Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate she has made of how many people living in residential properties are not eligible for the energy price cap because they receive their energy from a communal source.

As of December 2022 there were 477,733 residential households served by registered communal and district heat networks and that data can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/heat-networks-registered-under-the-heat-network-metering-and-billing-regulations-statistics-december-2022. These households are not covered by the Ofgem price cap, but the Energy Bills Discount Scheme was introduced for the period between April 2023 and March 2024 to ensure heat network customers do not face disproportionately higher bills in comparison to non-heat network consumers. All registered heat networks are required by law to apply for the scheme and pass the benefits they receive on to their customers.