The Checks You Need Before Completing Handover

It's best for checks to be carried out by a qualified heat network engineer. These cover four main areas:

Statutory Requirements

Health & Safety legislation (e.g. Gas Safety, PSSR, Legionella, F-Gas).
Building Regulations Part L (energy efficiency standards).
Heat Network (Metering & Billing) Regulations 2014 (as amended).

Leaseholder Heat Supply Agreement

Often this is the lease agreement itself

Clarify liabilities and responsibilities.
Make sure you're not inheriting obligations that haven't been accounted for in the service charge.

Operation & Maintenance Good Practice

Is the system maintainable to industry standards?
Is the plant, the meters and HIUs documented properly?

Energy Efficiency Good Practice

Is the network optimised, or are you inheriting inefficiencies (like poor insulation or high heat losses)?

What's most important to check in heat network agreements?

Liability clarification
Service charge obligations
System maintenance standards

The CR Framework (What to check, line by line)

The Consumer Requirements (CR) Framework sets out the minimum standards heat suppliers must meet to ensure fairness, transparency and protection for all heat network customers.

CR1 – Statutory Health & Safety and Equipment-Specific Checks

Covers gas safety, pressure systems, workplace health, Legionella prevention and F-Gas compliance.

CR2 – Building Regulations Part L

Ensures the building demonstrates energy efficiency in design, commissioning and operation.

CR3 – Metering & Billing Requirements

Accurate billing, apartment meters, building meters, and meter registers. Also includes installing HCAs if apartment meters aren't feasible.

CR4 – Heat Supply Agreement

Reviewing the lease to confirm liability and making sure charges are recoverable.

CR5 – Mandatory Plant & System Function Checks

Manufacturer guidelines, mechanical integrity, commissioning codes and maintenance practices.

CR6 – Mechanical & Electrical Design vs Reality

Comparing the as-built system with original design specs.

CR7 – Good Industry Practice (CIBSE CP1 Code of Practice)

Benchmarks for low cost, low carbon, low energy use and reliability.

Get the Complete Checklist

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Detailed Handover Checklist (CIBSE CP1 recommended best practice)

CR1 – Statutory Health & Safety and Equipment Checks

☐ Gas Safety (Installation & Use) Regulations
☐ Pressure Systems Safety Regulations (PSSR)
☐ Legionella prevention (HSE ACOP L8)
☐ Health & Safety at Work Act 1974
☐ F-Gas compliance
- Critical gaps = immediate legal risk

CR2 – Building Regulations (Part L)

☐ Energy efficiency standards demonstrated in design
☐ Evidence that commissioning reflects design intent
- Amber issues = may increase running costs & complaints

CR3 – Metering & Billing

☐ Building-level (bulk) meters installed
☐ Apartment meters / HCAs (or feasibility study completed)
☐ Meter register linking all units
☐ Billing platform operational
☐ At least one actual meter read per year, billing info twice yearly
- Missing = non-compliance with Heat Network (M&B) Regs

CR4 – Heat Supply Agreement

☐ Heat Supply Agreement reviewed (leaseholder obligations clear)
☐ Service charge covers real operating costs
- Gaps here = PM may inherit unrecoverable liabilities

CR5 – Plant & System Function Checks

☐ Manufacturer guidelines followed
☐ Mechanical integrity of network tested (e.g. BSRIA BG29)
☐ Commissioning documented (CIBSE Code M, SFG20, etc)
- Failures here = safety & performance risk

CR6 – As-Built vs Design

☐ Mechanical & Electrical (M&E) spec compared to installation
☐ Variations documented and signed off
- Amber = potential long-term performance or warranty issues

CR7 – Good Industry Practice

☐ Low heat losses demonstrated
☐ Consistent return/flow temperatures achieved
☐ Variable flow control principles applied
☐ Use of low carbon sources optimised
- Meets CIBSE Heat Network Code of Practice (2015)

Recommendation:

Use an independent heat network engineer to mark each item Red / Amber / Green before accepting handover. This ensures legal compliance, protects service charges, and avoids costly surprises.

What is the most important heat network compliance check?

Plant & System Function Checks
As-Built vs Design Verification
Good Industry Practice

What This Means for You

A good engineer can mark each item red/amber/green, giving you a clear picture of risks and priorities.

_^#1

Legal obligations: You must comply with statutory checks and regulations.

_^#2

Limited recourse: If you don't capture issues at handover, it may be difficult to challenge later.

_^#3

Resident trust: Missing checks mean higher bills and poor service - which land on your desk.

_^#4

Financial protection: These checks help ensure that service charges can cover real operating costs.

Resources & Further Reading

CIBSE Heat Network Code of Practice (2015): Link
Heat Network (Metering & Billing) Regulations: Gov.uk Guidance
Building Regulations Part L (Energy Efficiency): Approved Documents
Health & Safety Executive – Gas Safety & PSSR: HSE Guidance