the amount that you pay.

Why do I pay for my heating all year round when I only get heating for part of the year?

Heating costs are spread across the whole year to help residents manage the cost of their service.

We estimate the total costs of providing the service across your heating season in time for the start of the financial year and divide it across 52 weeks. Charges are set each year ready for implementation in April.

If we did not do this, the weekly charge would be higher for the weeks of the heating season and then there would be no cost at other times of the year.

Why is the council taking a decision on our heating now, before it knows the outcome of any consultation?

We have taken this urgent action to reduce costs at the time of year which will impact residents least. By delaying the start of the heating season and then reducing hours of operation, we will reduce bills.

We asked residents to let us know if they agreed with the changes we made or if they thought we should go further. We received 719 responses, of which 67 per cent agreed with our changes or though we should go further. Here is a summary of responses.

Further consultation is taking place in spring/summer 2024.

If I am worried about being cold in my home, what should I do?

Residents who are unwell or more vulnerable to the cold may need more support. Please contact Housing Direct on 0800 694 3344 for support with a temporary heater to help top up the temperature in a room in your home. Housing Direct can also refer you to the council’s seasonal health intervention network (SHINE) who offer help and advice with keeping warm and reducing costs.

Find more advice about keeping warm in the winter.

What support can I get to manage my energy costs?

All households will be receiving additional support with their heating costs this winter of £400 through their electricity supplier under a Government scheme. If you have not been contacted by your supplier with details of this, contact them to find out more. Residents in receipt of Universal Credit or Housing Benefit will get further support of £650. You should have already received £326, the first part of this payment, and a further payment of £324 will be paid later in the year.

There is additional winter fuel payment for older residents and an additional £150 Cost of Living payment for those receiving disability benefits.

More information on help with energy bills.

Is there support if I’m struggling to pay my energy costs?

The Government payments are to help residents through the winter, but if you are struggling please contact our team of friendly advisors for support or advice.

Our friendly team of advisors can help you work out what benefits and financial support you are entitled to and help you to make a claim. They can also advise you on ways to make your money go further and put you in touch with other local services that may be able to help.

Call: 020 7527 8222

Email: heretohelp@islington.gov.uk

What is the council doing to give me more control over my heating costs?

The council installed heat meters in 600 homes in 2022. This will mean that residents will be able to control their costs through pay-as-you-go meters installed into their home and they will only pay for what heat they use. Charges will be based on the cost of delivering heat to each building, taking into account the cost of gas, the efficiency of the systems and boilers serving it, and the costs of the pay-as-you-go service.

New regulations from Government means we need to provide heat meters where they are viable. The viability tool provided by the Government to assess where meters must be installed is based on whether we expect the resident will save on costs savings because of the installation. These assessments were based on the cost of gas at the time, which were lower than in October 2022. With the much higher gas costs since 1 October and into the future, it is likely most systems will be viable when next assessed. We have procured a delivery partner and have developed a programme of heat meter installations from 2024/25.

The way some of our heating distribution networks are designed make it very difficult to put metering in place and we are working with industry experts to overcome these challenges.