Switch2 Energy is hosting the free breakfast briefings in partnership with Penningtons Manches Cooper in London on 14 November and Addleshaw Goddard in Leeds on 21 November.

Delegates from the housing and energy sectors will hear the latest legislation updates affecting district and community heating schemes from new regulator the Office for product safety and standards.

Legal experts will explain the steps heat network operators must take to comply with the regulations, while Switch2 Energy will cover the role of digital technologies and advanced analytics in addressing the compliance challenge and improving the performance of district and community heating schemes.

The office for product safety and standards' enforcement manager, Mili Malic, will brief the audience on changes to the duty of notification process. This is an onerous obligation affecting all heat suppliers, who must inform the regulator about their heat network scheme every four years.

Many schemes will now be approaching their four-year compliance anniversary since first issuing notification in 2015.

Ms Malic will also update delegates on the next phase of heat network regulations consultation, which will include proposals for a new methodology to assess the viability of retrofitting final customer meters to existing un-metered buildings.

This requirement had been delayed due to technical challenges. The consultation will also include proposals to extend the scope of the current requirements on accuracy, maintenance and billing to all heat metering devices.

The Heat Network Billing and Metering Regulations mean that it is compulsory to install final customer meters and point of entry meters in new build heat network developments and the majority of major refurbishment projects.

Another key requirement is that customers must be billed using actual meter readings, rather than estimates. In addition, billing information must be both informative and transparent.